Q: JCT Kitchen is our new favorite Atlanta restaurant and we love everything that we have tried there. However, we never fail to order the rum cake for dessert — it is out of this world. Could you get the recipe for us? We would love to try it at home. Thanks. — Jim and Bridget Horgan, Marietta
A: This Rum "Sopped" Coconut Cake has been on the menu since JCT Kitchen opened in January 2007. It's a delicious take on tres leches cake, and it's easy to see why diners would rise up in protest if chef Ford Fry ever took it off the menu. This recipe is for half the quantity they make in the restaurant and it is not as rich as the one you'll be served there. You can cut the recipe in half again if your plans for entertaining don't include a crowd this size.
JCT Kitchen’s Rum ‘Sopped’ Coconut Cake
12 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1/4 cup dark rum
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Vanilla ice cream, toasted coconut and confectioners’ sugar, if desired
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
With a stand mixer, whip eggs and sugar until fluffy and doubled in volume, about 3 minutes. Whisk or lightly stir in flour and salt. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake until just done, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and poke holes in cake.
In a 1-quart measuring cup, combine condensed milk, coconut milk, rum and vanilla and almond extracts. Slowly pour over cake until all is absorbed. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving. Top with ice cream, if desired, and garnish with toasted coconut and confectioners’ sugar. Serves: 18
Per serving: 316 calories (percent of calories from fat, 31), 8 grams protein, 46 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 11 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 149 milligrams cholesterol, 141 milligrams sodium.
