no bake? no prob.

The seasons in the Northeast are pretty extreme and usually leave you crying for the opposite when they finally do change. Winter is unrelenting with biting wind and the pummeling of snow in all of its varieties (I don't think I'll ever understand what a "squall" is and all I can picture is a goose being whipped around in a snowstorm. Squall = squawk = goose). The summer is just as harsh with the heavy blanket of humidity and lack of breeze. Is it true that people on the other side of the country don't converse about the weather because it's so unchanging and picture-perfect? How do people make small talk in California then? I guess they are all so fascinating that they wouldn't have to worry about it.

With the glorious 80+ degree days (and I do sincerely mean that), I don't really feel like turning on my oven to contribute to my lack of air conditioning. The only time I have wanted to heat up in the dead heat of summer was when I visited my parents during their brief stint in Lawrenceville, GA. Yes, I felt cold in Georgia. That was the only time in my life that my family had central air and will most likely the last. Growing up it was practically a test in homeostasis as summer crept in: how many nights can you survive without a fan before heat renders you sleepless? Our house was peppered with box fans and adults threatening that fingers would be chopped clean off if we played with them. If you were too hot you could jump in a cold shower for a couple of minutes or down some grape KoolAid (my personal taste of summer) or solar tea. Having an air conditioner, let alone a whole system was like waving a white flag to the summer weather gods. It just isn't done. I have continued this prideful (stupid?) torch against AC in our house and fortunately Torren's family performed a similar summer ritual as we.

As a result, I do not feel like cranking up the oven and contributing to the stagnant, hot, sticky air. So what to do when you have a "baking" contribution but don't want to bake and really can't have a frozen option because it won't transfer well to your destination? No-bakes! These are so easy and usually consist of ingredients you have on hand. Often they call for peanut butter and oats or crumbs of some sort to sub in for flour. Usually eggless, I am sure that these can be made with a vegan alternative by subbing the chocolate and marshmallows and using Earth Balance for the butter. Will have to give it a go...

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

adapted from Nestle
Yield: 32

INGREDIENTS
2 C reduced fat peanut butter, divided
3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened I used light butter for half of the amount
2 C powdered sugar, divided
4 C Peanut Butter Puff cereal (like Reese's or Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch)
2 C chocolate chips
6 C mini marshmallows (1 bag)

DIRECTIONS
Grease or foil line 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
1. Beat 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy.
2. Pour cereal into a food processor and blender and crush into crumbs (this should yield around 1 1/2 C of crumbs).
3. Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. With hands or wooden spoon, work in remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, cereal crumbs, 1/2 cup morsels and 2 C marshmallows.
4. Press evenly into prepared baking pan. Smooth top with spatula.
5. Melt remaining 3/4 cup peanut butter and remaining 1 1/2 cups morsels in medium, heavy-duty saucepan over lowest possible heat, stirring constantly, until smooth.
6. Spread over graham cracker crust in pan.  Drop remaining marshmallows over top and press down.  If you want to "toast" the marshmallows, you can put the pan under the broiler in your oven for 3 minutes but that would defeat the "no-bake" aspect, wouldn't it?  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until chocolate is firm. Cut into bars. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

Nutrition: 235cal, 12g fat, 124mg sod, 31g carb, 20g sugar, 2g fiber, 4g protein

s'more baking? no thanks.

I knew it would be a little while before a post due to the weekend's celebratory activities. I did, however, get some great eating and recipe-ing in.  Just in time to wear my new bathing suit, hmmm. I really need to go on a sorbet kick or something.

Anyway, because of all of that fun being had, I had PADD or (Party Attention Deficit Disorder). Does that ever happen to you? I think my entire four years of college were like that. I'm not talking drunken debauchery, I mean that excitement where you are in systems overload. Too many fun people, foods and things going on for you to focus and you don't want to miss a second of it. That is generally how it feels when I am with my entire family. We are so used to having seen each other on a weekly basis for so many years that now we live farther apart we have to cram in all of the time we should be seeing each other into a couple of days.  After these "vacations" I usually go home and sleep for twelve hours straight because I was too wound up to waste time with sleep.  Definitely worth it in my opinion.  So for Birthgradather's Weekend, the chaos was as plentiful and delightful as the foods being served.

As mentioned before, Tess has a soft spot for anything cookie/brownie/gooey.  She requested a s'mores cake but I was kind of baffled because the girl actually does not enjoy cake.  Maybe the graham cracker batter lured her in.  I was ready to do it but had been told another cake was being ordered for day 2 of Birthgradfather's Weekend.  This was the perfect opportunity to make an ice cream cake I have been not-so-secretly hoping to make and it is most definitely gooey.  Dubbed "S'mores Sensation" by Ladies Home Journal, this thing is awesome when you want a s'more but it's a little too hot for that campfire.  Or maybe there's a three-year-old running around and you're doing your best not to light things on fire around her.

This cake is easy!  When I do finally purchase an ice cream maker, I am determined to make my own ice cream for this because I love complicating things and it's just not real for me if it's not from scratch.  For now, I'll deal and you get this quick fix!

S'mores Sensation

adapted from LHJ
Yield: 18 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 pkgs (18 rectangles) graham crackers
2/3 C unsalted butter, melted
1 12-oz jar chocolate fudge sauce originally called for two, I subbed one for marshmallow creme
1 12-oz jar marshmallow sauce or 1 7-oz jar of fluff
1 1/2 qts chocolate ice cream I used S'mores ice cream, not really necessary but fun
3/4 C toasted almonds, chopped I omitted this, too many little people don't like nuts
2 1/2 C mini marshmallows
1 qt vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Grind graham crackers into fine crumbs in a food processor. Pour crumbs into a bowl and stir in melted butter thoroughly. Press mixture evenly into an 8 or 9-inch springform pan, coating the bottom and 2 inches up the sides. Freeze until solid, about 30 min.
2. Spread one jar of fudge sauce (this is where I poured the jar of marshmallow creme) over the crust; refreeze. Meanwhile, soften chocolate ice cream and stir in almonds and 1 cup marshmallows. Spread mixture over fudge (marshmallow creme); freeze until firm.
3. Spread remaining fudge over ice cream, freeze until firm, then spread softened vanilla ice cream on top of cake; freeze solid.
4. Place oven rack 6 inches from broiler; heat broiler. Top cake with remaining marshmallows. Place under broiler 1 to 2 min until marshmallows are toasted, then return to freezer. When firm, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 5 hrs or up to 3 days.
5. To serve, wrap a warm, damp towel around the pan, then release outer ring. Use a sharp knife to cut into graham cracker shell and serve with a spatula to remove dessert from pan.

Nutrition: 460 cal, 23g fat, 247mg sodium, 60g carb, 43g sugar, 2g fiber, 5.5g protein

Photo credit  (someone ran out of time to take a photo...)

leave the fire pit to the kids

This week is shaping up to be insane.  Many milestones (mostly good) and much family about to descend upon the parental units' household, we included in that mix.  Heartbreakingly, my family said goodbye to our beloved Charlie, the standard collie that possessed the kindest, most lovable and obedient disposition.  I truly fear there is no other like him out there.  I would post a picture but I think there are a few people not quite ready for that yet.  Tomorrow is my dad Fartknocker's birthday.  In the last week the man traversed the globe, helped my family say goodbye to the wonderful pet of thirteen years, will turn another year older and watch his youngest child finish high school.  Which brings me to, my little Tessellation is graduating high school.  I feel like I just graduated high school.  Apparently that is not so.  Graduations inevitably start around Mother's Day and end on Father's Day.  Maybe the parents enjoy the diversion or maybe it's kind of like a present in itself?  I'm not going to ponder this unless I have threatened the planet with my own gene pool.

Chatham, Cape Cod, Circa 1997: me, noonie, tessellation

I'll get back to the food though, that is why you're here.  I waxed poetic on my love of marshmallow early on.  I will spare you the monologue.  'Tis the season for s'mores and I cannot get enough of them.  Obviously I cannot get enough of them year-round but I suppose there are a sad few out there who can only deal with them in the summer months.  Pity you, more for me.   I thought it apropos to debut this recipe while the evenings are getting longer and warm-weather parties are commencing.

I am forever trying to "s'morify" something and have managed to make the typical: cookies, bars, cupcakes, ice cream cake (post coming soon) but this is by far the most decadent incarnation I have come across and it figures that I found it in my beloved tome.  Maybe you're seeing a pattern here; many recipes from this cookbook are kind of lengthy and require some nutty ingredients.  When I make things like this with minute amounts of alcohol, I buy nibs because we are just not part of the cocktail crowd (well, unless it's some fancy dinner that Torren's treating me to and I have run a marathon in advance) and it's ridiculous to spend so much.  I have also tweaked the flavors to my liking if I don't have/can't find something/prefer non-alcoholic and IT IS ALL OK.  REALLY.  You're talking to a Type A personality here and I will stress that baking should not be, well, STRESSFUL.

Also, this recipe is difficult to healthify.  I have tried.  You need those yolks more than you know.  After much research and failed whippage, cream needs fat to actually turn into copious fluffy clouds of whipped cream.  Sorry if you are so brilliant and aware of this.  Sorry if you love your waist and can't do it.  I suppose you could always grab a store-bought cylinder of marshmallow, stick it on a stick and clamp it between a graham cracker.  Or you could have a smidgen of this and forgo that drinkable cocktail, right?  P.S.- S'mores cocktail?  Yes, I have seen it in it's flaming glory.  Just doesn't quite hit the spot.

All-Grown-Up S'mores

from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey
Yield: 15 large or 30 small servings

INGREDIENTS
graham cracker crust
3 C crushed graham cracker crumbs (one box)
1/2 C (1stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 T granulated sugar

chocolate filling
8 large egg yolks
1 1/2 C confectioners sugar sifted
2 T white crème de cacao
2 T Kahlua
2 t Cognac
1 t pure vanilla extract
1/8 t salt
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 T Dutch-Processed cocoa power
12 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 C heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

marshmallow meringue
3 large egg whites
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 t pure vanilla extract
1 C of marshmallow fluff

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 9 inch x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick foil.  I have made this recipe in full and halved it by an 8 inch x 8 inch square or an 8 inch springform pan (shown)

graham cracker crust
1. Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and granulated sugar until well combined.
2. Press into the bottom of baking pan.
3. Bake the crust until starts to brown and become crisp, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

chocolate filling
1. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and confectioner's sugar together in a large bowl until they are thick and the color of butter.
2. Beat in the Cognac, crème de cacao, Kahlúa, vanilla, and salt.
3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat and whisk in cocoa powder until smooth.  Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Let cool slightly, then gradually beat into the egg mixture.
4. Fold the softly beaten heavy cream into the chocolate mixture just until combined.  Spoon the chocolate cream over the graham cracker curst, smoothing it evenly with a spatula.  Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very firm, at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

marshmallow meringue
1. Using an electric mixer set at low speed, beat the egg whites until foamy.
2. Add the salt and cream of tartar and beat at medium speed until soft peaks form.
3. Beat in the vanilla.
4. Add the marshmallow Fluff to the egg whites a little at a time, beating constantly until stiff peaks form.

Pre-assembly

assembly
1. Carefully cut the S’mores into 15 large squares (or 30 small if it's too much!).
2. Place each S’mores on a dessert plate.  Top each with 1/2 cup of the meringue in a large dollop.
3. Um, yeah, don't have one of these but if you're fancifully inclined...Use a small kitchen torch to carefully burnish the meringue until tipped with golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Nutrition: (for 1/30 of a 9 inch x 13 inch pan) 267cal, 18g fat, 45mg sod, 22g carb, 10g sugar, 0g fiber, 2g protein

summertime, and the eating is easy

Alright, I said I would move on to marshmallowy goodness next but I just had to post this recipe quickly.

Mission: create a dinner that feels like summer. This is what Torren asked me to concoct as a theme for his birthday dinner. I have been processing this for about a month now (it was too busy to make the dinner on the actual day so the poor dude has been waiting for a little while) and I am pretty happy with what I came up with. Of course, there are lots of tastes of summer and many that I had been considering are going to be on display for Tessellation's graduation party next weekend so I decided to move on from the watermelon mint salad, mozzarella spinach pasta salad and grilled hunk of meat that I had been thinking of. Instead, I opted for an spinach salad with carrot orange and sesame that is featured in next month's Cook's Illustrated, a potato salad with dill from Kraft and a tomato tart from Relish. I am pairing all of this with beer, Torren's latest hobby and passion. Well, it's actually been ongoing considering the investments we have made in various brewing paraphernalia a the special fridge for his personal keg. It could be worse, we could still be trying to breed corn snakes...

Back to the beer. I was lured in to some great summer flavors at Julio's, considered the best beer selection in MA and maybe even New England with over a thousand options. Summer beers are often citrus and fruit-flavored which is probably why I love them so. Contrastingly, I can always have a deep stout or caramel porter, too. So I honed in on the Dogfish Head Festina Peche (peaches and nectarines being a weak spot for me), the Dogfish Head Black & Blue, made with blackberries and blueberries and lastly, a MA microbrew and personal fave of mine Pretty Things Baby Tree. Now you know why I like it. A brewery called Pretty Things?! A beer called BABY TREE?!! The label features hand-drawn little lambs frolicking under a tree. All of their labels are rendered with whimsy, I'm such a sucker for things like that. Anyway, the beer is made with dried plums (better known as PRUNES but that probably doesn't sound as appealing. Whatever, it tastes glorious).

Of course, what would a dinner be without dessert? Torren loves these Key Lime Tartlets I had included in this year's Christmas cookie tray so I decided to make them again but with an Oreo crust rather than the traditional graham cracker. It was his dinner, after all. The one thing I must stress with these is that you have to thoroughly grease your mini cupcake/tart pan inside and on the edges. Or, use mini muffin papers. I did not do either and thus the edges are a little ragged. Impatience is a bit of a problem of mine.

I had to show a picture of my snazzy pea pod tray from the parentals.  This thing is fantastical; it can freeze and bake and just look pretty on my kitchen shelf.

Key Lime Tartlets

Yield: 24

INGREDIENTS
crust
2 C Oreo crumbs (1 bag of mini Oreos, crushed) or 2 C graham cracker crumbs (18 graham cracker sheets -> 2 packages, crushed)
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted knock some of the calories off by using light butter
1/4 C + 1 T all-purpose flour

key lime filling
1 can sweetened condensed milk I use fat free
2/3 C fresh lime juice 5 limes worth if using the real thing
1/4-1/2 t grated lime zest
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Heavily grease or line mini tart pan/ mini cupcake pan.
crust
1. In a medium bowl, mix melted butter, Oreo crumbs and flour thoroughly until a dough is formed, pulling away from the sides.
2. Separate dough into 24 balls and distribute into tarlet pan. Using a tart tamper (random tool my Grandma Patty gave me, it works well for these situations!), spoon or your fingers, press dough up sides of each tart space.
3. Bake crust for 8-10 min.

filling
1. After the crusts have baked, increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, lime zest, vanilla and egg.
2. Pour filling into the crusts. There may be a little left over depending on how full you want your tarlets to be.
3. Bake for 15 minutes or until just set. Let cool for at least 45 minutes before serving and removing from pan. Garnish with white chocolate or coconut if you desire. Refrigerate or freeze.

Nutrition: 125 cal, 4.5g fat, 120mg sod, 20g carb, 15g sugar, .5g fiber, 2.5g protein

my secret weapon

Need to say "thank you" or "I'm so sorry" or maybe you are out to impress without giving someone food poisoning? Everyone should have a signature recipe when they want to present something that they know will taste great, look scrumptious and have people coming back for more. I have made these Shortbread Jambles (or as Mommy Dearest likes to call them, "Jimble Jamble Things") several times now and they have been well-received by everyone from your gooey dessert friend to your "I would rather have a piece of fruit" brother. They are tart and sweet enough that they play to many palates and everyone can hold hands and hope for world peace. Better still, there are many ways to dress them up or down. I have added almond paste, changed the fruit filling, nixed nuts altogether for kids to enjoy, spiked them for an adult taste, added chocolate for those that cannot do without, et cetera, et cetera.

I would love to know who has a "go-to" recipe or who makes their great, great grandmother's gnocchi and still has the original copy in her handwriting even though they know it with their eyes closed. What is that one dish whose ingredients you will keep to yourself and pass down to only the most deserving? Really now, TELL ME.

With that, I will warn you, fruit is tasty this time of year but I am also partial to the s'more. Marshmallow recipes will be plentiful.

on the lighter side

I am a magazine binge/purger. I will save up various issues of fashion, food and fitness magazines until I realize that they are basically recycling the same material with a fancy new package. Then I will obsessively comb through each one to find that "ultra important" article and keep the ones that I truly cannot do without. It all started with my personal adolescent bible of the beloved seventeen magazine that I began hoarding around age 14. It's odd how you basically outgrow that magazine once you officially hit its namesake age. From there I became obsessed with In Style (thank you Grandma Patty) until I realized I could just find the juicy parts on their website. Thanks to Mommy Dearest and Father Fartknocker I receive Yankee (don't mock, it has provided me with amazing history, hiking and food of the area, I may become a New Englander just yet!). Grandma Sue (aforementioned owner of 30+ years of Gourmet) has provided me with Cook's Illustrated, for the ultimate nerdy culinary lover (it's like the Consumer Reports of kitchen gadgetry and experimentation!). Don't get me started on my love of the hand-illustrated tips and techniques (the parental units forking over a ton for a degree revolving around technical illustrating has a purpose, really). To buffer the food magazines, I get a nice dose of Fitness magazine every month to serve as a hotplate for my baked goods. I had a subscription hiatus after graduating college and moving in with Torren's fam for a couple of years but all was not lost- his mother had oodles of magazines arriving every week from LHJ to Women's Health to Parents. Yes, that last one is a gem. You can thank me later because today's recipe is coming from there, mwahahahaha. I cannot wait to make the ferris-wheel cake I found in the same issue. My mind is like a safe when it comes to crazy crap like this!

Now you're probably wondering "why bother with print when it is online?" Well folks, I obviously come from a long line of people who love tactile print for all it's worth. I love everything from the layout to the ability to rip something out and stick it on a wall or in my recipe file. Several of these subscriptions do not offer the same information online that they do in their magazine and/or there are extensions of things on the internets. I usually ogle both the print and the site and from there find links to other glorious reading. Ultimately, though, there is nothing like snail mail. I am overjoyed to receive these little gifted subscriptions every month and remember who bought them for me originally. I just love mail. We covet stationery as much or perhaps more than we do our hard drives. I won't tell you about the boxes of letters and cards I have stashed in my cramped home. Don't call me crazy, in fact, don't call me. Send me something in the mail and I'll treasure it forever.

The below recipe has been adapted to fit a certain person's {cough}torrenchristiandoherty{cough} palate. I also did some tweaking to make it "healthified" and the recipe came out tasting delish. I love the original nectarine version because they are definitely in my top three favorite fruits. It's easy to play around with the fruit in this so please do experiment!

Bluebarb Buckle

adapted from Bluberry Nectarine Buckle from Parents
Yield: 9 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 C biscuit mix I used Biquick Heart Smart to lighten the recipe
1 C sugar, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten 1/4 C liquid egg works fine here
1/2 C fat free milk
1 t finely shredded lemon peel
1 medium nectarine, pitted and chopped it couldn't hurt to add another nectarine, this is where I used 1 C chopped rhubarb as a sub
1-1/4 C fresh blueberries
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C butter I used the light stick butter here

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use non-stick foil or grease the bottom and 1/2-inch up the sides of a 1-1/2- to 2-quart baking dish (I'm lame and only have a 9 inch x 13 inch and it worked FINE).
1. In a medium bowl, combine biscuit mix, 1/2 cup sugar, the egg, milk, and lemon peel. Stir until moistened.
2. Spoon batter into pan. Top with fruit.
3. Mix flour and remaining sugar in a bowl. Using a fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly; sprinkle over fruit.
4. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool for 20-30 min.  Serve warm (probably good with some vanilla bean or blueberry fro-yo, you think?)


Nutrition: (light) 280 cal, 4g fat, 360mg sod, 57g carb,  27g sugar, 2g fiber, 5g protein
(original) 304 cal, 10 g fat, 50 g carb, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein.

bring the island vaca to you

Keeping with the tropical inspiration of the last post, I am going to grace you with a cake that I have been wanting to make for a while now. {Gasp} it is not slathered in frosting, as you might expect from me. It does not involve various tiers and cutesy decorating, also something you may expect to come from me. This is not chocolate (believe it or not, I am not a huge chocolate fan, I just know several people that are) nor is it marshmallow filled. It is another lovely answer to the ripe banana quandary (or blessing). It's the very adult and flavorful Bahama Mama Banana Rum Cake from my personal bible of Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey. Listen, I'm sorry if you're sick of hearing about it but I am dying to tackle many if not most of the recipes in this cookbook and it's layout is just too damn cute for me to pass it up. Of course, you'll probably need a coronary bypass after trying much of what is in there but I'll try to sprinkle some anecdotes about lettuce and stuff, too.

Anyway, this is great if you are hoping to serve many (or few for an extended period). It definitely suits the "adult" palate of those who may not love to smother themselves with frosting (I can't believe you people exist but I will take one for the team) and prefer the ease of having their cake and drinking their drink, too.

Bahama Mama Banana Rum Cake

from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey
Yield: 24 servings
I am telling you, the book says 10 servings. That's just mad. It would be almost 1,000 calories per serving! Go ahead and eat that much but I warned you about the impending cardiac surgery.

INGREDIENTS
cake
1 1/2 C chopped pecans, toasted other nuts like walnuts would be delish, too
1 1/2 C (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 C granulated sugar
1 C firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temp
1 C mashed, very ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
2 t pure vanilla extract
3 T dark rum (or a t of rum extract)
3 C bleached all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
3/4 C sour cream I use low fat or fat free without an issue

dark rum glaze
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 C water
1/2 C firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C quality dark rum

DIRECTIONS
cake
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F Spray a 10-cup tube or bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray, then flour, tapping out the excess flour. The pan needs to be well-greased, or the cake will stick to it.  Sprinkle the nuts in the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
1. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy.
2. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Beat in the mashed bananas, vanilla, and rum (or rum extract).
4. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt over the batter and fold in using a rubber spatula, just until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in the sour cream.
5. Spoon the batter over the nuts in the pan and spread to the edge of the pan using the back of a rubber spatula.
6. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out with no more than a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 60 to 80 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

dark rum glaze and cake assembly
1. While the cake is baking combine the butter, water, and sugars in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil.
2. Immediately reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum. Set aside and keep warm.
4. Use a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the cake and pour 1/4 C of the warm glaze over the cake. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes more.
5. Place a serving platter over the pan and invert to release the cake onto the platter. Spoon the remaining glaze over the cake, a little at a time, and let stand until the glaze is completely absorbed into the cake. If the glaze starts to pool at the base of the cake, use a small metal spatula to spread it up and around the sides of the cake. It will look like you have too much glaze, but don’t worry, within a few hours the cake will absorb all of it.
6. Let the cake cool completely before cutting into wedges and serving. This cake will last 2 to 3 days if covered well.

Nutrition: 340cal, 16g fat, 217mg sod, 44g carb, 30g sugar, 0g fiber, 3g protein