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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Hi Jenn,
I love your recipes and easy to follow instructions. I was wondering if I could cut the butter in half? I don’t like a lot of butter
Hi Cyndi, Unfortunately it won’t work here—sorry!
Hi Jenn,
At the top of the recipe it says a 10-cup Bundt pan.
At the bottom it says a 12-cup Bundt pan.
Which is correct?
Thank you
Hi Marie, It’s a 10-inch pan with a 12-cup capacity. Hope that clarifies!
Would this recipe work with Brandy?
Sure, hope you like it!
Hi Jen .. you say 4 eggs but 3 egg yolks ! Please clarify … thanks
Hi Manuela, You’ll need 4 full eggs and then 3 additional egg yolks. Hope that clarifies!
Omg! I have the same recepie from a friends mom. Duncan Hines and all. Had to pry it out of her. It’s at least 40 yrs old. I actually still make it as is.
Once again, Jenn, I have a go-to recipe of yours. It’s a five-star as written, and I’m wondering if I could bake them in small loaf pans. I’m thinking there’s enough batter for 3, maybe 4, but I’m not sure. A huge Bundt pan might be too much to gift one person, but a loaf in a pretty holiday pan could be perfect. What suggestions or changes do you have for me?
So glad you like it! Yes, you can make this in small loaf pans. I’d guesstimate you’d be able to get 4 mini loaves out of it, but not 100% sure. Please report back if you try it!
This cake was unreal! So yum
I had an issue with the “bottom” of my cake not coming out flat, it sort of domed a bit in the oven. Any suggestions for how to make it come out flat?
Hi Suzana, glad you liked it! I’ve never tried this, but I read online that one way to deal with it is “Before putting in the oven, tilt the pan to the side so the batter starts to run up the side of the pan a bit, then rotate the pan around so that the batter starts up the side of the pan the entire way around. this helps to eliminate the ‘mounding’ in the middle of the cake.” I think it’s worth a try. I’d love to hear if you find it helpful!
This is a FABULOUS rum cake! Sometimes I add pecans for a little texture. Thank you for this great recipe!
Dear Jenn, I would like to make the rum cake, but we don’t have such a thing as cake flour in the UK. A similar one seems to be sponge flour, but all I can find is self raising sponge flour. Would it be ok to use sponge flour and just cut down on the baking powder added in the recipe? If so how much baking powder should I use in the cake (we don’t have double acting baking powder here). Many thanks, Jill
Hi Jill, You can make your own cake flour — for every 1 cup of AP flour, replace 2 tablespoons with cornstarch. For more info, you can check out this piece. Hope you enjoy the cake!
What a terrific recipe. Every step was clear and easy to follow which made all the difference as I am a pretty novice baker. I made a three-tiered version of this cake with a 12″, 9″ and 7″ decorative top bundt pan for a party, stacked on top of each other. The recipe doubled perfectly (I essentially made six of these!!!). The cake was DELICIOUS and moist made a day ahead of the party. (After the rum glaze, I also glazed it with chocolate and royal icing to make it look like a volcano. Big hit. Nobody at the party believed I baked it, lol)!
This is one of the most exquisite cakes I’ve ever made. Absolutely delicious…will be making this little winner again & again. Thanks for this perfect recipe