-Catherine Pulsifer
Hi there,
Today Dom and I are celebrating our 50th Wedding Anniversary. We were married on a beautiful spring day. The marriage was witnessed by 250 people and 3 priests. We knew that there was never going to be any backing out of this contract. Our wedding cake was an Italian Rum Cake baked by Dom’s cousin who owned a bakery in Trenton, NJ. Fifty years ago, most wedding cakes were for show and usually were beautiful but dry and unflavorable. But this cake was one that everyone enjoyed. Italian Rum Cake became a cherished party of our family history. Many, many memories of dinner celebrating birthdays, graduations, and any and all milestones ended with an Italian Rum Cake.
The following recipe for Italian Rum Cake comes from Diana’sDesserts.com. It is certainly one long and complicated recipe but I am sure some of you wonderful bakers out there may be up to the undertaking. As for me, I always purchased my cake from and Italian Bakery. And, it was always worth the drive.
.
Ingredients:
Italian Sponge Cake:
5 egg yolks
5 egg whites
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups pastry flour, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon rind (optional)
Italian Pastry Cream Pasticciera Cream:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon butter
Chocolate Pasticciera Cream:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole milk
2 ounces baking chocolate, grated
1 tablespoon butter
Rum Syrup:
1/4 cup light or dark rum or 1 tablespoon rum flavoring
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Stabilized Whipped Cream-Corn Syrup Method:
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
Stabilized Whip Cream-Gelatin Method:
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
For Decoration (optional)
Sliced almonds, for decorating sides of cake
Whipped cream, for piping rosettes around top of cake
Instructions:
For the Italian Sponge Cake:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C. Butter and flour two 8 or 9-inch cake pans. Set aside.
Place egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until lemon colored. Add flour, a little at a time, blending it in well. Add vanilla and lemon rind (if using it).
Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into cake mixture.
Pour cake batter into prepared pans and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cakes from oven and turn out of pans onto wire racks to cool completely.
Note:
Cakes can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated overnight, or frozen (up to 3 weeks) for future use.
For the Italian Pastry Cream:
Place sugar, egg yolks, flour, lemon rind (if using), and vanilla in a saucepan and mix together well.
In a separate saucepan, scald milk. Very slowly pour milk over egg yolk mixture, in a thin stream, beating constantly with rotary beater. Continue cooking on low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture reaches the boiling point. Cook 4 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat, add butter and mix well. Pour into bowl and let cool, stir occasionally to prevent skin from forming over the top.
If using as a filling, chill (with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming) until very thick (about 3-4 hours).
For the Chocolate Pastry Cream:
Place sugar, egg yolks flour, and vanilla in a saucepan and mix together well.
In a separate saucepan, scald milk. Very slowly pour milk over egg yolk mixture, in a thin stream, beating constantly with rotary beater. Continue cooking on low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture reaches the boiling point. Cook 4 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Add chocolate and while stirring, cook 1 minute longer. Remove pan from heat, add butter and mix well. Pour into bowl and let cool, stir occasionally to prevent skin from forming over the top.
If using as a filling, chill (with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming) until very thick (about 3-4 hours).
For the Rum Syrup:
Note:
If you prefer not to use rum syrup, you may sprinkle/brush cake layers with 1/3 cup rum which has been diluted with 1/4 cup water.
Mix together the water, sugar, and rum in a small pot. Bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool before using.
For the Stabilized Whipped Cream-Corn Syrup Method:
In a large chilled bowl, with chilled beaters, beat cold cream until it just starts to thicken. Add corn syrup and vanilla from the side of the bowl, and beat until stiff peaks form.
For the Stabilized Whipped Cream-Gelatin Method:
Prepare Gelatin:
Soak plain gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes. Dissolve by placing it in a container over a small pot of simmering water, stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool before using.
In a large well chilled bowl, with well chilled beaters, beat cream with electric mixer. Just before it becomes soft and billowy, slowly add the sugar and vanilla to the whipped cream at the sides of the bowl, continue to whip as you do. Whip the cream until barely stiff.
Add melted and cooled gelatin all at once to cream during whipping. Stop whipping when cream forms soft peaks. Finish beating with whisk to adjust consistency to stiff peaks.
Use or serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until needed.
If peaks have softened during refrigeration, re-whip by hand using a whisk.
Assemble Cake:
Slice sponge cakes in half (horizontally) to form two layers. Using a long, thin bladed knife, cut/split each layer in half lengthwise making four thin layers.
Place bottom sponge layer on platter cut side up, sprinkle/brush with about 1/4 of the rum (be careful not to get the cake too wet, or layers will become soggy). Allow sprinkled/brushed rum to soak into the cake for about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle/brush remaining sponge layers (on the cut side) evenly with remaining rum.
Spread a layer of vanilla pastry cream on the first sponge layer.
Top the vanilla cream layer with another layer of rum sprinkled sponge cake.
Spread a layer of stabilized whipped cream on the second sponge layer.
Top the whipped cream layer with another layer of rum sprinkled sponge cake.
Spread a layer of chocolate pastry cream on the third sponge layer.
Top the chocolate layer with the last layer of sponge cake.
Frost the top sponge cake layer and sides of cake with remaining stabilized whipped cream, and if desired, decorate top of cake by piping rosettes using whipped cream and cover sides of cake with sliced almonds, or decorate as desired. Place cake in refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving.
Store any uneaten cake in the refrigerator.
33 responses to “Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary To Us”
Happy 50th Anniversary to both of you. Congratulations! Well worth celebrating. The rum cake looks amazing.
God Bless your love! <3
Happy, happy anniversary! Beautiful cakes and even better memories.
💜 Beautifully YUMMY!!! with Time ⏲️ and Care EveryOne; there is Far Too Much Fast Food These Days and An Associated Increase in Early DEMISE!!! The “Rum” is Particularly Appealing EveryBody
…💛💚💙…
Happy anniversary Bern and Dom! Todd and I wish you many more happy years together. Keep making beautiful memories! 🙏❤️❤️
And the beat goes on….
Congratulations! How nice to hear good news like this! 👍 🥂
Happy Anniversary to you both! I hope you have a wonderful day. 🤵♂️👰♀️🎂💐
Happy 50th Anniversary!!
Happy Anniversary. Any secrets of your success you are willing to share with the rest of us? 🙂
Only listen to half of what is said.
🙂 🙂 🙂 Good Advice.
A truly momentous occasion–my heartiest Congratulations/ AND I adore the beautiful cake recipe. I’ll certainly have one for my anniversary, but it’s only the 26th. AND I’m really fortunate to have an Italian Bakery just down the street from us. . .Have a wonderful day with many more anniversaries to come. Enjoy that delicious cake!
26 years does not belong in the category of only. I hope you have a wonderful celebration and a delicious cake.
Happy Anniversary!! Congratulations and have a wondaful time together!!
Happy anniversary to your and your husband Bernie! What a golden moment for you both.
And thank you for the rum cake recipe. Rum cakes are one of our family’s favorites as well, but this recipe looks really divine!!!!
Dorothy the more I get to know you the more I realize we have a lot in common. Have a great weekend.
Happy 50th wedding anniversary!!! The Italian rum cake sounds diving!!! Now I have to find a local bakery that sells one haha
I’m right there with ya!
Congratulations! How wonderful for both of you.
Happy Anniversary!
The cake sounds amazing. Love rum in cakes! 🙂
Happy 50 years!!!! It’s very inspiring to have friends who have weathered the storms together for so long. All the best to you and Dom! Now, how about a slice of that AMAZING cake?! I can almost taste it. 😋💕
Happy anniversary and what a beautiful cake! We’re celebrating our 34th next weekend!
YAY for you too!
Awww. Happy happy Anniversary, Bernadette. I love the photos and what a beautiful cake. I rarely drink, but I love desserts with rum in them. It’s such a unique flavor. Yum. Thanks for sharing the recipe and I hope you had a wonderful day of rich memories. Hugs.
Congratulations of your 50th. We just celebrated ours in March. OMG I am originally from Trenton- Was it from Italian People’s Bakery in Chambersburg. Italian rum cake is so delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary!!! 😀
Happy Anniversary Bernadette! I was married in 1972 also but lost my husband 3 years ago…I hope you have many more happy years together!
Jenna
Happy 50th Anniversary 💕🌸 And big congratulations! Wish you at least another 50 filled with happiness and love 💕
That Italian Rum Cake sounds super delicious! I love the flavors! 😋
I am so behind in commenting, sorry! Congratulations on 50 years, something you don’t see very much anymore. All that great cooking has kept the love alive!
congrats and happy anniversary and well done! what a cake. and how come you had 3 priests? 🙂
Dom asked his favorite priest and the unbeknown to us my father and his mother asked their favorite priest to officiate🤣
did my comment vanish? happy anniversary!