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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Hey Jenn,
I Just came back from Turks and Caicos which had a rum cake in a tin at the airport. I could not imagine it being any good mass produced like that. I am a pretty good cook and bake quite a bit. I always like making a recipe from scratch using the best ingredients. Living 30 min from New York City I am lucky to be able to find almost any ingredient needed. I looked over many Rum Cake recipes and found yours to be the best “from scratch” recipe I was looking for. Others used instant pudding or boxed cake mix. I had picked up the wrong flour, (Presto) which is self-rising so my first bake was a little off but still tasted amazing. The next day I made another cake with the Softasilk and it was perfect. I used Ron Zacapa dark rum in place of the Meyers but every thing else was exactly the same. I don’t think that rum cake in a tin could even come close to the amazing flavor of this cake. Thanks for creating a “from scratch” Rum Cake that totally rocks!
Does this get a crispy shell on the outside or does it stay moist? My daughter had mini rum cakes years ago at work and would love them for her birthday but she said those were crispy outside.
Thanks!
Hi Sharon, It does get slightly crisp/hardened on the outside from the glaze, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s crispy.
This cake is dangerously delicious! Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe and instructions.
This recipe turned out very well. It was just what I was looking for, I did not want to use a mix or instant pudding. My husband loved it, he always wanted me to make him a rum cake for his birthday and finally I did.
Hi, I love rum cake and have used several recipes over the years. Yours is great! Thank you. My question is: I once read that either you add hot liquid to a cool cake or vice versa. Some kind of chemistry hot/cold thing. I have a problem with my glaze accumulating at the base of the cake and it gets gooey (Personally, I love it but others? not so much). I want to have a significant glaze flavor to the cake but I don’t want to have it sink to the bottom. I typically unmold the cake and then prick it and pour half on the “bottom” and then remove it and pour half on the top and sides. Then, to keep it safe, I return it to the bundt pan.
Hi Jan, I would suggest glazing the recipe as indicated in the recipe; if you do it slowly, it gets pretty evenly absorbed and does not sink too much to the bottom (which is actually the top). The glaze is a little heavier around the edges of the cake, but I actually like it that way.
If you switched from regular flour to cake flour, can I switch it back again? What change would I need to make in measurement if I did?
Hi Marian, I recommend cake flour for this recipe. With regular flour, the cake will be really dense and somewhat dry.
Thank you so much for this recipe. In the photo, your glaze has a nice shine to it. Mine got totally absorbed and left no shine. Do you know why? Maybe the cake should cool longer or maybe I should boil the glaze longer or maybe the rum waters it out too much???
Hi Nicole, It may be that the glaze was a little too thin. Next time, cook it down a bit more to thicken it up. Hope that helps!
I recently had rum cake in the Bahamas-it was nothing like the rum cakes I have tasted in the past-it was delish! This cake looks very similar to the one I tasted. I would like to make it in smaller Bundt pans for hostess gifts during the holidays. How many days ahead can I make it before gifting it? How would you adjust the cooking time for a smaller pan (say one cup vs a four cup pan)? Thanks so much!
Hi Caroline, You could make the cakes about 2 days ahead. (They stay very moist). If using the smaller bundt pans, I would start checking them at 30-35 min. I hope your recipients enjoy them!
Why did you make changes from the original recipe, And why cake flour instead of AP?
Hi Nicey, The original recipe is made from a boxed cake mix, which I didn’t want to use. Cake flour makes for a tender and delicate cake; all purpose flour makes the cake dense.
Hi Jennifer,
Sorry to keep bugging you about this recipe! Can the rum glaze be made ahead of time, or will it get granular and thick as it sits?
Thanks for all of your answers!
Hi Grace, It’s fine to make it ahead; just reheat to thin it out.