When life gives you rum, you make a cake, no? Well, we do. We don’t touch rum ordinarily as it conjures unfortunate memories of scooping Dark’n’ Stormies from a plastic bucketful (true story) in our Uni days. Which was not an occasion that crowned anyone with glory, and it’s a miracle we can still face anything flavoured ginger. We think a flatmate called Gavin was to blame – and when hasn’t a bloke called Gav been to blame for something? So yeah… rum. We wish we liked it because it smells really great; kind of warm, complex, sugary and overall lovely. We can deal with it in desserts and syrups however, like the one that douses this brown sugar butter cake situation.You could use whisky or brandy instead if that’s what’s in your cupboard, with a dash of Amaretto or Frangelico too. Either of those would be just sublime. 

MAKES 1 x 21cm CAKE

225g unsalted butter, softened

220g (1 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar

3 large eggs

1½ tsp vanilla extract

225g (1½ cups) plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

125g (½ cup) sour cream

Syrup

100ml dark rum

100g (½ cup, lightly packed) brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 175˚C. Grease and flour a 21cm, 6 cup-capacity bundt or ring tin.

Using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and beating well between each. Add the vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda, then stir the mixture into the creamed mixture, alternating with large spoonfuls of the sour cream. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, smoothing the top even. Bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester withdraws clean. 

Meanwhile for the rum syrup, combine the rum and sugar with 100ml water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until reduced and thickened slightly. Set aside.

When the cake is ready, use a wooden skewer to poke holes into the cake while it is still in the tin, the pour over the syrup. Cool the cake in the tin, then turn out onto a plate to serve.