Rum Cake

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This boozy, buttery rum cake is guaranteed to be the life of the party.

Partially-sliced run cake on a plate.

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.

“This is one of the most exquisite cakes I’ve ever made.”

Jocelyn

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

ingredients to make rum cake from scratch

Step-by-Step Instructions

Begin by combining the eggs, egg yolks, rum, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

Eggs, egg yolks, rum, vanilla extract and almond extract in a mixing bowl to make rum cake

Whisk and set aside.

whisked liquid ingredients in mixing bowl to make rum cake

Combine the flour, sugars, baking powder and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

The flour, sugars, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer to make rum cake

Beat on low speed to combine.

Flour, sugars, baking powder and salt mixed together in mixer to make rum cake

Add the butter.

adding the butter to the mixer to make rum cake

Beat for a few minutes until combined.

Butter mixed in with other ingredients in mixer to make rum cake

Add one-third of the liquid ingredients and mix on low to combine.

Adding a third of the liquid ingredients to the mixer to make rum cake

Increase the speed to medium and beat for two minutes more.

Batter in mixer after beating for two minutes to make rum cake

Add another third of the liquid.

Another third of liquid added to batter in the mixer to make rum cake

Mix on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat for two minutes.

batter after being mixed for two minutes for rum cake

Add the remaining liquid.

continuing to add liquid ingredients to batter to make rum cake

Beat and scrape as before.

finished batter in the mixer for rum cake

Transfer the batter to the prepared Bundt pan.

batter in greased and floured 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.

baked rum cake cooling on rack

While the cake bakes, make the glaze. In a small saucepan, melt the butter.

melted butter, sugar, and water in pot

Add the sugar and water and bring to a boil; then turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.

Pot of boiling syrup.

Remove from the heat and stir in the rum.

Rum pouring into a pot of boiling sugar.

It will thicken as it sits.

Wooden spoon in a pot with sugar and rum.

Using a toothpick or skewer, poke holes all over the bottom of the cake.

poking holes in the bottom of the rum cake with a skewer

Brush or spoon half of the glaze over the cake and let it soak in.

brushing the glaze over the rum cake

Invert the cake onto a platter. Brush or spoon the remaining glaze over the top and sides of the cake.

brushing glaze on rum cake

Let the cake cool completely before serving.

Partially-sliced rum cake on a plate.

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.

Servings: One 10-inch Bundt Cake, 16 servings
Prep Time: 40 Minutes
Cook Time: 70 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

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

  1. 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.)
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, rum, vanilla extract and almond extract. Set aside.
  3. 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.)
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Cool the cake on a rack for ten minutes.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Note: It's important to use cake flour in this recipe. All-purpose flour will make the cake dry and dense.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • I made this cake and it was delicious. I made it in a fancy bundt pan. When the cake was done, it looked so pretty that I was actually scared to cut and taste it, for fear that it looked better than it was going to taste. Well, let me tell you, it was just as good as it was pretty.

    Thank you for sharing your recipe with everyone.

  • OMG Jenn?! My father’s requesting a rum cake for the longest time. I tried other recipes before and I don’t peraonally like the outcomes. But your recipe hit it! Made it first time last Christmas, I am so amazed by how it turned out. Just received a “too sweet” comment from dad and my brother. Made it again last night for my father’s birthday celebration and I adjusted the sugar in the glaze, added a little almond extract in it and I stick squeeze pipette syringes filled with rum/rum glaze in the mini bundt cakes. Excited to get another feedback from the family later.

  • Delicious! Thank you for this recipe. It’s now a staple for adult birthday parties! I had to substitute the pastry flour for all purpose flour and cornstarch (2tbsps cornstarch per 1cup AP flour (less 2 tbsps)) and it turned out so soft and moist.

  • This rum cake is AMAZING! I’ve made it a few times and every time people rave about it. It’s going to be my go to holiday cake from now on.

  • Jenn, do not like almond extract
    What can I use instead?

    • — Carol Winkelman
    • Reply
    • Hi Carol, you can just replace it with an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract. Enjoy!

  • Hi Jen,
    I made this recipe and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe.

  • This cake was AMAZING!! I made using dark brown sugar instead of light and it still turned out great. It was a hit with my parents and my in-laws. Will be making again for sure.

  • I know you said to use cake flour, but we’re gluten free in our house so I used a GF blend. We also try to stay away from refined sugar, so I used coconut sugar for the white and the brown. It wasn’t exactly what I expected (all the coconut sugar gave it kind of a burnt caramel flavor and it was pretty fluffy), but it was good. Used a mix of Appletons and Bumbu. I’ll definitely make it again, and maybe splurge on the real sugar next time 🙂

  • Just wondering if I could mix the batter up the day before, keep it in the refrigerator over night and then bake it the next day? Was also wanting to do
    that with the carrot cake also. I am
    going to be running short on time
    and thought maybe this might save me some time. What do you think?

    • Hi Amanda, Unfortunately, it won’t work to make the batter in advance as the cake won’t rise well when you go to bake it. If you’d like, you can mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another and then combine them and proceed with the recipe when you’re ready to bake it. Hope that helps!

  • This cake was absolutely amazing! It disappeared in short order, because it was delicious, light and especially moist. Jenn’s recipe is easy (which is what we love about all of her goof-proof recipes), but more than that, the finished product is second to none.

    Jenn suggest a dark rum, and I would absolutely agree. Using a dark rum is essential. I have been a rum drinker for years, and my favourite rums are either dark amber or just plain very dark rums, such as Captain Morgan or especially Kracken. Sailor Jerry is a great darker amber rum as well, but what I can honestly say is that you CAN taste the rum in the cake, and it makes a huge difference using the dark rum. If you have ever been to the Caribbean, you will have seen the famous and ubiquitous Tartuga rum cake in the bright yellow box. This recipe of Jenn’s is every bit as good, and frankly I think better, than this famous rum cake. You’ll love this cake if you love a good rum cake.

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