Rum Cake
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This Rum Cake is the ultimate when it comes to boozy cakes and it does not come from a box mix. This homemade rum cake is definitely boozy, sweet and citrusy and it’s glazed with a delicious butter and dark rum caramel sauce.
The Best Rum Cake Recipe
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 ½ a cup of this delicious Captain Morgan dark rum and another ½ cup in the caramel sauce, for a total of a cup of rum, and if you ask me it’s just not enough!
Why You’ll Love This Rum Cake
- Boozy Caramel Cake! This scrumptious cake is super moist and spongy with lots of sweet citrus, boozy rum flavor, and topped with an absolutely divine dark rum caramel sauce.
- Easy Recipe! This dessert tastes complex in flavor but is simple to make. In fact, this rum cake recipe is perfect for novice bakers who want to make something special that doesn’t require any fancy skills or ingredients.
- Crowd Pleaser! You can serve this unbelievably yummy moist rum cake at a Sunday brunch or at a dinner party and your guests will be singing your praises and asking for the recipe.
- Dry ingredients – All purpose flour, baking powder, white sugar, and salt! Key ingredients in most cakes.
- 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 for best results.
- 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!
- 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.
- Heavy Cream – This will make our caramel sauce creamy, dreamy, and totally rich. I used heavy cream today.
- Optional Toppings – I like to top my rum cake with some toasted coconut flakes for a tropical flair or some chopped pecans.
This is the easiest from scratch cake batter you will ever make! As easy as a boxed yellow cake mix! All you have to do is mix and bake. And the rum sauce is pretty simple too. So don’t let the idea of homemade caramel sauce turn you away. This recipe is totally foolproof if you follow my easy instructions.
To begin, preheat your oven temperature to 325°F (163°C) to get it ready to bake! Then spray a 10-inch bundt cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside for now. You can also grease the pan with oil if you like.
This batter is easy to whip together. All you have to do is put all the cake ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and then mix everything together with the paddle or whisk attachment at medium speed for about 2 minutes until it’s smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. You can also use an electric mixer if you don’t have a stand mixer.
Now, let’s bake some cake! Pour the batter into the greased bundt cake pan. Then put the cake into the preheated oven to bake for about 1 hour or until golden brown. When it’s done, a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean and the sides of the cake will have started to pull away from the edges of the pan. Then allow the cake to sit in the bundt pan for about 5 minutes before turning it out onto a cake plate or serving platter to cool to room temperature.
After the cake has been baked, start making the rum sauce. First, heat the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat while stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then turn the heat up to high and boil the mixture until the syrup turns brown around the edges of the pan. Next, cook the syrup for a few more minutes, swirling the pan occasionally until the syrup becomes a deep amber color, and then remove it from the heat.
To finish the caramel rum sauce, stir in the butter until it’s fully incorporated. Then stir in the heavy cream, which will cause it to bubble. But just keep stirring until the bubbling stops. Finally, stir in the rum and the sauce is complete.
Once the rum glaze is ready, pour it all over the top of the cake. You can also poke some holes in the cake with a skewer so that the sauce seeps into it, which is really yummy. Then garnish the sauce covered cake with some toasted coconut or pecans if you like.
The Key Is The Caramel Sauce
This rich rum caramel sauce is so 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!
How To Tell When Your 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.
Looking To Cut Calories?
If you’d like to cut some calories, replace the vegetable oil for ¼ cup apple sauce.
Expert Tips
- Don’t add eggs. There are purposely no eggs in this recipe. The instant vanilla pudding mix is used as the binder and the baking powder is the leavening agent. If you add eggs it will only make the cake dense.
- Grease the pan well. Spray your bundt pan well with cooking spray to prevent your beautiful perfectly baked rum cake from sticking. Using a nonstick pan is not enough.
- Watch the sauce. You must remove the caramel sauce from the heat the moment that it turns deep amber in color. Not doing so can easily lead to burnt caramel and having to start the sauce over.
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.
Other Delicious Cake Recipes To Try
- Red Velour Cake
- Tiramisu Tres Leche
- Zebra Cake
- Cream Cheese Filled Banana Cake
- Apple Pie Cake
- Coconut Cake
- Limoncello Cake
- Rum Baba
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Rum Cake
Ingredients
Bermuda Rum Cake
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4.5 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix (6 servings, I used Jell-o)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup dark rum
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
For Rum Caramel Sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 ounces butter (unsalted, (½ cup or 1 stick))
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup dark rum
Optional Toppings
- sweetened coconut (shredded, toasted)
- pecans (chopped)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Rum Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). 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 speed for 2 minutes until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter in the prepared bundt pan.
- Transfer the bundt pan to the oven and 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
- 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.
Notes
- Don’t add eggs. There are purposely no eggs in this recipe. The instant vanilla pudding mix is used as the binder and the baking powder is the leavening agent. If you add eggs it will only make the cake dense.
- Grease the pan well. Spray your bundt pan well with cooking spray to prevent your beautiful perfectly baked rum cake from sticking. Using a nonstick pan is not enough.
- Watch the sauce. You must remove the caramel sauce from the heat the moment that it turns deep amber in color. Not doing so can easily lead to burnt caramel and having to start the sauce over.
- 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.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Could you make this as cupcakes/a smaller pan? (I only have a half box of the pudding mix, trying to see if I can half the recipe and avoid running to the store!)
For sure, just adjust the baking time, 30 minutes or so might be more than enough.
superb
Can I add the rum to the sauce while it’s still cooking so as to burn off the alcohol content?
Sure you can do that!
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.
What if I added a couple of eggs to this? would it hurt? should probably use 2=small pkgs. of vanilla instant pudding if you don’t have the larger size.
The pudding is actually a binder in this recipe so with added eggs you’d get a much more dense result. I’d leave eggs out!
This looks and sounds wonderful and I can’t wait to try this out. The Captain and I are long time friends. 😉
Before I make cake please clarify pudding bx? 4.5? Never saw that size!
I’m in Canada, maybe the box sizes are a bit different, go with the 5.1 oz.
Do you have an actual black rum cake recipe? My husband has been searching for a black rum cake recipe forever 🙁
Sorry, Sandra, I do not. If I find one I will make it and post it.
Can you replace the oil with applesauce or butter?
Absolutely!!
Can you use cake flour?
Yes you can! You’ll need to use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cake flour for every cup of AP flour called for in the recipe.
I made this cake this evening and must agree with Maggie. Batter was very thick. I had to scoop out the batter with a big spoon and try to smooth the top. Cake came out dense but smell and flavor was great. Should have read the reviews and added less flour.
Hi Jo,
Tried the cake so now, I’m having a little cake with lots of sauce!!!! ….grin.
Do have a question though.
There is no way that batter that I produced would pour. Had to be manfully lifted from the mixer bowl and spread reluctantly in the bundt pan.
I went over the recipe twice and I didn’t miss anything…….also took care not to overheat………
My cake is definitely denser than the one you have pictured……tastes OK but not light by any stretch of the imagination!
Suggestions for what I did wrong?
…..heavy nor not, girl…….its still disappearing off the plate.
Hard to tell Maggie, you know flour quantities vary greatly depending on many factors, but if you make this again you could decrease the flour a bit, maybe you’re at a high altitude or something. Or when all else fails just add more rum to the batter to thin it out! LOL
Is baking powder your only leavener as there are no eggs in the cake?
Yes that’s right.
I’ve never attempted rum cake but this will be the one I definitely do! Pinned! It looks and sounds incredible 🙂
Oh yeah, Add a little side of rum infused pineapple and coconut and we would be thinking we are in islands some where………As usual another great recipe!
Anxious to try the Bermuda Rum Cake. Is the vanilla pudding instant or the kind you cook?
It’s the instant one, the kind that you add milk to it and mix it. 🙂