One of the best parts about the Fancy Food Show is the opportunity to connect with international brands.
Stroh Rum had a friendly representative in a dirndl making waffles smothered with a mixture of maple syrup and Stroh, an iconic Austrian rum created with a secret recipe. I tasted many delicious samples at the show but those rum soaked waffles were one of the best.
The history of Stroh dates back to the time of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Stroh, “The Spirit of Austria” is a 185-year-old company that produces among several other Stroh products, Stroh 80, a rum that has achieved cult-like status around the world.
From the company’s website:
“At the heart of this spirit is the local pastry kitchen and the related coffeehouse culture and confectionery art. Without STROH Inländer rum, sweet Austrian classics such as Applestrudel, Kaiserschmarren or biscuits would be simply unimaginable. This makes it unique in the culinary world.”
After chatting with the Stroh representative about this blog, they gifted me with their cookbook and a sample of the 80 rum. The cookbook is a compilation of beautiful and creative recipes created by several top Austrian chefs.
It was hard to decide what to make from the cookbook. I kept going back to this prune cake where the prunes are soaked for a few days in the rum. The recipe also contains instructions for creating a beautiful cinnamon crust on the cake.
Instead, I opted for a glaze using the rum from soaking the prunes instead. As a bonus, the rum gave the glaze a beautiful orange tint. The original rum prune cake recipe in the book can be found here.
This is a yeasted cake that serves 8-16 people depending on how thick you slice it. The taste of the cake is potent, especially with the glaze which makes the rum taste much more potent.
Stroh Rum Prune Cake
(Adapted from Rum Prune Cake from The Spirit of Austria Cookbook)
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted prunes cut in half and marinated in Stroh at least 2 days in advance
- 4 cups cake flour
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 package 21grams active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 1 egg room temperature
- 3 egg yolks room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 cup cinnamon/white sugar mix
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
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Place the flour, sugar, butter, yeast, salt, milk, egg, yolks, vanilla and lemon zest in a food processor, blend until the ingredients form a smooth dough.
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Cover the bowl with a clean dishcloth and let rise for 45 minutes.
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Grease and flour a 10-inch ring springform pan
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Drain the prunes reserving the extra Stroh liquid.
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Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
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Divide the dough in half (use a kitchen scale for precise measurements)
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Roll one half the dough out into a large rectangle and cut into 4 squares.
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Brush the squares with butter, distribute 1/2 the prunes out over the squares then sprinkle evenly with 1/2 the cinnamon sugar.
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Repeat with the other half of the dough.
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Roll up the squares and place in the prepared baking pan. Cover the pan with a dishtowel and let rise for 45 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Place the pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
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Remove from oven. Let the cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes and then de-pan and place on a cooling rack positioned over a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Let cake cool completely.
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Whisk together the powdered sugar with 4 tablespoons of the Stroh liquid from marinating the prunes until it forms a smooth, pourable glaze.
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Pour the glaze evenly over the top of the cake. When the glaze has completely hardened, transfer the cake to a serving platter, slice and serve.
