Rum Cake

Despite its place among the griddle cakes, this contains no flour and no leavening: it is a rich baked custard set in a mold, closer to a flan than to anything from a batter bowl. Everything depends on gentle heat.

• Bake it as a custard, not a cakeTwelve yolks with cream and no flour will curdle if pushed. Set the buttered mold in a pan of hot water and bake at 325F until the center is just barely set; "dry at the top" means the surface no longer looks wet, not browned or firm.
• The rum is the problem measurementEqual parts rum and cream is an enormous amount of alcohol for a custard, and that much spirit is likely to keep the mixture from setting firmly. Cutting the rum to about a quarter of the cream -- roughly 1/3 to 1/2 cup -- gives a custard that sets and still tastes strongly of rum.
• Three-quarters of a pintIf the book follows US measure, that is 1 1/2 cups; if imperial, 15 fl oz, or just under 2 cups. The difference matters here because the ratio of liquid to yolk decides whether the custard sets, so err toward the smaller figure.
• "A form"A mold or shaped tin; a ring or charlotte mold would suit. Butter it heavily and consider dusting with sugar; a plain 8-inch round cake pan or a 1 1/2-quart souffle dish also works, and a shallower vessel bakes more evenly.
• Sugar to tasteFor this quantity of yolks and cream, 1/2 to 3/4 cup is a reasonable range. Less than that and the rum dominates; more and the custard turns cloying and browns too quickly at the surface.
• Lemon peelGrate only the yellow zest of one lemon and stir it in at the end. Steeping the peel in the warmed cream and straining it out gives a cleaner flavor without specks.
• Icing over a custardA poured icing will slide off a moist, chilled custard. Sifted confectioners' sugar or whipped cream, both of which the recipe offers, are the sounder finishes; apply either just before serving.
• Yield and servingRoughly eight to ten servings. Chill it thoroughly, several hours at least, before turning it out, and serve cold.