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rum cake recipe

Rum Cake Recipe

Delicious Rum Cake recipe can be adjusted to be gluten free, dairy free and also in mini form
It is basically a homemade yellow cake with rum flavor, and amazing rum glaze on top
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Servings 8

Equipment

  • Large Bowl
  • Bundt Pan
  • small sauce pan
  • Oven Rack
  • electric mixer

Ingredients
  

for the cake

How to Make Rum Cake:

  • 1 box Yellow Cake mix (Duncan Hines cake mix is what we used)
  • 1 box instant vanilla pudding
  • 1/2 cup dark rum (many people like bacardi rum but we used Meyers rum)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • Optional: small pieces of walnuts or pecans to the bottom of the cake pan Optional: you can put small pieces of nuts at the bottom of the cake pan and in the cake mix as well.

for the rum cake glaze

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/8 cup water
  • 1/4 cup rum

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F...(165 degrees C).
  • Grease and flour bundt pan
  • Mix together the yellow cake mix, ½ cup dark rum, eggs, ½ cup cold water, cooking oil and instant vanilla pudding. Mix for 2 minutes - we used an electric hand mixer
  • Put all the mixed ingredients into the prepared pan
  • Bake at 325 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool.  Place on a serving plate & poke holes in the top with a toothpick. You'll want plenty of holes to the rum glaze is absorbed by the entire cake.

To Make the Rum Cake Glaze / Rum Sauce:

  • Melt the butter in a saucepan.
  • Stir in water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
  • Remove mixture from the heat and stir in the rum to make the glaze. 
  • Immediately Drizzle and smooth glaze evenly over the top and sides of cake while the cake is still warm. (save some glaze for the top)
  • Allow to sit for five minutes.  
  • Invert the cake onto a serving plate. 
  • Slowly drizzle remaining glaze all over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
  • Cool to room temperature before serving to ensure glaze has soaked in completely.

Notes

Tips:
    • If you would like to add chopped pecans or walnuts, place them in the pan before adding the cake mix & bake.
    • If you can't find Vanilla pudding mix the French Vanilla Pudding mix also works. Just make sure it is instant pudding mix.
    • Of course, you can make the mini rum cakes in different shaped molds, and the recipes does not change should you choose to make it 1 large rum cake vs, mini cakes.
    • Last but not least, try different types of rums.  We have used Tortuga Rum, Captain Morgan Spiced rum and 8 year Barbancourt rum, and each one does taste mildly different.
    • As mentioned above, to make a delicious gluten-free version, we recommend King Arthur's gluten-free yellow cake mix.  We are confident if you don't tell anyone, they will have no idea it's gluten-free. The rum cake is still moist & delicious (& addictive!)