Italian Rum Cake

Italian Rum Cake is so moist, delicious, and creamy that everyone will seriously want seconds! 

This fabulous rum-soaked layer cake is a great dessert for any festive occasion. If you need a showstopper, look no further. This Italian rum cake recipe is the one for you!

What is Italian Rum Cake

There are many bakeries that make a version of Italian rum cake. You may know this cake by another name. Maybe you know it as Italian birthday cake, Continental cake or as in my family, simply Rum cake. 

In Italy, this much loved cake is known as “torta con crema pasticcera” – cake with pastry cream – and is a popular birthday cake. But it’s so much more!

Italian rum cake is a showstopper of a cake consisting of three layers of Italian vanilla sponge cake (pan di spagna) drenched in rum syrup. Inside you’ll find a layer of vanilla pastry cream and another layer of chocolate pastry cream. If this isn’t enough, the assembled cake is covered in whipped cream frosting and sliced almonds.

You’ll love my Italian rum cake recipe because:

• It’s simply a showstopper! Just like my cannoli cake, this cake will impress and draw attention when you bring it out!
• Sensational taste! Now this is the clincher, isn’t it? A dessert needs to taste amazing if it’s going to be a winner!
• I have provided all the step by step instructions and tips so that you can make this perfectly every time!
• You don’t have to make it all at once. Almost all the components of this cake can be prepared in advance. 

For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Ingredients

• Eggs – whole eggs are used to make the Italian sponge cake but you’ll just need the yolks for the pastry cream. I prefer large free range eggs with lovely yellow yolks. However use what you have keeping in mind the better quality ingredients make a better cake.
• Sugar – you’ll need white sugar for the cake, pastry cream and rum syrup.  In most of my baking,  I will use superfine sugar because it dissolves readily. This is really important when making the cake and will help to create a light and fluffy texture.  However, regular granulated sugar will be fine.
• Flour – cake flour which has a lower gluten content is essential when making a light sponge cake. However cake flour or all purpose plain flour can be use to thicken the pastry cream.
• Milk – whole milk is needed for the pastry cream. At a pinch, you could use a lower fat milk but the pastry cream won’t be as creamy. 
• Vanilla extract – I have used vanilla extract due to its ease and use it in both the cake and pastry cream. Vanilla paste or the seeds of a scraped vanilla bean could also be used in which case, add when heating the milk. 
• Chocolate – just a little bit of chopped chocolate will turn the vanilla pastry cream perfectly chocolatey! I prefer a darker, bitter chocolate. The choice is yours.
• Lemon – I always like to use a strip of lemon zest in my pastry cream to add flavor. This is something my late mother did and her crema pasticcera was always delectable!
• Rum – use golden or dark rum not white rum for this Italian rum cake. The amount used in the recipe will give a gentle flavor but if you like a more noticeable rum flavor, add extra.
• Heavy Whipping cream – fresh cream with a fat content of at least 36% fat will work best as a whipped cream frosting. The extra fat will hold the air and create a more stable whipped cream. 
• Powdered sugar – you’ll just need a couple of spoonfuls of powdered sugar to sweeten and stabilize the whipped cream.
• Sliced almonds – these are used to decorate the sides of the cake but it also adds a delicious nutty taste. Sliced almonds are also sold as flaked almonds and can have skins on or not.

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to make sponge cake

Preheat oven to 340ºF/170ºC. Butter a 8 or 9 inch/20 or 23 cm springform pan then line completely with parchment paper.

1. Beat the eggs with the sugar until thick, light and fluffy.
2. Using a spatula, fold in the sifted cake flour in three batches.
3. Pour the mixture into the previously buttered and lined springform cake pan.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until cooked through and brown.

Instructions for crema pasticcera (Italian pastry cream)

Set aside 1/2 cup of milk. Then heat the remaining milk with the strip of lemon zest until you see steam is rising.

1. Whisk egg yolks with sugar then slowly whisk in the flour. Add reserved milk to egg yolk mixture.
2. Remove the strip of lemon zest from heated milk then whisk hot milk into egg yolk mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Strain back into saucepan and place over medium heat until it simmers and thickens.
4. Divide the crema pasticcera into two bowls. Stir chopped chocolate into one bowl then cover both with plastic wrap with the wrap pressed onto the crema pasticcera. 

Place both the vanilla and chocolate pastry cream into the fridge until needed.

Making whipped cream frosting

• Place the mixer bowl and whisk in the fridge or freezer to become really cold.
• Pour the heavy cream into the electric mixer bowl and using a whisk attachment begin whisking.
• Add superfine sugar and vanilla extract. Whip until firm peaks form. 

How to assemble and decorate this cake

Firstly, prepare the rum syrup by combining the water and sugar in a saucepan and place over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. Let the simple syrup cool then stir in the rum.

5. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the pan di Spagna into three even layers.
6. Place one layer of cake on a serving plate then spoon rum syrup over to moisten.
7. Spread the vanilla pastry cream over the moistened bottom layer then top with another cake layer. Moisten well with rum syrup then spread the chocolate pastry cream over. Top with the final layer of cake, press it on well and moisten with the remaining rum syrup. 
8. Using ¾ of the whipped cream frosting, spread over the top and sides of the Italian Rum cake. Press sliced almonds onto the sides of the cake and use the remaining ¼ of the whipped cream frosting to pipe rosettes around the top edge.

Decorate with maraschino cherries and flakes of chocolate.

Hint: when assembling use cold cake and have all the other components very cold. During assembly if you’re having trouble with the cake tilting or sliding, take a break and put everything in the fridge until it’s very cold before continuing.

Substitutions.

• Alcohol free – use rum extract instead of rum in the syrup. Alternatively, omit the rum and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to make vanilla simple syrup.
• Almonds – instead of sliced almonds, use roasted peanuts. 
• Nut free – almonds can be left off the sides of the cake. In this case, use 50% more whipping cream to create a thicker layer of whipped cream frosting.

Variations

• Pastry cream filling – traditionally Italian rum cake has both a vanilla layer and chocolate layer but you can make all vanilla or all chocolate. Omit the chocolate if you’re making all vanilla. Alternatively stir double the amount of chocolate into the whole batch of pastry cream for all chocolate filling.
• Stabilized whipped cream frosting – substitute powdered sugar for the superfine sugar. Powdered sugar contains a little bit of cornstarch to stabilize the whipped cream frosting.
• Kid friendly – see the substitution to make an alcohol free cake

Equipment

To make the pan di Spagna, an electric mixer (either hand held or stand mixer) is essential to whip the eggs with sugar until thick and fluffy. An electric mixer is also hand to make the whipped cream frosting.

A 9 inch (23 cm) springform cake pan makes removing the pan di spagna easy. If you don’t have a spingform pan, use a regular cake pan of the same size.

A long serrated knife is handy to cut the cake into three even layers.

Storage

Italian rum cake must be stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Immediately return any leftover cake to the fridge after serving.

I have found that slices of this cake freeze quite well. Just cut into slices, lay onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. When frozen, wrap the slices in plastic wrap, place in a sealed container and return immediately to the freezer. Freeze for up to 1 month.

Thaw frozen slices of Italian rum cake at room temperature until soft. While I wouldn’t freeze the whole cake, freezing slices is a good way of not wasting any leftovers.

Tips for Success and FAQ’s

Planning is the key to this cake. Most of the components can be made in advance. No components are particularly difficult but this Italian rum cake does have quite a few steps.

The pan di Spagna can be made up to a month in advance. Wrap it in double layers of plastic wrap and freeze until needed. It will defrost very quickly.

Make the crema pasticcera a day or two in advance. Keep it well covered with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface so as not to form a skin on the pastry cream. Give the pastry cream a good stir before using.

The rum syrup can be made a week in advance. Keep refrigerated in a sealed jar.

Whipped cream frosting doesn’t hold up as well and is best made when required. Have the cream very cold and the bowl and beaters cold when whipping cream. 

When assembling the cake, have everything cold. If at any point the cake seems unstable, pop it into the fridge or freezer until really cold and set. Then continue.

Serving Suggestion

Italian Rum Cake is a complete dessert and needs nothing else except for a good Italian coffee or espresso. 

But of course you want a fantastic Italian meal to precede this amazing dessert. Why not serve Pasta al Forno and Baked Italian Chicken Thighs to have an Italian feast for your family and friends!

Made this recipe?
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