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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Hello! I am interested in making this cake for Christmas and was wondering if it could be made the day before and add the glaze Christmas Day. Thanks!
Sure, Adriann – you can actually glaze it a day ahead too if you like. It keeps beautifully thanks to all the butter and rum :).
Hi Jenn,
I made this cake, and it was just great! I was wondering if the cake can be made in advance and refridgerated or frozen and glazed later, or glazed and frozen?
Hi Caroline, I think you could freeze it either way, but I’d probably hold off on glazing until after the cake is defrosted. I think it will look better that way.
Can I use all granulated sugar instead of the brown sugar.
Hi Arlene, I wouldn’t recommend it here– sorry!
Thank you for your response. I made the original recipe before and loved it. just needed to run out and buy brown sugar and did not want to chance make it without the brown sugar and be disappointed. Love all your recipes that I have tried.
Hi Jennifer,
Greetings from a Brit living in Mauritius…the land of rum!
Anyway I want to make your cake as an alternative Christmas cake, but can’t get cake flour here. Should I use Plain or self raising instead?
Thanks
Hi Camilla, You can easily make your own cake flour. For every cup of AP flour, remove two tablespoons, and then add two tablespoons of cornstarch back in. Be sure to whisk the flour to distribute the cornstarch evenly. Works like a charm!
Hi Jenn,
Just want to thank you for the great recipes with all the excellent instructions, from the little things that make the process more efficient, or even easier, to the big things that make the dish a success! I made your rum cake for a Christmas potluck and it was a hit! The cake looks like it will be dense, but it’s actually light and rich in flavor! I really appreciated the step by step and clear instructions. Making this cake from scratch was easier than I thought it would be, and made for a richer flavor. Thanks again!
This was a lovely cake – really light. Beautiful crumb. I’m not sure where the negative reviews are coming from. I followed the instructions as written and it turned out perfectly. I baked for 65 min @ 325 (live at sea level).
Made this cake yesterday afternoon, delicious! OUAC is quickly becoming the first website I go to for recipes because everything I’ve made has turned out fantastic with little or no modifications needed. I used to make a rum cake using a box mix years ago, but now that I only bake from scratch, I was curious to see how this one would turn out…it was really, Really good! I emddd up not using all of the glaze, but it was plenty moist with just enough rum flavor that you knew it was there but it wasn’t in your face strong. Definitely a keeper!
Edited to add I think I’ll add chopped and toasted pecans to the bottom of the pan next time also, but it really doesn’t need it. I, like others used unbleached AP flour and it worked fine. I’ve started scooping the flour into measuring cups versus scooping flour out of my container in the measuring cup and I think it really does make a difference in the final product.
Actually, this is much better with walnuts or pecans. All purpose flour works fine as well. Removed one-third of the granulated sugar with the glaze and replaced it with one-third light brown sugar…took it to a new level.
I have been making the “cheaters” boxed version of this cake for years. I recently began to get pangs of guilt when I would show up at a function with a boxed cake and take all the bows for something that couldn’t be easier. So, I decided to learn to do this from scratch. Not sure what went wrong, but it didn’t work for me at all. I followed the recipe to a “t” (minor altitude adjustments-read on) but when I was ready to pour the batter in the bundt, it was SUPER thick. Not having ever made this before, I went with it. I should have loosened it up a bit. It was just not right. Too dense, too gooey once the rum glaze soaked in. I’ll try it again to see if I get the same results but this time, if the batter is thick, I’ll thin it. I chose this recipe because I am a huge fan of Jenn’s recipes and have made several others with great success. I should mention that I’m at 7300 ft in a tropical climate so things usually need tweeking but I’ve been baking at this altitude for years and pretty much “have it down” but for now, let’s blame it on the altitude and I’ll check in again when I make it again to share the results.
Hi Jan, so sorry to hear that the cake didn’t turn out as expected! If you followed the recipe exactly, I’d have to assume it had something to do with the altitude. While it sounds like you have plenty of practice accounting for the altitude, maybe some of these tips would be helpful.
what’s the measure of each ingredient
how many eggs?
oz or 1-2oz of rum
do you use the whole box of cake flour or mix?
Just asking this will be my first Rum Cake or say first cake I bake in a long time.
Your recipe seems easy let me know and I’ll email you back.
Thank You
Hi Patricia, You’ll need a total of 7 eggs (but for 3 of them, you’ll only use the yolks) a half cup of rum, and just 2 1/2 cups of cake flour– not the whole box. Hope all that helps and that you enjoy the cake!