Rum Cake
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This boozy, buttery rum cake is guaranteed to be the life of the party.
My grandmother loved to bake, and her rum cake was legendary. It was the star of every family gathering, and no one could walk through her kitchen without sneaking just one more thin slice. Although she kept the recipe a closely guarded secret, upon discovering my interest in cooking, she finally revealed that it was actually a Duncan Hines cake mix doctored up with instant vanilla pudding, butter, and lots of rum. Who knew?! These days, keeping the recipe a secret would be impossible—it’s all over the internet (just google “Bacardi rum cake”).
I’ve always wanted to recreate her cake from scratch, so I came up with this rum cake recipe, which is hardly any more work than the semi-homemade one. My grandmother might beg to differ, but I believe my scratch-made version comes pretty close to her original.
Table of Contents
“This is one of the most exquisite cakes I’ve ever made.”
About Rum Cake
Rum cake is a traditional Caribbean dessert that dates back to the days of sugar plantations, as rum is a liquor made from sugarcane. The most well-known version of Caribbean rum cake, known as black cake because of its intensely dark color, is a fruitcake made from a variety of dried fruits soaked in rum for several weeks or even months before being baked. This lighter version is made by soaking a moist butter cake in a syrup of butter, sugar, and dark rum, giving it a rich, boozy flavor. There’s almost a cup of rum in the cake, so it’s definitely not for young kids or anyone avoiding alcohol. For a similar cake that’s booze-free, try my Kentucky butter cake.
What You’ll Need To Make Rum Cake
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the eggs, egg yolks, rum, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
Whisk and set aside.
Combine the flour, sugars, baking powder and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat on low speed to combine.
Add the butter.
Beat for a few minutes until combined.
Add one-third of the liquid ingredients and mix on low to combine.
Increase the speed to medium and beat for two minutes more.
Add another third of the liquid.
Mix on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat for two minutes.
Add the remaining liquid.
Beat and scrape as before.
Transfer the batter to the prepared Bundt pan.
Bake the cake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes.
While the cake bakes, make the glaze. In a small saucepan, melt the butter.
Add the sugar and water and bring to a boil; then turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
Remove from the heat and stir in the rum.
It will thicken as it sits.
Using a toothpick or skewer, poke holes all over the bottom of the cake.
Brush or spoon half of the glaze over the cake and let it soak in.
Invert the cake onto a platter. Brush or spoon the remaining glaze over the top and sides of the cake.
Let the cake cool completely before serving.
The cake portion of this recipe is based on a recipe from Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri. I changed the process, replaced the all-purpose flour with cake flour, swapped the white rum for dark rum and omitted the almonds. The glaze recipe is from my grandmother.
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Rum Cake
This boozy, buttery rum cake is guaranteed to be the life of the party.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 4 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- ½ cup dark rum
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2½ cups cake flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off (see note)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
For the Glaze
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons dark rum
- Generous pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Cake
- Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy or Pam with Flour. (Alternatively, grease the pan with butter and then dust with flour.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, rum, vanilla extract and almond extract. Set aside.
- Place the cake flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on low speed for about 30 seconds to combine. Add the butter and beat on low speed for about 2 minutes, or until the ingredients are well combined. (The mixture will look a bit like cookie dough.)
- Add a third of the liquid ingredients and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add another third of the liquid and mix on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat for two minutes, then stop the mixer and scrape again. Add the remaining liquid and beat and scrape as before.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted halfway between the central tube and side of the pan comes out clean.
- Cool the cake on a rack for ten minutes.
- While the cake bakes, make the glaze. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the water and sugar and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum and salt.
- Using a toothpick or thin skewer, poke holes all over the bottom of the cake about ½-inch apart, going about ¾ of the way down (you will feel like you are butchering the cake; don't worry, it will be fine). Brush half of the glaze over the cake and let it soak in. If the glaze pools on the surface, poke more holes to help it sink in. Invert the cake onto a cake platter. Gradually brush the remaining glaze evenly over the top and sides of the cake, letting it soak in as you go. (Go slowly so that the glaze gets absorbed, rather than drips off the sides.) Let cool completely before serving.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be made up to 1 day ahead of time and stored in a cake dome or covered container at room temperature. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
- Note: It's important to use cake flour in this recipe. All-purpose flour will make the cake dry and dense.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Calories: 438
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Sugar: 39 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 145 mg
- Cholesterol: 127 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I’m always confident in trying a new recipe by Jenn. I was a bit uneasy in adding the amount called for in this recipe for the glaze but as always, I made sure I followed the recipe exactly as written before tweaking to my taste. No adjustments necessary in the future. Although I thought this would be strong in rum flavor, it was just perfect, I especially enjoyed the crust that developed from the glaze. Jenn’s recipes never disappoint!
Going to bake this recipe in 6 mini Bundt pans so I imagine cooking time will be shorter. Ant guess as to how long?
CG
Hi Candace, I wish I could help but I don’t really know how long they’ll take — I would just keep a close eye on them. Please LMK how they turn out!
I’m making this tonight, and when I mixed the eggs and rum, the eggs seemed to curdle, for the lack of a better work? Think it will be ok? Our only dark rum was 151 proof, and I’m worried it somehow “cooked” the eggs a bit.
It should still be fine, Alysonne. How did it turn out?
Long story short, it was delicious, but still constitutes a bit of a baking fail on my part. I’ve identified a few other deviations from your recipe that may be why: (1) I used dark brown sugar instead of light; I also used “Golden” sugar instead of regular white because my grocery was out of regular; (3) I didn’t give each turn in the mixer a full two minutes as you directed. The texture was just a little off, more crumbly than cakey? My husband called it a Crumble. 😂 Anyway, even with my flubs, it was so scrumptious and I’m inspired to try again until I get it right!
Glad it still came out okay, flubs and all! 🙂
Could I use frangelico instead of rum?
It will have a different flavor, but sure, Frangelico should work. Please LMK how it turns out with the Frangelico!
Any suggestions for baking this at 7500’?
Hi Lia, I don’t have experience baking at high altitudes so, unfortunately, I don’t have any wisdom to share – I’m sorry! You may find these tips helpful though. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Hello!
I’m making this cake as a birthday surprise for a family member who loves rum cake, but I was wondering how you would alter the ratios of the glaze so that way the cake does turn out flavored super strong with rum? I’ve made your tres leches cake with dulce de leche glaze and we all loved it! But we did feel that the cake tasted a lot like rum. Thank you for your amazing recipes and I would appreciate your feedback on how to make the glaze not too overpowered by rum!
Hi Ashley, Sure, you can make some adjustments there; maybe use just 1/4 cup of rum and 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of water. If you want even less rum, I wouldn’t water it down more; you can just cut back on the rum and get a bit of a thicker glaze. Hope that helps and that your recipient enjoys!
I’m going to make this tomorrow. I trust it will be great. Just wondering why the cake flour instead of standard flour ?
CG, MSP
Hi Candy, the cake flour gives the cake a lighter, more tender texture. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy!
Hi Jenn i make this every year for my sons birthday and he loves it, so does my husband since he grew up on his mimis rum cake which was also made with Duncan so we were so thrilled when we found this recipe! It’s actually the first recipe that introduced me to your site and cookbook! It’s my sons birthday tomorrow and I couldn’t get cake flour only bread flour, will it work? Thanks so much
So glad you like this (and thanks for your support with the cookbook)! Unfortunately, bread flour won’t work here — sorry!
This cake was wonderful! I added 1/2 a cup of pineapple juice to the egg mixture and a packet of vanilla pudding mix to the dry mixture. I added pineapple juice to the glaze as well and used Haitian rum throughout the recipe. I will definitely try this one again. Thank you!
You didn’t make this cake with all your changes
Hello. What would you suggest for an icing for this cake? Would I still glaze it if I chose to ice it? (Just wanting to have it appear more festive for a birthday cake).
A simple frosting (like the one for this lemon pound cake but use milk in place of the lemon juice) would work well. (And, yes, I’d still use the rum glaze.) Hope you enjoy!
Thank you, this is a wonderful recipe. I made it for Thanksgiving and for Christmas. When I followed the exact amount for the glaze and baked the cake for 70 minutes, the cake came out a little dry. For the second time, I baked it for 65 minutes (minimum that is instructed) and increased the amount of graze with 1.5 times amount of butter and rum, while cutting the total amount of sugar for the cake to 2/3 of the written amount. It was also critical to spread butter on the mold instead of using the cooking oil spray. (had a hard time separating the cake from the mold.) I have a question – wouldn’t it be better to bake at higher temperature, let’s say, 350 degrees, for shorter time to make inside of the cake moist? Cake lasted longer (for 7 days or so) before it got dry when I increased the glaze amount. This cake is delicious especially with whipping cream and berries on top.
Hi Hal, I don’t think that increasing the oven temp and baking for a shorter period of time would really make a difference. If you found that you got a more moist result when you increased the glaze, I’d encourage you to prepare it that way next time you make it. (And you reduced the sugar in the cake by 2/3 cup — just keep in mind that sugar helps add moisture to cakes, so you don’t want to reduce it too much.)