This almond-butter cake steeped in rum owes its origins to the slave trade.  Nantes was the busiest French slave port in the 18th century and among the products flowing into the city from the Caribbean colonies were sugar and rum.  In the 1990s, the citizens of Nantes started the difficult process of confronting their history, culminating in 2012 with the opening of the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery, a must-see stop for visitors along the Green Line.

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Ingredients for the syrup:

3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons rum

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Ingredients for the cake:

9 tablespoons salted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
5/8 cup ground almonds
3 large eggs, beaten
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons rum

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Ingredients for the icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons rum

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Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8-inch round cake pan, then line bottom with parchment paper, and butter again.

Bring sugar and water for the syrup to a rolling boil, stirring, then set aside to cool.

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In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the almonds, beating until incorporated.  Then slowly add in the eggs and beat until light and fluffy.  Add the all-purpose flour and the 2 tablespoons of rum, beating just to combine.  Pour into prepared pan and bake until golden brown and set in the middle, about 35 minutes.  

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Once syrup is cool and before the cake comes out of the oven, add in the 2 tablespoons of rum.

When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately run a knife around the edge and turn it out onto a wire rack, then flip over onto a second rack.  Brush the top with about half the syrup.  Let cool completely and brush on the rest of the syrup.  

Stir 2 tablespoons of rum into the powdered sugar to make a smooth, slightly runny icing.  Add more rum as necessary to get the right consistency.  Spread over cake and let run down the sides.  Let icing set before slicing.

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The cake is even better the next day, if you can wait.