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Ray Kennedy's Rum Cake: A
Slice of Austin, Texas History
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November 20, 2011--When reader T.J. Campbell
wrote in search of the recipe for a famous rum
cake that used to be the signature at Cuneo's
Bakery in Austin, Texas, we didn't have
much hope of finding it. Cuneo's closed 50 years
ago, and attempts to find the former owners
didn't yield positive results. But, a string of
phone calls to food-history buffs in Austin, led
to Addie Broyles, a food writer at the Austin
American-Statesman newspaper, who unearthed a
link to an article in the paper mentioning Ray
Kennedy, former production manager at Cuneo's.
Chats with Kennedy's son James and daughter
Rita yielded more information about Ray, Cuneo's
and the famous rum cake. Turns out Ray, who
learned the baking trade from the Fleischman
School of Baking in the 1930's created and
perfected the rum cake recipe and brought it
with him to Cuneo's where he baked for 11 years
before leaving to open his own bakery in Cisco,
Texas. “But,” recalls Rita, “Mr. Cuneo asked him
to please come back, so he did.”
Decades later (1977), Ray shared a bulk-version
of his recipe with Austin readers. Among other
ingredients, the recipe called for 6 pounds of
sugar, 2 pounds of water and more than three
pounds of shortening. Introductory copy with the
recipe included Ray's memory that, “They used to
line up outside the bakery to buy those rum
cakes, they were so good.” Ray's secret to the
buttery-sweet flavor? Submerging the whole cake
in a butter-rum syrup while the cake is still
warm. “Give 'em a bath in it!” said Ray. Here
then, is the scaled-down-for-the-home-cook
recipe. --Monica Kass Rogers
Ray Kennedy's (Cuneo's Famous) Rum Cake
Note: Be sure to bake this for a full 1 1/2
hours at 325. The cake forms a crust as you bake
so touching the top won't indicate doneness:
Poke a toothpick in the center to test for
doneness.
Makes one, tall, 10-inch tube cake
For cake:
4 cups cake flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsps baking powder
4 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
¾ cup butter
6 eggs
½ tsp each lemon and orange extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
For butter-rum syrup:
1 cup sugar
½ tsp salt
½ cup water
1 oz corn syrup
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp rum extract
1.Generously grease 10-inch angel-food tube
pan. Trace and cut out a paper liner for the
bottom round of the tube cake pan. Place in the
bottom round and grease again over the paper.
2.Sift together cake flour, baking powder and
salt. Set aside.
3.In bowl of a standing mixer, beat sugar and
butter and shortening together. Slowly (one or
two at a time) add eggs in, beating between
additions. Beat for three minutes. When batter
is fluffy, add extracts.
4.Mix in dry ingredients in two batches,
alternating with the milk.
5.Pour batter into the prepared tube pan and
bake at 325 for 1 and ½ hours. Test for doneness
by poking a toothpick into the center of the
cake.
6.Remove cake from oven and let rest for 15
minutes.
7.While cake is resting, make butter-rum syrup.
Stirring constantly, mix sugar, water, butter
and salt in small saucepan and heat until syrup
begins to thicken and bubble. Remove from heat.
Let cool slightly. Mix in rum extract.
8.Using a sharp knife, loosen cake from sides
of the pan. Invert pan onto a foil-covered plate
and remove pan center, using a sharp knife as
needed to separate pan center from what is now
the top of the cake. Remove paper from top of
cake. Brush or pour syrup all over cake. Remove
cake to a clean platter and serve. Cake keeps
well wrapped in foil.
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Got old cookbooks too
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These links will take you to
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