I told you I had something special for you! You thought I forgot, didn't you? Well, I didn't. I know. I know. You don't have to say it. It has been an awfully long time since I have given you a recipe to try out. Can you blame a person? I have been working on a fabulous cookbook (and a few other fantastic projects! Stay tuned!), making sure the photos are great, the recipes tried and true, and easy to follow.

I love the holidays. It always brings me back to my Grams, and how hard she worked to make sure her family was together; especially for Thanksgiving. Even after working long hours, standing on her feet (she owned a Beauty Salon), she'd come home and stay up all night long, cooking, and preparing a feast for her family. Sure, everyone was told what they should bring, but there was nothing like the food prepared by my Gram's hands. You could taste the love in every single bite. And the desserts were that much sweeter.

Every grandchild vied for their own sweet potato pie or a piece of cake. We all wanted to bring our own slice home, without fear of our parents stealing our stash! And trust me—they tried! One of the many recipes my Grams shared with me was her pound cake. To be a pound cake, it was light and buttery, and just melted in your mouth.

Thinking of my Gram's butter pound cake, I decided to come up with my version and tweak it just a bit. My tweaking successfully turned into a delicious, light crumb, Rum Spiced Cake. YUM!!! Trust me. You will love this cake. Try it out this weekend, and if you enjoy it, don't be afraid to put it on your dessert list for the holidays. If you don't like the spices, omit them, and just have a great Rum Cake!

Rum Spiced Cake

Ingredients:

2 ¾ cups of All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons of Baking Powder
½ teaspoon of Baking Soda
½ teaspoon of Salt
1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
1 teaspoon of Nutmeg
1 teaspoon of ground Ginger
1 ¾ cups of Sugar
1 ¼ sticks of Unsalted Butter (softened)
1 8oz package of Softened Cream Cheese
4 eggs at room temperature
1 cup of Milk
1 teaspoon of Vanilla
2 teaspoons of Rum
2 ounces of Rum

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (f)

Grease and flour a Bundt pan/fluted cake pan, and set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices and set aside. Beat eggs and milk together and set aside. Cream together butter, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth. Slowly add 1/3 of the flour mixture. Batter will be thick. Add half of egg and milk mixture. Mix well. Add another third of flour, and mix. Add remaining egg and milk mixture. Mix well, and add the rest of the flour mixture. Beat for about 2 to 3 minutes. Batter will be thick. Mix in vanilla and 2 teaspoons of rum. Let batter rest for 5 minutes.

Pour batter into cake pan, smoothing out the top. Tap the pan on the counter to make sure there are no air pockets and batter is distributed evenly. Place on center rack of oven and bake for 45-60 minutes (depending upon your oven). Cake is done when a wooden dowel or knife inserted comes out clean. Let cake sit for 2 minutes before removing from cake pan to completely cool on a wire rack. Using a wooden skewer or fork, poke holes in the top of the cake. While cake is still slightly warm, evenly pour the two ounces of rum over the cake, allowing it to soak into the cake. Allow to completely cool. For best results, wrap the cake in plastic and refrigerate for 24 hours.

You can leave plain or ice with your favorite frosting. Or, make a glaze using, 1 cup of confectioners sugar, ¼ of orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla or rum. Drizzle over cake.

From My Kitchen To Yours, Happy Holidays!