Recipe: Legendary Italian Rum Cake (2024)

By: Francesca Montillo, ISDA Food & Travel Writer

Growing up in southern Italy, I was pretty fortunate that I had a stay-at-home mom who was quite the cook and baker.

It wasn’t until years later, after our move to the U.S., where mom joined the “working world,” and lost the time to bake all of her intricate confections and sweet treats.

One dessert that brings me back to my childhood in Italy is the Italian Rum Cake. Popular in all Italian and Italian-American bakeries, rum cakes are the thing to eat on special occasions, namely birthdays and other celebrations, andmy mom was a mean Rum Cake baker!

Who needs frosted sheet cakes for birthdays, when you can sink your fork and teeth into a creamy, boozy and decadent rum cake?

The base consists ofPan di Spagna (“bread of Spain”), a light and airy sponge cake, which ismoistened with a rum soak, filled with two layers of cream —be it vanilla, chocolate or a combination of the two —covered in stabilized whipped cream, decorated with nuts such as slivered almonds and decorated in some fashion on top.

You can also add some macerated strawberries in between the layers. It’s truly a labor of love.

It helps to start in the morning, allow everything to cool completely, prepare everything and serve for after dinner or even the next day, when the flavors have had a chance to soak and develop.

It’s important for the whipped cream to be stabilized or it will fall apart and deflate in the fridge. My mom did have some help in this department.

In Italy, they sell packets of dry whipped cream that you add the cream/milk at home and it’s strictly for decorating, so it does not fall apart.

Here, you’ll have to add an extra ingredient to stabilize it. Below you’ll find the recipes for all the various components of this cake, plus the assembly instructions and some helpful tips. Go ahead and make it, you know you want to.

Pan di Spagna

Ingredients

6 eggs (at room temperature for at least 2 hours)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 ½ cups cake flour (or all purpose flour) sifted (see note below)

Pinch salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the rack on the second from the lowest slot. 

1. Grease and flour an 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan or spring form pan. (I do not use baking spray for this cake.)

1. Using the whisk attachment from the stand mixer, beat the eggs, vanilla and sugar on high speed for about 10 minutes, even 15 minutes is acceptable, until very airy and pale. While the eggs are whipping, sift the flour and salt in a separate bowl.

1. Using a rubber spatula, very slowly and gently fold in the flour + salt into the beaten eggs, paying close attention so as not to deflate the batter. Mix in 3 – 4 separate times, do not add all the flour at once. Mix just until all the flour is incorporated, but do not over mix.  
2. Pour the mixture into the buttered and floured pan and bake for about 33 – 35 minutes, or until the cake is slightly golden and springs back when lightly pressed. 
3. Let the cake cool for 30 or so minutes, then remove from pan until ready to assemble.

Vanilla Pastry Cream

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch

Instructions

1. Add the milk and vanilla to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear around the edges.
2. With the whisk attachment of the stand mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow, about 5 – 7 minutes on high speed. Sift the cornstarch and salt and continue to whisk until incorporated.
3. Reduce the speed to low and gently pour about a half cup of the hot milk over the egg mixture to temper the eggs.Gently add the remaining milk and whisk to combine.
4. Return the cream mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium – low heat, whisking constantly with a hand whisk, until it thickens to pudding-like consistency.
5. Remove from the heat and add to a bowl. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of cream. Refrigerate fully for at least 2 hours before using the cream for the cake.

Chocolate Pastry Cream

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

3 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped (I use Lindt or Ghirardelli, 60-70% cacao)

3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch

Instructions

1. Add the milk, vanilla and chocolate to a medium saucepan and placeover medium heat until tiny bubbles appear around the edges. Mix with a hand whisk to assure chocolate is fully melted.
2. With the whisk attachment of the stand mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow, about 5 – 7 minutes on high speed. Sift the cornstarch and salt and continue to whisk until incorporated.
3. Reduce the speed to low and gently pour about a half cup of the hot milk over the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Gently add the remaining milk and whisk to combine.
4. Return the cream mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium – low heat, whisking constantly with a hand whisk, until it thickens to pudding like consistency.
5. Remove from the heat and add to a bowl. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of cream. Refrigerate fully for at least 2 hours before using the cream for the cake.

Whipped Cream (Stabilized for frosting cake)

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar (sifted)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

2 teaspoons cornstarch (sifted)

Instructions

1. Using the whisk attachment of the stand mixer, on medium speed, beat the whipping cream until very soft peaks form.
2. Reduce speed and slowly add the sugar and mix for about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla.
3. Add the sifted cornstarch and continue mixing until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate cream until cake is ready to be frosted.

Rum Soak

Ingredients

¼ cup light or dark rum

1/3 cup water

½ cup granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a light boil. Mix with a fork or small hand whisk until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat, place in a bowl or mug and cool before using.

Other ingredients

Slivered almonds or peanuts

Cake decorations of your choice

Assembling:

1. After the Pan di Spagnahas cooled, carefully divide it in 3 layers. Using a long, thin bladed knife helps the process. (If you have 3 8-inch cake pans, you could divide the batter in the 3 pans and bake 3 thin cakes, but honestly, I’ve always just baked one and after some practice, have been able to divide it in 3 layers.) Place the bottom layer on a serving platter, cut side up.
2. With a pastry brush, brush the bottom sponge of the cake with the rum soak until the cake is well moistened but not soaked. You will end up using about one third of the soak.
3. Add one of the cooled creams (either chocolate or vanilla) to the cake and spread to the edges using the back of a spoon, or preferably a small off-set spatula.
4. Add the middle layer of the cake on top of the cream and once again, using a pastry brush, moisten the second layer with the rum soak, paying close attention again that it’s well moistened but not soaked or it will break apart.
5. Add the other pastry cream and once again spread to the edges.
6. On the cut side of the last remaining piece of cake, add the remaining rum mixture until moistened but not soaked. (It’s important to not over soak the last piece or you will have a hard time picking it up and placing it over the cream as it might break.)
7. Frost all sides of the cake with the stabilized whipped cream. Add the slivered almonds or peanuts to the sides of the cake. Decorate the top of the cake with additional whipped cream rosettes, candied cherries, fresh berries or any way you wish.

Notes/Important tips:

• Everything should be cooled completely before assembling. You can prep everything the day before and assemble the next day.
• To not over mix the whipping cream, or you will end with butter.
• The cake does not have any baking powder; the height comes from having whipped the eggs fully, so be sure to not under mix the eggs.
• You can use all-purpose flour for this cake if that is all you have on hand. I suggest sifting it twice. Cake will be a bit denser than if cake flour is used.

• If you have access to vanilla bean paste, I prefer it to extract as you can see the vanilla beans in the vanilla cream and the cake.
• If the cream is lumpy, remove from the heat and strain with a sieve.

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