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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OMG! I made this cake and I feel like I can start a cake business. I used my kitchen aid mixer for the first time ever after 51/2 years (it was a wedding gift). Thank you so much for this recipe. Thank you. It makes me so happy eating it.
Thank you for developing this recipe! I’ve never had rum cake before but this cake is extraordinary!
Hi Jenn! Would this come out okay in a loaf pan OR a square baking dish? I know it wouldn’t look as pretty as a Bundt but I gave away my Bundt pan in a moment of foolishness and now want to make this cake!! Help!
Sure, Prena – just make sure the pans are large enough and nonstick. Enjoy!
Instead of dark rum, try using spiced rum…you will love it!
Could this be made into cupcakes?
Hi Leah, I’ve never made this into cupcakes, but I think it should work. Please let me know how they turn out if you try it!
Hi! I am thinking of making this cake for my Mom’s and my birthday (Yes, amazingly enough we share the same birthday!) I have a few questions. Could this be made as a 2-layer cake instead of a bundt? If so, what would be the modifications if any? Is there a frosting that would be appropriate for this cake so it can be decorated as a birthday cake? We are not big fans on extremely sweet… just looking for something delicious. Thank you for your recipe and your help. I can’t wait to try it.
Hi Bella, I think it would work to divide the batter in half and use two 8 – 9 inch round pans. They will take less time in the oven — I would start checking at 40 – 45 minutes. In terms of frosting, you could do a cream cheese version like this one. Please let me know how it turns out (and happy birthday to you and your mom)!
I’m considering adding crushed pineapple to this cake. I’d squeeze as much juice out as possible so as not to add extra liquid. What do you think?
Hi Heather, It may work (and sounds delicious) but cakes can be so finicky and I worry it will alter the the chemistry for the cake. Sorry!
Hi Jenn,
I’m making this for my wife’s birthday, but I’ve never “prepared a bundt pan” before. Any tips? Is that flour in the picture? I want it to come out pretty but I’m afraid it might stick if I don’t do it right. Thanks! Looking forward to trying this!
Hi, the key to treating a Bundt pan is to be very thorough when coating it with butter and flour. So make sure to cover the surface area of the pan with the butter and then a coating of flour. You may also find these tips helpful. Hope that helps and that your wife enjoys!
This cake is delicious, gorgeous, and perfect for the holidays (great to give as gifts). It is highly requested in my family, everyone raves about it.
I made it and followed exactly but had to add cornstarch to make cake flour. Although I greased and floured pan it did stick a bit but as I put glaze on it became a bit moist and started to pill a bit. What did I do wrong ????
Hi Lee Ann, Sorry to hear you had a problem with this! You mentioned that the cake started to pill a bit once you added the glaze – what do you mean by pill? Thanks for clarifying!
It looked like the inside of yours
Hmmm, that’s very strange – did it stick to the pan?
I’m a “cook and bake from scratch” fanatic and I made this for Thanksgiving 2018. Loved it! Loved the semi dense and moist yet soft texture. The rum syrup created a nice crunch on the crust. My guests were very impressed. I offered if anybody wanted to bring any desserts home since we also had pumpkin and apple pies beside the cake (they’re homemade from scratch too and they’re excellent). Darn it! Six people, all wanted the rum cake. I gave each one three thin slices and we were left with only a quarter of the cake. Even worse, our fifteen year old son liked it too! My husband demands that I make it again for Christmas, no guest this time. This time, I’d like to add a chocolate marble variation. Would you suggest using natural or Dutch cocoa powder or baking chocolate? How much should I use for how much white batter? Thank you for the wonderful and reliable recipe.
Kris
Metuchen, NJ
So glad you enjoyed this cake, Krisantia! I’ve never made this as a marble cake, so it’s hard for me to say what ratios would work. (I’m a really neurotic recipe tester, so I’d have to toy around with it before having a sense.) The one thing I do feel confident suggesting is using regular cocoa powder. Please let me know if you end up trying it!