Growing up, for my birthday, my godmother, Aunt Peggy, would bring me a four-layer rum cake from Isgro bakery in South Philly. Layered with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry pastry creams covered in ricotta cream, a coat of slivered almonds, and maraschino cherries, this cake also did double duty as a treat to celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph (which fell close enough to my birthday to warrant such an over-the-top kind of cake; also, Aunt Peggy really loved me). The cake part of Isgro’s rum cake is a light and airy pan di spagna (Italian sponge cake) that’s perfect for making drunk with rum. The pastry cream is a classic Italian crema pasticerra that can be used to fill any fantasy of desserts, such as eclairs, tarts, and bomboloni. My Isgro bakery–inspired home version also features a tricolored pastry cream, using raspberries (my favorite!) for bigger big love. Since this Sunday supper is a feast fit for special occasions and celebrations, I can think of no better dessert for a Sunday supper gathering than setting a birthday rum cake alight with candles. This cake is best served very cold. Make the cake a day ahead and chill overnight before building it the next day. The recipe below is courtesy of Jessica Rayfield.
SERVES 6
Cake
9 eggs, at room temperature, separated
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp [230 g] granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Fine sea salt
11/2 cups [210 g] all-purpose flour
Rum Simple Syrup
1 cup [200 g] granulated sugar
3/4 cup [180 ml] dark rum, your favorite!
Pastry Cream
21/2 cups [600 ml] whole milk
2/3 cup [130 g] granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 egg yolks (reserve the whites for an egg wash, omelet, or meringue)
3 Tbsp cornstarch
Fine sea salt
2 Tbsp butter
Heaping 1/4 cup [45 g] semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup [120 g] fresh raspberries, quartered
1 lb [455 g] mascarpone
21/2 cups [600 ml] heavy whipping cream, very cold
11/2 cups [180 g] confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
11/2 cups [150 g] or more sliced, toasted almonds
8 maraschino cherries, drained (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C]. Trace the bottom of one 8 in [20 cm] round cake pan onto a piece of parchment paper and cut out the circle. Repeat and set aside both parchment circles.
Prepare two 8 in [20 cm] cake pans by melting 2 Tbsp butter and adding a small splash to each pan, using a pastry brush to coat the bottom and the sides. Place your cut parchment round into the bottom of each pan and, using your buttered pastry brush or paper towel, butter the surface to secure to the bottom. Scoop a couple of spoons of flour into each buttered pan; tap and tilt to dust the bottom and sides, discarding the excess. Woo! Now you’re ready!
To make the cake: In the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks with 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp [80 g] of the granulated sugar, the vanilla, and a pinch of salt on medium-high speed until pale, yellow, and thick, about 11/2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
Wash and thoroughly dry the mixing bowl of your mixer. Add the egg whites and whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 21/2 to 3 minutes. Lower the speed and, with the mixer still on, sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup [150 g] of granulated sugar into the egg whites, and mix until fully incorporated. Increase the speed back to medium-high and whip until glossy and voluminous, about 1 minute.
Transfer 1 generous scoop of the whipped whites to the egg yolk mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold it into the batter to lighten it up. You don’t have to be too careful; you’re just setting it up to receive the next two batches. Continue to add the remaining whipped egg whites, in two batches, gently folding each batch into the egg yolk mixture. There is no baking soda or powder in this cake; the leavening agent is the eggs and the air created from the whipping and folding process. Set aside.
Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift 3/4 cup [105 g] of the flour over the egg mixture and gently fold until fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining 3/4 cup [105 g] of flour.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared baking pans. Using your rubber spatula, encourage the batter to the edge of each pan and gently level to ensure an even rise. Do not tap or shake the pans, or you will lose the air you’ve just worked so hard to create.
Bake until the top is light golden and bounces back to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean and dry, about 40 minutes. (You’ll see the cakes dome in the oven as they bake, but they will settle evenly as they cool.)
Allow the cakes to rest until they are at room temperature, then wrap each cake twice in plastic wrap and place in your refrigerator to chill overnight.
To make the rum simple syrup: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1 cup [240 ml] of water and the granulated sugar and bring to a gentle boil, boiling for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the rum. Stir and set aside to cool completely.
Meanwhile, take out three medium bowls and set them aside.
To make the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, 1/3 cup [65 g] of the granulated sugar, and the vanilla. Whisk to incorporate and cook over medium heat (keeping your eye on it because milk can bubble up fast), just until the edges start to bubble and you see a wisp of steam, about 31/2 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, the remaining 1/3 cup [65 g] of sugar, the cornstarch, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Place a folded, wet kitchen towel under the bowl to keep it from slippin’ and slidin’ when you whisk in the next step.
Pour half of the warm milk mixture very slowly and steadily in a skinny stream into the bowl with the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly as you pour. You are bringing the yolks to the same temperature as the milk (“tempering” them). It’s a bit of a circus routine to pour and whisk simultaneously, but you can do it!
Transfer the warm egg yolk and milk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining half of warmed milk and return it to medium heat, whisking steadily until it begins to boil and the bubbles move from the edges to the center and pop through the surface, cooking out the starch, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the butter, and whisk until it is a homogenous pastry cream.
Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl and strain the cream, using a rubber spatula to press it through, removing any hint of a lump. Divide the pastry cream in 11/4 cup [300 ml] portions among the three bowls you had set out in advance and set aside.
To one bowl, add the semisweet chocolate chips and stir until they melt. To another bowl, add the fresh raspberries and gently fold them in. The third bowl is for the plain vanilla cream, so let it be.
Immediately cover each bowl with a piece of plastic wrap so that it kisses the surface and keeps a skin from forming. Allow to cool at room temperature, about 10 minutes, before placing in your refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
To prepare the frosting: Remove the mascarpone from your refrigerator and allow it to warm slightly. Mascarpone has a lot of moisture, and you don’t want this to be too warm, but it will not incorporate well if it is very cold. There is a sweet spot here that it will find by sitting out as you prepare the rest of the ingredients and whip the cream.
In the work bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the cream and, using a fine-mesh sieve, sift the confectioners’ sugar over it. Mix on low speed just to marry the two and then add the vanilla, increase the speed to medium-high, and whip until soft peaks form, about 21/2 minutes.
Turn off the mixer, add the mascarpone, turn it back up to medium-high, and whip to blend, 30 seconds to 1 minute. You want the frosting to be fluffy and soft, and it will stiffen to butter the more you mix, so don’t be shy about turning the mixer off before you think you’ll need to and running a spoon through your icing to test and see that it is thick enough to spread. If you are unsure, stop mixing sooner than you need to. You can always give it a quick whisk by hand before you are ready to frost the cake. Set aside.
To assemble the cake: Unwrap your two cakes and place them on a work surface. Remove the golden-brown skin from the top of each cake by simply running your fingers across the top and peeling it back in pieces.
Using a long, sharp, serrated knife held parallel to the work surface, cut each cake in half crosswise into two layers to create four separate layer cakes. Place the first layer on a large flat plate (or cake plate) and generously brush with the rum simple syrup. Fill a pastry bag (or zip-top bag with a corner snipped off) with the mascarpone frosting and draw a circle just around the edge of your cake layer. This will create a “dam” and keep your pastry cream from coming out the sides when you ice the exterior of your fully assembled cake.
Using a small offset spatula or spoon, scoop the chocolate pastry cream into the middle of your icing circle and then spread evenly to the inside edge of your icing dam.
Generously brush your second cake layer with more rum simple syrup and place it rum-side down onto your prepared layer, pressing lightly to secure it to your frosting and chocolate pastry cream. Generously brush the top side with more rum simple syrup, draw a frosting circle around this layer, and use an offset spatula or spoon to scoop the vanilla pastry cream into the middle of your frosting circle and spread it evenly to the inside edge of your frosting dam. Repeat the steps with a third cake layer, brushing the bottom and top with more rum simple syrup, drawing the frosting circle, and scooping and spreading the raspberry pastry cream. Place the fourth cake layer on top and brush with the last of the rum simple syrup. Place your layered cake into the fridge to chill for 20 to 30 minutes, along with any remaining mascarpone frosting.
Using the remainder of your mascarpone frosting, ice the top and sides, piping the frosting all around the cake first, and then using a large offset spatula to smooth out the piped lines. Let it look rustic and do not worry too much here!
Spread the almonds out onto a sheet pan and, holding the cake in one hand, scoop almonds into the other and press them lightly into the sides around the cake. You could even sprinkle them across the top, if you like. Be creative and make it yours!
For a classic finish, pipe small rosettes evenly around the top. Lining these up across from one another each time, you can plot out 8 rosettes, popping a maraschino cherry (if using) onto each. Ta-da! Showstopper. Add candles and celebrate!
Fulginiti and Bova families. My uncle Ritchie and my mother are on the bottom right.
