Rachel’s Rum Cake

1 (15 oz) box yellow cake mix
1 (3.5 oz) box ‘instant’ Vanilla Pudding Mix
½ cup water
4 eggs
½ cup oil
½ cup dark Rum (80 or 90 proof)
1 cup broken pecans
2 Tbsps dark brown sugar
1 (10 oz) jar No Stem Maraschino Cherries

Preparation Method:  
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray oil ‘tube’ (bundt) pan then lightly dust with flour – set aside. Chop pecans – drain cherries and slice into halves – set pecans and cherries aside. In a small bowl - beat eggs well – set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine cake mix and dry pudding mix together – add water, oil, rum, and beaten eggs to dry ingredients – mix well (either with electric mixer or about 100 hand strokes). Place broken pecans into bottom of tube pan (can use pecan halves if desired). Sprinkle brown sugar over pecans. Set cherries (cut side ‘up’) all around over the top of pecans & sugar. Gradually pour cake batter over cherry/pecan mixture ( be careful not to ‘dump’ batter into pan which will disturb the placement of the cherries – let batter flow from your tilted bowl as you pour it around in a circle).  Bake cake about 55 minutes or until toothpick test is clean. Let cake sit in tube pan while you prepare the “Rum Sauce” to pour over cake. Rum Sauce Recipe below. After sauce has been prepared – (while cake is still in pan) – poke holes all around the cake’s surface with a toothpick – then pour about 1/3 of hot rum sauce over cake’s surface.  Let cake sit 5 – 7 minutes then place a serving plate over the top of the tube pan (covering cake) – and ‘flip’ the pan over. The cake will release from the tube pan and reveal a beautiful cherry and pecan covered top for your cake. Poke holes all around the top, sides, and inside the ring of your cake with a toothpick – be generous with the holes (they will be filled up with rum sauce). Gently spoon ladle hot rum sauce all over top, sides, inside ring of cake.
Rum Sauce:   

1 ½ sticks real butter (3/4 cup)
1 ¼ cups sugar
¼ cup water
½ to ¾ cup dark Rum
½ tsp vanilla extract

Heat butter in deep saucepan – stir in sugar & water – bring to rolling boil – cook 2 minutes – stir in rum & vanilla – cook 1 minute longer. Spoon over cake.
 **Note:  This cake is easy to make. The most difficult part is 'deciding' how much Rum is 'enough' to satisfy your 'Rum Tastebuds'. The basic recipe calls for 1/2 cup Rum both in the cake and in the sauce. However, the 'type' of rum affects the taste. Light (70 proof) Rum is not as strong. Using the 1/2 cup measure with the Light Rum will deliver 'just a hint' of Rum flavor. When using Light Rum, and desiring a 'stronger' Rum taste, the cook could re-work the recipe and use 1/3 cup water & 2/3 cup rum in the cake 'and' use 3/4 cup rum in the sauce. The standard 1/2 cup measures, when using 'dark rum' will deliver a notable 'rum flavor'. If the cook wants an 'intense' rum flavor, the above changes could be made, however, too much rum in the cake can deliver a strong 'alcohol' flavor to the cake which overwhelms the other delicious vanilla and butter elements that make this cake a classic.

You can find many more wonderful Cake, Cookies, Cupcake, Muffins, Breads, and Roll Recipes in My Specialty Cookbook: Grandma Rosa's Kitchen Bakery. Only $7.99 makes it 'so affordable' - available at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.booksamillion.com, 'or' By Request at your local brick & mortar bookstore.

This recipe can also be found in Grandma Rosa's Kitchen Bakery Cookbook. Just look for it at www.amazon.com

"As American as 'Apple Pie'"  is the old saying. There is just 'something about Apple Pie' that warms the heart as that sweet/tart bite of tender apples bathed in a sauce of brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon lingers on our taste buds. It took me several test runs to develop this recipe; however, it was well worth the time because this has been a family favorite for awhile. Christmas Time is my Big Pie Making Marathon where I usually produce 4 or 5 pies for that Holiday Meal. However, that endeavor to please every family member's palette is proving to be too much, so, I put the family to the task of choosing only 'three' pies from the list to be served at our Christmas Dinner. The choices were: Pecan, Apple, Pumpkin, Chocolate Cream, Coconut Cream. When the votes came in - Pumpkin, Chocolate Cream, and Coconut Cream were the three winners. So, this homemade beauty is being saved for the exceptional occasional treat. I'm sharing the recipe here on my website with you, today. You can find this recipe along with 'my entire pie recipe collection' in my pie cookbook: "My Sweetie Pies" - on amazon  -    http://amzn.to/1mWTI4b
This book is NOT just recipes, although it would be great to have recipes that have been 'tested' through three generations of Great Southern Cooks! But, this book offers 'so much more' because it is an 'instructional book' teaching 'The Art of Pie Baking'. So much offered in this book and 'so affordable'. The reason it is very affordable is that the 'interior' has no colored pictures which greatly runs the printing cost up!  The pictures for all the pies in the book can be found on the book's COVER. Match your pie photo to your recipe and save big bucks in the process. I hope you will take a moment to visit Amazon and look for this book and all my cookbooks offered there: "My Sweetie Pies" - "Grandma Rosa's Kitchen Bakery" - "Country Cooking Southern Style" - "Down Home Southern Cooking" - "The Well Stocked Cupboard".

Here is Your Apple Pie Recipe:

Homemade Apple Pie

2 Tbsps lemon juice
6  - 8 Fuji apples
½ cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsps brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbsps cornstarch
¾ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 (15 oz) can fried apples – drained
2 Tbsps apple jelly – melted
2 Tbsps butter
1 egg white + 1 Tbsp cream
½ tsp granulated sugar
1 recipe (double crust) pie dough

 
Preparation Method:
Plan ahead step: Make pie crust and chill in refrigerator.
When ready to make – preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash, peel, slice raw apples. Place apple slices in covered microwave safe dish and sprinkle with lemon juice.  Microwave apples 10 – 15 minutes or until crisp tender. Remove cover and let apples completely cool before adding sugar/spice mixture. While apples are cooling, roll out dough into two rounds. Place one round of dough into pie plate – set aside. After apple slices have cooled, drain off all but ¼ cup of liquid in dish. In a small bowl, combine ¾ granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt then stir this mixture into cooled apples. Fold drained fried apples into apple slices. Carefully scoop apple slices into unbaked crust. Heat apple jelly in microwave until melted and drizzle over apples then dot with butter.  Carefully lay top crust over apples – cut slits in dough. Beat egg white & cream until frothy then brush egg wash over top of crust. Sprinkle crust with remaining ½ tsp granulated sugar. Bake pie at 400 degrees about 20 minutes – then- set temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake another 30 - 40 minutes.
*Option: can substitute apricot preserves for apple jelly for a tart taste.
* Crust recipe (two 9 inch crusts) : 2 cups AP flour,  ¼ tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, pinch cinnamon, 1 cup Crisco shortening, ½ cup whole milk. Combine dry ingredients; cut shortening into dry ingredients until consistency of coarse meal; stir in milk; roll out on heavily dusted pastry board; cut into two rounds of dough and chill or freeze.
* Lattice style top crust is pretty on this pie. Cut top round of dough into thin strips then lay about 5 or 6 strips in one direction over raisins- alternately weave same amount of strips over and under first layer of strips (pot holder weave fashion). Pinch edges of top and bottom crust together to seal
*Vented top crust will also work. Just roll out dough – place over apple filling – pinch top and bottom crust edges together and press with tines of fork or pinch scallops in edges. Cut 4 or 5 vents in top crust for heat to escape. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.