Mini Rum Bundt Cakes With Butter-Rum Glaze

Yield: 16 mini Bundt cakes.

Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray mini Bundt pans thoroughly with flour-based cooking spray, coating pans with intricate designs twice to ensure easy separation of the cakes from pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter until fluffy; gradually add sugar and beat well. Add eggs and yolk one at a time and beat until blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla, lemon zest and rum.

In a separate large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; change mixing attachment to paddle, and add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with the whipping cream; begin and end with flour mixture. Beat on low speed until well blended, scraping down sides of mixing bowl so that all ingredients are incorporated into mixture.

Spoon the batter into mini Bundt pans, filling each one two-thirds full (Image 1). Bake 25-30 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into cake comes out clean. Let pans cool about 10 minutes, and then turn them out on wire racks to cool completely (Image 2).

Make the glaze: Melt butter in a medium saucepan on low heat; stir in rum and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and cook 5 more minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat. The mixture will thicken to a light syrupy consistency as it cools (Image 1). Keep cakes on wire racks and brush syrup on each cake with a pastry brush, until the cakes are saturated (Image 2). Cover and let stand overnight before icing with hard sauce.

Make the hard sauce: Combine the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk in a medium bowl. Whisk together until a thick icing is formed. Stir in the cinnamon. Add additional cream a little at a time until the mixture is thinned, but still thick enough to slowly pour from a spoon. Spoon the hard sauce over the cakes and let stand until firm, about 1 hour (Image 1). Display cakes with fresh rosemary and cranberries, if desired (Image 2). To give as homemade gifts, place a single cake onto a small cardboard round, then slide into a cellophane bag (Image 3).