This Bermuda Rum Cake is the ultimate when it comes to boozy cakes and it does not come from a box mix. The best homemade rum cake recipe. This cake is definitely boozy, sweet and citrusy and it’s glazed with a delicious butter and dark rum caramel sauce.
Rum cake
It’s no secret that I love my boozy cakes so it should be no surprise that I made this cake and loaded it with dark rum. Captain Morgan and I go way back so adding it to this delicious bundt cake truly is the best thing you could ever do to a cake. If you’ve never had a boozy cake then perhaps it’s time you started with this one.
The cake itself is made from scratch though I did add a box of vanilla pudding mix to it making it spongy and moist and just perfect, if you know what I mean. In the cake itself we have 1/2 a cup of this delicious Captain Morgan dark rum and another 1/2 cup in the caramel sauce, for a total of a cup of rum, and if you ask me it’s just not enough!
Bermuda Rum Cake is actually a company that makes black rum cakes, so this is, I guess, a copycat recipe, though completely different. But here’s my version and as I sit here and write this I want to kick myself because I didn’t think of this sooner, but what would have brought this cake over the edge is poking holes in it and pouring some more dark rum over it.
The key is in the caramel
But that caramel sauce my dears. What can I say, besides the fact that it is worth making it. Just do it, I mean I suppose you could soak the cake in rum then use some store bought caramel sauce but you will feel guilty you didn’t go to the trouble of making this sauce yourself.
Because there’s just something special about dark rum caramel sauce, shall we say perfection? And yes I did pour every single bit of caramel sauce I made over this yummy cake, in the middle of the cake there is actually a pool of sauce, all for me!
Ingredients
Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for full ingredient amounts and instructions, or click the Jump To Recipe button at the top.
Cake
- Dry ingredients – All purpose flour, baking powder, white sugar, and salt!
- Butter – Unsalted as we want to control the sodium content of our cake.
- Oil – We want a light neutral tasting oil to add lots of moisture. I use a light vegetable oil like canola.
- Orange – We want fresh orange zest and freshly squeezed orange juice.
- Rum – We’re using dark rum today, we want that depth of flavor that we get from either dark or amber rum – not white.
- Milk – Any kind of milk you’d like!
Caramel sauce
- Water – Just regular tap water, we’re using this to form a sugary syrup.
- Butter – Unsalted, you’ll want a whole stick of butter.
- Sugar – I used regular granulated white sugar today.
- Rum – Use the same dark rum you used in your cake batter in this caramel sauce to ensure we get a cohesive flavor throughout.
- Cream – This will make our caramel sauce creamy, dreamy, and totally rich. I used heavy cream today.
Toppings
- Coconut – Shredded and sweetened to be toasted and sprinkled over top.
How to toast coconut
- Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees.
- Spread your shredded coconut in a thin layer over a baking sheet.
- Bake the shredded coconut for 5 – 10 minutes max! The coconut will toast up quickly so be sure to keep an eye on it.
How to make Bermuda Rum Cake
Rum cake
- Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Spray a 10 inch bundt cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine the batter: Add all the cake ingredients to the bowl of your mixer, in no particular order, and mix on medium for 2 minutes until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter in the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown. You can do the toothpick test to make sure it’s baked. Let it cool slightly for a couple minutes then turn the cake over onto a cake platter or plate.
Rum caramel sauce
- Form the caramel base: Add the sugar and water to a medium size saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Stir or whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat to high and boil until the syrup turns brown around the edge of the pan then swirl the pan occasionally for a couple more minutes until the syrup turns a deep amber.
- Finish the caramel: Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the butter until mixed it. Stir in the heavy cream, the sauce will bubble, so stir until the bubbling stops. Add the rum and stir it in.
- Top the cake: Pour the caramel sauce over the cake, you can also poke some holes into it so that caramel sauce seeps into the cake. Top with toasted coconut if preferred or pecans.
How to tell when my cake is done
Every oven is different, and what works perfectly for me might not be the case for you. Have no fear, toothpicks are here! Use a clean toothpick and poke as deep as you can into the thickest part of the cake.
If it comes out clean, then your cake is all done. If there’s some batter stuck to it, add 5-10 extra minutes until the cake is fully baked.
Other toppings
- Chopped nuts like almonds, pistachios, or walnuts or pecans
- Chocolate that’s been shaved or chopped
- Toffee pieces
- Cinnamon
- Whipped cream
Looking to cut calories?
If you’d like to cut some calories, replace the vegetable oil for 1/4 cup apple sauce.
Leftovers
The best way to store your new rum cake is right on the counter top. Storing it in the fridge may dry out your dessert prematurely. Place it on a plate and cover with plastic wrap and it will last for 3 days before it begins to get dry.
Freezer
If you’d prefer to store in the freezer, cut the cake in slices, then wrap each cake slice tightly in aluminum foil before placing in a large ziploc bag. Be sure to press out as much of the air in the bag as possible before sealing. This method will keep your cake fresh for up to 4 months. To thaw you’ll want to keep it wrapped in foil as it thaws on your counter for up to 3 hours.
Caramel
If you find you have some extra caramel sauce, you can store it right in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
More delicious baking recipes to try:
- Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf
- Apple Coffee Cake Muffins
- Red Velour Cake
- Tiramisu Tres Leche
- Zebra Cake
- Cream Cheese Filled Banana Cake
- Apple Pie Cake
- Peach Upside Down Cake
- Coconut Cake
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Bermuda Rum Cake
Ingredients
Bermuda Rum Cake
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4.5 ounce instant vanilla pudding mix 6 servings, I used Jell-o
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup dark rum
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
For Rum Caramel Sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 ounce butter unsalted, (1/2 cup or 1 stick)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup dark rum
Optional Toppings
- sweetened coconut shredded, toasted
- pecans chopped
Instructions
Bermuda Rum Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Spray a 10 inch bundt cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Add all the cake ingredients to the bowl of your mixer, in no particular order, and mix on medium for 2 minutes until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter in the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown. You can do the toothpick test to make sure it’s baked
- Let it cool slightly for a couple minutes then turn the cake over onto a cake platter or plate.
For Rum Caramel Sauce
- Add the sugar and water to a medium size saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Stir or whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
- Turn the heat to high and boil until the syrup turns brown around the edge of the pan then swirl the pan occasionally for a couple more minutes until the syrup turns a deep amber.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the butter until mixed it. Stir in the heavy cream, the sauce will bubble, so stir until the bubbling stops. Add the rum and stir it in.
- Pour the caramel sauce over the cake, you can also poke some holes into it so that caramel sauce seeps into the cake.
- Top with toasted coconut if preferred or pecans.
Recipe Notes
- The best way to store your new rum cake is right on the counter top. Storing it in the fridge may dry out your dessert prematurely. Place it on a plate and cover with plastic wrap and it will last for 3 days before it begins to get dry.
- If you’d prefer to store in the freezer, cut the cake in slices, then wrap each cake slice tightly in aluminum foil before placing in a large ziploc bag. Be sure to press out as much of the air in the bag as possible before sealing. This method will keep your cake fresh for up to 4 months. To thaw you’ll want to keep it wrapped in foil as it thaws on your counter for up to 3 hours.
- If you find you have some extra caramel sauce, you can store it right in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
The recipe for your cake looks fantastic. But I only have light rum. Will that make a big difference
Just a slight difference in flavor! It’ll still be delicious.