Outer Banks Rum Cakes

Outer Banks Rum Cakes® – A Family Treasure

By Lindsay Cheshire

My name is Lindsay, yes fondly named after the “Bionic Woman,” Lindsay Wagner according to my Mom. My Mom started Outer Banks Rum Cakes the year that I left home for college. We have always been a close-knit family and with so much time on her hands, my Mom Sue turned to her Mom, (Sally Lewane) for some advice. Grandma told her that this “was her time to make her dreams happen.”

It turns out Mom’s dream was to make a special kind of rum cake that has been in our family for four generations. Together with her Mom and with a lot of laughter, they came up with a dark haired pirate gal named, “Kill Devil Jill,” and her loyal white shaggy dog, “Mac” (who looks a lot like my Mom’s dog who has the same name but is slightly bigger) based on local Outer Banks of North Carolina folklore for how the town Kill Devil Hills got its name.

Using my Great Grandmother’s recipe, Mom and Grandma came up with the Outer Banks Rum Cake… this cake is glistening with Carolina pecans and crystal sugar crunch topping, rum and just a hint of orange, people who buy it as a gift have often remarked that they try one bite and often can’t help but eat it themselves. Mom started selling her cakes in a beautiful box that tells the mostly true Legend of how the Outer Banks Rum Cakes came to be and now both Outer Banks locals and visitors love this legendary deliciousness!

My sister Jenny and I joined the team to help Mom sell and market the Outer Banks Rum Cakes. So now, four generations of women in our family are now part of the Outer Banks Rum Cake tradition. It’s been fun for all of us to be able to work together to help Mom see her dream come true. That’s the real treasure.

So thank you for supporting us and for making my Mom’s dream come true. And make sure you order an extra Outer Banks Rum Cake…and share it with your Mom.

Lindsay

Outer Banks Rum Cake Review:

On the outside, the cake has a nice, light-golden presentation, there are toasted pecans on top.  The inside is a lighter shade than most other rum cakes we’ve tried, giving it an attractive color contrast.  The aroma is rich, with vanilla and orange hints, very reminiscent of a traditional egg “Ronpope” (similar to egg nog).  The cake is moist without being too sweet.  In the palate, the mild hints of orange are accentuated and elegantly combined with the nuts and vanilla, resulting in a refreshing and mouth-watering experience.  It could benefit from having a little bit more rum flavor, but even at the current level, this is an excellent cake, worthy of any rum celebration!

Review of rum cake done by Luis & Margaret Ayala