dorie greenspan's coconut tea cake

So for Christmas, I received a copy of "Baking: From my home to yours", by Dorie Greenspan. Let the baking begin.

The recipe originally just has coconut, but a side note suggested sesame seeds; something I absolutely adore. When it finally came out of the oven, it needed something more, and so I added a rum soak. Hope you like it!

Coconut Tea Cake 
adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: from my home to yours

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned, unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 stick butter (4 Tablespoons) cut into 4 pieces
4 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
1 3/4 + 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons + 1/2 cup dark rum
3/4 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened or sweetened)
1/2 cup toasted white sesame seeds

Centre a rack in the oven and preheat to 350. Butter a bundt pan or use an un-greased silicon one.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together.

Pour coconut milk and butter into a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the butter and sesame paste is melted. Remove from heat, but keep warm.

Working with a handheld mixer, or with a good arm and a whisk. beat eggs and sugar until pale and doubled in volume (3 minutes with a mixer). Beat in the vanilla and 2 teaspoons of rum. Slowly beat in dry ingredients, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as you go.

Keeping your mixer on low or slow mixing by hand, add coconut, mixing until its just blended.
Carefully, add hot milk and butter mixture until smooth. Fold in sesame seeds, making sure that everything from the bottom is incorporated

Pour the batter into the pan and give the pan a few shakes to even the batter. Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes or until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Please don't overbake. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes.

While cake is cooling, heat 1/2 cup rum and 1/2 cup sugar in a pan until the sugar dissolves. Let simmer for 2 minutes then turn off. Poke holes in the cake and pour syrup over cake. Let soak for 2 minutes or so.

Turn cake out onto a clean plate and eat every time you pass by the kitchen.