It’s been a long week and you need to unwind. All you want is a swig of something strong. Wait, maybe you’re actually craving chocolate? How do you choose between alcohol and a dessert? The choice is next to impossible. And that’s where chocolate rum cake comes to the rescue. Sure, you could just upgrade to a chocolate cake mix by swapping liquor for water. But when baking from scratch is this easy, there’s really no reason not to DIY. Rich and spiked but relatively small, this cake is just the right level of indulgent.

Adapted from Katie at the Kitchen Door (cake) and Pastry Affair (glaze).

Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: one 8” cake (about 1″ thick)

Ingredients:
Cake:
6 ounces dark chocolate (at least 75% cocoa), chopped
½ cup salted butter, cubed
4 eggs
½ cup sugar
¼ cup spiced rum
6 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ teaspoon  salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze:
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon spiced rum

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line an 8” baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In a small saucepan, continuously stir 6 oz. chocolate and ½ cup of butter over low heat until melted and smooth. Set this aside to cool.

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Photo by Hayden Carder

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Photo by Hayden Carder

3. As the chocolate cools, beat the eggs and sugar together for a few minutes until the mixture is thick and pale yellow.

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Photo by Hayden Carder

4. Stir ¼ cup of rum into cooled chocolate and gently pour it into the egg mixture.

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Photo by Hayden Carder

5. Sift and fold flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt into the batter and stir until it’s mixed completely. The batter might be slightly lumpy.

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Photo by Hayden Carder

6. Pour batter evenly into the pan and bake for 15 minutes.

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Photo by Hayden Carder

7. While the cake cooks, melt remaining chocolate and butter over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining rum.

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Photo by Hayden Carder

8. Glaze the cooled cake. Enjoy at room temperature, if not slightly warmer.

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Photo by Hayden Carder

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