Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum!
Rum isn’t a spirit to which I normally gravitate, although I have had a mai tai or two and the occasional daiquiri. So imagine my surprise when I found a mostly empty bottle of Mount Gay rum in the back of the cabinet. I’ve no recollection as to how it got there.
The mystery bottle turned out to be a good thing as I decided to try my hand at a Gâteau Nantais, a cake that hails from the city of Nantes. Nantes is a seaport at the mouth of the Loire River known in the 17th and 18th centuries for its Caribbean sugar and rum trade and, sadly, the slave trade.
Not being a huge rum devotée, I should also mention that rum cakes are among my least favorite cakes — cloyingly sweet and overly rich. So, when I saw that the recipes for Gâteau Nantais included rum, I was hesitant. But I had committed to making it and, if I ended up hating it, I could always give it away.
Give it away? Are you kidding? I could barely bring myself to share it with friends. It is my new favorite cake — out of this world! How good? Markipedia, who doesn’t like desserts, had two servings the first night; that’s how good. The rum? In the best French tradition, it is a subtle flavoring — you would never even know it’s there.
Ho Ho Ho … I’ll be getting another bottle of rum.
~ David
Gâteau Nantais
To print this recipe, please click the small printer icon below.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups almond flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup dark rum (not spiced)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, more as needed
- 1 tablespoon light rum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter the parchment and coat the whole pan with flour.
- Whisk together the flour and baking powder; set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the almond flour and mix until fully combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the rum and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until incorporated; do not over beat.
- Give the batter one last stir with a spatula, then scrape it into the prepared pan, even the top, and bake for 35 minutes, or until the top springs back when pressed lightly with your finger.
- Let the cake cool completely.
- To make the glaze, sift the confectioners sugar into a medium bowl. Add the light rum, vanilla, and water and whisk until very smooth. If it’s too thin, add more sugar.
- Pour the glaze over the top of the cake and spread right out to the edge. Let the glaze set for at least an hour before slicing and serving.
- Serves 8-10.
© 2026 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Colette
August 23, 2025 at 2:43 amI’m making this NOW!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 23, 2025 at 6:25 amYou will not regret it! Thanks, Colette!
angiesrecipes
August 23, 2025 at 4:10 amYou see, sometimes you just didn’t know that you love certain things until you tried it! And a cake loaded with almond flour, rum and butter has got to be beyond delicious, David.
Cocoa & Lavender
August 23, 2025 at 6:26 amIt definitely has become my favorite cake, Angie!
Mad Dog
August 23, 2025 at 4:57 amThat looks delicious – I love almond cakes and don’t mind a drop of rum!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 23, 2025 at 6:27 amNow that I have tasted some really high end rum, I feel quite differently about the stuff, Mad Dog. And with the cake? It’s a wonderful pairing!
Laura
August 23, 2025 at 5:46 amIf I weren’t in the “ boonies” I’d grab the rum right now and make this. Looks fabulous and if all the liqueurs I’ve ALWAYS loved, it’s rum. Good, dark and delicious.
Yum. Yum. Yum. Happening soon from my kitchen!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 23, 2025 at 6:28 amThis may not equal the lemon soufflé cheesecake for you but I can assure you it will make your tastebuds happy!
Melissa
August 23, 2025 at 7:12 amYou had me at almond cake! I’m out of dark rum, but as soon as that’s remedied I’ll give this a try.
Cocoa & Lavender
August 23, 2025 at 7:16 amI don’t know what it is about this cake, Missy — it just pushed all the right buttons for me. I hope you like it, too.
Barb
August 23, 2025 at 7:25 amAlcoholic beverages definitely need to be good quality. I remember tasting Port many years ago at a local winery and almost gagging because it tasted like cough syrup. I had never had Port so I thought that was just the way it should taste. Needless to say, I avoided it after that experience. A few years later a friend was serving a 20-year old imported Port with dessert and begged me to just have a sip of it. I became a Port lover at that moment! Your cake recipe sounds delicious and even though it contains a lot of sugar I’m sure I would enjoy a small slice!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 23, 2025 at 9:37 amThanks, Barb — the quality really does make a difference! While this cake has a cup of sugar, the guests to whom I served it all mentioned that they liked that it wasn’t too sweet. I’m not sure how that works, but it really isn’t too sweet!
Inger
August 23, 2025 at 9:49 amI so get finding surprise bottles of liquor in the cabinet David! Wonderful use for your rum and I do believe I have some rum handy as well!
David Scott Allen
August 23, 2025 at 4:56 pmIt would be a great use of your rum, Inger!
Carolyne
August 23, 2025 at 11:05 amHappy almost birthday to you. I’m with Markipedia in the not a dessert lover category, but this cake sounds good enough to eat at breakfast time. 😋
David Scott Allen
August 23, 2025 at 4:56 pmAnd a happy almost birthday to you, too. I think you would happily eat this cake and enjoy it!
Ronit
August 23, 2025 at 12:09 pmMy kind of cake, moist and fragrant. I use almond flour often, and always keep a good bottle of rum at hand, as it adds such nice flavor and aroma to pastries, so it seems I’ll be making this cake very soon! 🙂
David Scott Allen
August 23, 2025 at 4:53 pmIt relaly is a wonderful flavoring if the quality is good. I guess I was reacting to some not so good rums used to douse holiday cakes I had in my youth.
Eha Carr
August 23, 2025 at 2:37 pmHmm! Coming on early our Sunday morning noticed an ‘almost’ birthday wish to you – if correct, huge bestest wishes from across the ocean 🙂 ! The cake looks very moreish and elegant . . . love almonds and, way back, have had more than a few rum-and-cokes ) ! And used it in cooking . . .
David Scott Allen
August 23, 2025 at 4:53 pmThanks, Eha — it’s a great cake for all occasions! I have never had a rum and coke — and I finally remembered why the bottle of rum was there! I got it to make Canelés de Bordeaux!
FEL!X
August 23, 2025 at 6:04 pmAlways a good solution to «metabolize» a good dash of rum!
David Scott Allen
August 25, 2025 at 9:22 amI like the way you put that, Felix!
sherry
August 23, 2025 at 8:31 pmback in my younger days, I used to drink rum and cokes – eek! Rum makes me sick now; i mean literally, and sadly. But i bet i could eat it in this cake – and it sounds delicious. At the moment, i only have spiced rum in the pantry for cooking and baking…
sherry
David Scott Allen
August 25, 2025 at 9:21 amI do hope that cooking/baking the rum takes away the possibility of sickness, Sherry! I have never had a rum and coke, and can pretty confidently aver that I never will!
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
August 24, 2025 at 10:14 amWow, this sounds splendid. And as you know I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. And like you I don’t go crazy for rum, either, although I do enjoy a babà every once in a while. The almond flour sounds especially nice. I may give this a go one day when I’m feeling ambitious. (Baking is always a bit intimidating for me.)
And yes, I’ve had the same experience finding long forgotten liquors in the back of the cabinet!
David Scott Allen
August 25, 2025 at 9:20 amThe nice thing for you, Frank, is that this cake is ridiculously easy to make. I am sure yours will be perfect. And I do think you would like it, too. A very simple European cake — the best kind.
This event led us to going into the hooch cabinet to see what is there. Lots of fun stuff, including a bottle of Sambuca Romana after our most recent trip to Rome.
Karen (Back Road Journal)
August 24, 2025 at 11:46 amThis sounds like a marvelous cake. I really enjoy almond cakes and rum so I know it would disappear quickly.
David Scott Allen
August 25, 2025 at 9:18 amIt went much faster than I would have liked, Karen. It only means I need to make another!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
August 25, 2025 at 10:19 amI’m not familiar with Gâteau Nantais, but as I’m a big fan of alcohol-infused desserts (I believe that a dessert without alcohol is wasting of your calorie intake LoL), this cake is calling my name!
David Scott Allen
August 25, 2025 at 10:44 amI love the weay you
drink… um, think, Ben! I think you will ove this cake!Mimi Rippee
August 25, 2025 at 1:13 pmSo interesting! I wonder why it’s so good. Do you really think it’s the rum?
David Scott Allen
August 25, 2025 at 5:08 pmYes, I do Mimi — this is one of about 15 almond cakes I like and make, and the rum really did make a difference.
Jeff the Chef
August 25, 2025 at 5:54 pmThat is high praise! I also don’t like rum cakes! But now, I’ve got to try this one!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 28, 2025 at 8:01 amYou do need to try it, Jeff. It is so simple and the end result is out of this world.
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
August 27, 2025 at 11:20 amDavid, I discovered, and developed my recipe for, Gateau Nantais 5 1/2 years ago (just in time for my 10th blogiversary), and still love it. I go light on the rum as well. It’s my idea of a perfect cake—so easy to make and looks so simple, then wows with the flavor and texture! Sometimes I decorate the top with toasted sliced almonds because, like you, I want the almond to be the star flavor; but most times I go with the traditional unadorned glaze. I’ve had to neglect my blog for a bit but hope to be getting back to a regular schedule soon.
Cocoa & Lavender
August 28, 2025 at 7:59 amI will need to look at your recipe to see how ours differ, Jean — and then make yours! I like the idea of toasted almonds top — II will definitely try that! One thing I really like is that it doesn’t ask for almond extract; the vanilla and rum together are perfect. I do keep checking on your blog so I will look forward to new posts when you can!
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:15 pmDavid, it is far better to not use almond extract at all than to use too much of it, as many people do. I use it very sparingly in my kitchen, and in the case of this cake I use 1/8 teaspoon in the cake batter. Such a small amount may not even be discernable to most people anyway, but one should never be punched in the face by almond extract!
David Scott Allen
September 5, 2025 at 12:21 pmI agree fully, Jean — almond extract is so string. It is always a “less is more” situation. I am working on a new raspberry cream pie and and going to need to tinker with the extract. Wish me luck!
Raymund
August 28, 2025 at 3:19 amWow, David, that sounds like a happy accident with that rum! I love that the cake won you over despite your usual rum reservations, subtle rum notes are honestly the best kind in a dessert. Now I’m curious to try Gateau Nantis myself, especially if it’s that good you couldn’t even share it!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 28, 2025 at 7:54 amDefinitely a nice surprise, Raymund!
Valentina
September 10, 2025 at 10:44 pmYou’ve definitely sold me on this one. I actually like the flavor of rum in desserts. So if you typically don’t, and loved this, I will REALLY love it! 🙂 ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
September 11, 2025 at 5:49 amI have now made this several times and find the quality of the rum is really key. Since I wasn’t really a run aficionado, I never knew what a difference it would make. Now I do, so no more cheap rum for me. 😉
2pots2cook
September 14, 2025 at 3:20 amMmmmmmmmm love rum cakes. We (adults) will enjoy it, I’m sure 🙂
David Scott Allen
September 15, 2025 at 3:49 amI have also made the glaze simply using vanilla, so it could be enjoyed by the young, too. 😉
CC
November 15, 2025 at 11:33 amRum takes on another dimension in bakes and desserts, imho. I say bring it on! This cake looks DIVINE!
Cocoa & Lavender
November 16, 2025 at 6:28 amHonestly, this is my go to cake now. I can’t imagine making any other…
The-FoodTrotter
November 18, 2025 at 11:33 amEven if I’m French, I never had gâteau nantais, but it looks delicious, I love these kinds of delicate and rich yet simple cakes, perfect for tea time 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
December 3, 2025 at 2:40 pmÇa me surprend! You really need to try it, Romain!