Rum Cake Recipe

A cake stand with a rum cake with two pieces sliced. Stack of plates and forks beside it.

This homemade rum cake is so easy to make from scratch! Tender, moist, with perfectly balanced rum flavor in every bite, this cake is the perfect crowd-pleaser for holiday gatherings.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, British

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 5

Total Time 1 25

Servings servings

Calories 572kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

10 to 12-cup Bundt pan
mixing bowl
Electric hand or stand mixer
Small pot

Ingredients

3⅔ cups cake flour (440g)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
¾ cup unsalted butter softened (170g)
¼ cup vegetable oil (60ml)
3 large eggs room temperature
2 egg yolks room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup dark rum (180ml)
½ cup whole milk (120ml)

For the Glaze:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (85g)
½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
2 tablespoons water
pinch of salt
¼ cup dark rum (60ml)

Instructions

For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl then whisk together.
In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, butter, and oil on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Add vanilla, beating just until combined.
Stir together the rum and whole milk in a liquid measuring cup
With the mixer on low, add a third of the flour mixture followed by half of the rum mixture. Repeat alternating with another third of the flour mixture, the rest of the rum mixture and finally the last third of the flour mixture. Stop mixing and scrape down the bowl occasionally.
Spray a (12-cup) Bundt pan with baking spray or butter and flour it.
Pour the batter into pan. Gently tap it on a folded dish towel on the counter a few times to settle the batter.
Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the Glaze:

After the cake has been baking for 50 minutes, make the glaze. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, water, and salt, stirring until fully combined. Bring to a boil, about 2 minutes.
Carefully stir in the rum. Continue boiling, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and very carefully transfer the mixture to a heat-proof bowl or measuring cup.
Once the cake is out of the oven, poke holes all over the bottom of the cake using a skewer. Carefully pour half of the sauce over the cake, letting it soak in for 15 minutes.
Carefully invert the cake onto a cake plate. Spoon or brush the remaining glaze over the warm cake. The cake can be served warm or cooled completely before slicing. Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Video

Notes

Measure your flour correctly. Using too much flour is a common mistake that will yield a dry cake. The most accurate way to measure flour is by using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff your flour in its container with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
Separate the eggs while cold. Eggs are easier to separate while they are still cold, so do this right when you take the eggs out of the fridge.
Use room temperature eggs and egg yolks. Let the eggs and egg yolks sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes after they are separated before you start working on this recipe so they can warm to room temperature. This will make them much easier to incorporate into the cake batter.
For crunch: Finely chop 1 cup of pecans or walnuts and sprinkle them in the bottom of the greased Bundt pan. Pour the batter on top of the pecans. When the cake is inverted out of the pan, the top will be covered in toasty pecans!

Nutrition