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1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 4 loaf pans.
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2
Split open vanilla bean and scrape seeds into cream.
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3
Drop pod into cream and heat until scalding. Let cool.
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4
Whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt until well blended.
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5
Sift the flour and baking powder together.
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6
Whisk the sifted dry ingredients into the egg/sugar mixture just until blended.
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7
Remove (and discard) the vanilla bean pod from the cream, and whisk cream into the batter.
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8
Gently mix in the melted butter, pour batter into the prepared loaf pans and bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
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9
While cake is baking, prepare syrup by combining sugar, water and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan. Stir mixture over medium-high heat until it comes to a simmer.
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10
Continue to heat (WITHOUT FURTHER STIRRING or your finished product will have sugar crystals!) until mixture comes to a full boil.
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11
Cover (also important to avoid those nasty sugar crystals) and continue to boil until all sugar is dissolved and liquid is clear, about a minute.
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12
Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.
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13
Stir in liqueur.
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14
After removing cakes from the oven, allow them to cool in pan for about 5 minutes.
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15
Run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn cakes out, then immediately return cakes to pans.
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16
Use a thin wooden skewer to poke numerous holes into the cake, about 1 inch apart. The holes should go all the way from the top to the bottom of the cake. Pour 1/4 syrup mixture over each cake and, if desired, sprinkle with optional toppings.
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17
Let cool until the cakes have absorbed the syrup.
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18
Remove from pans.
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19
Note: If giving these cakes as gifts, you can use disposable aluminum foil loaf pans and give the cake in the pan.
