Ingredients
- Shortening to grease cake pans
- 2-1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon dark rum
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 1 vanilla bean (split down the middle, seeds removed and reserved)
- 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup syrup such as Sonoma’s Meyer Lemon Simple Syrup
- confectioners sugaR
Preparation
Step 1
Have ingredients at room temperature. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place rack in the lower third. Grease and flour sunflower cake pan. Over a sheet of wax paper, sift flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a small bowl, stir in milk and rum, set aside. In an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla bean seeds, beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape sides of the bowl. Add eggs and egg yolk, beating after each. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture and beginning and ending with flour. Beat each addition just until incorporated. Pour into prepared pan, and, using a spatula, spread batter so sides are slightly higher than center. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool upright in the pan for 15 minutes. Tap pan gently on a work surface to loosen. Set rack over a sheet of wax paper, invert pan onto the rack (lift off pan). Use a pastry brush to brush warm cake with syrup. Let cake cool completely. Dust with confectioners sugar.