Immaculate Bites

African and Caribbean Recipes Made Easy

Home / Baking

Rum Cake

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
Author: Imma
Pin5.1kYummly7Shares5.1k

Rum Cake – traditional rum cake from scratch – no mixes. Light & fluffy topped with chopped  pecans and soaked in a reduced  sugared rum glaze. So good you will want to eat the whole thing.

Rum Cake

Boozy rum cake – Oh YES!!!

Let me tell you about this cake and how delightful it is. It is adapted from Carole Walter’s, absolutely BEST yellow cake. I guess when you label a cake the absolute best cake you are bound to get a lot of people poking at the recipe. What I have to say is that it is sooo good – definitely a keeper. 

Rum Cake

Though it is quite good I made a few adjustments for you to make; it tastes even better.

Your girl can’t help herself. Guaranteed to please! I reduced the sugar to 1 ¾ cups and upped the flavor with rum and nutmeg. Yes, I love nutmeg, you may leave it out, if desired.

 

Rum Cake

Okay let’s keep going, what makes this cake worthy? The texture – buttery, and fluffy – one that would have made my home economics teacher leap with joy. 

Now, if only I had this recipe when I was taking my finals in school, just maybe, I would have gotten an A in her class. Sadly though, I had a B.

Can rum cake make you drunk?

Rum reminds a lot of people of the holidays and the holidays is just around the corner! Woohoo!!! And that means baking season is in full swing including the boozy baked goods.

And now you ask, can rum cake or boozy treats in general, make you drunk? Well, most people (including me), believe that when you infuse alcohol into your recipe, it’ll be cooked off since it is baked. But it is possible to get drunk from excessive consumption of alcohol-infused baked goods.

You can get tipsy or completely intoxicated if it contains more than 5 percent of alcohol by volume, like the Tortuga rum cake, and also depending on your consumption and alcohol tolerance. Moreover, you’ll totally feel the rum kick, especially if you add the booze AFTER it has finished baking.

Rum Cake Glaze

If for some reason you really do not want to be bothered with rum, you can ice it or use simple syrup (you can find the recipe HERE) to make it moist. Without rum, it is not a moist cake- just tender. To tell you the truth, I love it with or without the sauce.

But if you’re willing to play around with it, you can try it with vanilla or chocolate glaze OR both (why not? 😉 ) using the glaze recipe from my Chocolate Rum Marble Cake.

Rum Cake

There you have it! I hope you’re already looking forward for the holiday season with this decadent and insanely delicious rum cake with rum glaze. If you want more “rummy” flavor, go ahead! I won’t tell anyone. 😉

Enjoy!

 

Tips and Notes

  1. Adding rum to your batter adds a more deep brown color and flavor.
  2. If you don’t want to infuse it with a rum glaze, you can use my simple syrup recipe HERE. Or top it with vanilla or chocolate glaze OR both using the glaze recipe from my Chocolate Rum Marble Cake.
  3. Be sure to let the cake cool for about 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan. And proceeding with the next steps.
  4. You can use a large bundt pan or use two 8-inch pan. If using two baking pans, reduce the baking time by 10-15 minutes.

Watch How to Make It

 

Rum cake
Print

Rum Cake

Rum Cake With Rum Butter Sauce baked from scratch  without pudding mix and paired with rum butter sauce for that additional goodness.
4.89 from 9 votes
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Total: 1 hr
Caribbean
Servings 10 -12 slices

Ingredients

  • 10 ounce unsalted butter
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 4 Large eggs
  • 1/3 cup powdered milk
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 -3 Tablespoons dark rum
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cup pecans
  • RUM GLAZE
  • 4 ounce butter
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 3-4 Tablespoons dark rum
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/325°F.
  • Cream together the butter and sugar at high speed in a stand mixture until it’s fluffy and starting to look white, about 5- 7 minutes.
  • Stir in the eggs, a one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the batter from curdling.
  • Add in the flour , powder milk and baking powder into the batter, alternating with the milk –until fully absorbed by the mixture.
  • Then add , nutmeg, rum and vanilla extract
  • Stir well until everything is fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
  • Greased a 10  inch bottomed tube pan, then add chopped pecans 
  • Pour batter into a bundt plan , on top of the pecans.
  • Bake at 325 until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 55-60 minutes.  Remove from the oven.

Rum Glaze

  • In a small saucepan combine butter, sugar, rum and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes stirring constantly to prevent any burns. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
  • Poke little holes into the cake with a toothpick or skewer . Spoon the syrup over the cake and let it soak in. Let the cake cool to room temperature  before serving 

Tips & Notes:

  • You can use a large bundt pan or use two 8 inch pans as I did. If you use one baking pan you should extend the baking time.
  • Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 585kcal (29%)| Carbohydrates: 79g (26%)| Protein: 7g (14%)| Fat: 26g (40%)| Saturated Fat: 15g (94%)| Cholesterol: 128mg (43%)| Sodium: 298mg (13%)| Potassium: 222mg (6%)| Sugar: 51g (57%)| Vitamin A: 845IU (17%)| Calcium: 102mg (10%)| Iron: 0.8mg (4%)
Author: Immaculate Bites
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Caribbean
Keyword: cake recipes, cakes, rum, rum cake
Tag Us On Instagram!Did you make this recipe? I love hearing how it turned out! Tag me on Instagram @ImmaculateBites and be sure to leave a rating below!
Follow on Instagram

 

Nutrition Facts
Rum Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 585 Calories from Fat 234
% Daily Value*
Fat 26g40%
Saturated Fat 15g94%
Cholesterol 128mg43%
Sodium 298mg13%
Potassium 222mg6%
Carbohydrates 79g26%
Sugar 51g57%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 845IU17%
Calcium 102mg10%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

How to Make Rum Cake

 

Rum Cake.1Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/325°F. Cream together the butter and sugar at high speed in a stand mixture until it’s fluffy and starting to look white, about 5- 7 minutes. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the batter from curdling.

rum cake.2Add in the flour, powder milk and baking powder into the batter, alternating with the milk –until fully absorbed by the mixture.

Rum Cake.3Then add , nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Stir well until everything is fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.

Rum Cake.4Greased a 10 -inch bottomed tube pan, then add chopped pecans.

Rum Cake.5Pour batter into a bundt plan, on top of the pecans. Bake at 325 F until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Rum Cake.6In a small saucepan combine butter, sugar, rum and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes stirring constantly to prevent any burns. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Poke little holes into the cake with a toothpick or skewer . Spoon the syrup over the cake and let it soak in. Let the cake cool to room temperature  before serving.

 

 

 

Rum Cake
Rum Cake
Rum Cake

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review

I love hearing from you! Submit your question or recipe review here. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made this? Rate this recipe:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments & Reviews

  1. Tracine Pickett says

    I usually do not do reviews but I had to comment on this recipe. I always wanted to know the recipe for rum cake. This cake turned out great as all the recipes I have tried. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      Hi Katrina. Usually, I would use whatever dark rum I have at hand. As long as it is not light rum since dark rum has a more intense flavor.

      Reply

    • Moriah says

      Thanks for sharing the recipe. Clicking “reply” was the only way I could find to comment in here. I made this and mine came out fine but had a dense spongy like texture. I’m not sure if that was from all the eggs or something else but I did not care for the texture. I was hoping for more of a cake like texture (though maybe the sponginess was what better helped it to absorb the added rum at the end…?). It tasted fine other then that. I made mine in muffin pans to cut the time down. I tried a dash or two of nutmeg and some with cinnamon in some of the muffins to see if it would be something I would like. I personally did not like the nutmeg (though it did remind me of egg nog). But I did like the cinnamon. The ones without any spices didn’t have much flavor by itself just sort of sweet and spongy. But obviously 😉 adding the rum on top made them taste even better.

      Reply

      • ImmaculateBites says

        Hi Moriah,
        So sorry to hear this .This cake is moist on it’s own- without the rum syrup. Really don’t know what went wrong , without actually being there.

        Reply

  3. Gina says

    Could I use powdered buttermilk in place of powdered milk? Powdered milk is surprisingly hard to find here and I don’t have time to order.

    Reply

      • ImmaculateBites says

        Sorry to hear about that. Make sure you double check your baking powder. This recipe works , have made it several times with good results.

        Reply

    • Sonofabaker says

      Add more rum. It won’t be as dry. My experience is that a cake that is a little dry will soak up more sauce. The “dryer” up front, the “saucier” afterward. I haven’t had problems with this bread.

      Reply

  5. Char says

    Your Blog is absolutely wonderful! So colorful & detailed a true step by step and the photo guidance & much appreciated and so pretty! Thank you for investing so much time into testing the recipes and for your hard work with your site!

    Reply

  6. Ademola Adu says

    I have watched some of your videos and I find this very amusing. I would love to purchase one or more of your produce and hence would love to how to go about it. I live and work in Lekki.

    Reply

  7. alice castro says

    I would like to know if you can use the eagle brand substitute for the powdered milk as well as the regular milk? Are the amounts of the eagle brand the same?

    Reply

      • Pat Ducharme says

        Your recipe sounds great and will try but when do you add rum to cake??????? Not mentioned in directions at all!!!!!!!!

        Reply

        • imma africanbites says

          Hi. Thanks for pointing it out. Updated the recipe. The video shows you add rum to the batter before the vanilla extract. It’s also optional (if you don’t wnt your cake to be too “rummy”) since the glaze already has rum in it, too.

          Reply

  9. Lida says

    Recipe and pics of cake look absouletly devine. Can I substitute the powdered milk with eagle brand milk or evaporated milk? If so, which would be the best?

    Reply

  10. Frances says

    Hello couple of question on your run cake. 1. Do u used cake flour?
    2. Can u used pet or eagle brand milk?

    Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      Hi Frances ,
      In this recipe I used all purpose flour. Yes, you can use pet or eagle brand milk. Happy baking !!!

      Reply

  12. Rebekah says

    Just a question here: can this be made in a half sheet, if I adjust the recipe to about 3 times?

    Reply

    • imma africanbites says

      Hi Rebekah. I can’t exactly give an answer to that since I haven’t tried it. But as per my experience, you can use two baking pans with this recipe and just reduce the baking time by 10-15 minutes. I don’t know if this helps, but I hope it does somehow. Let me know how it works for you.

      Reply

  13. Fran says

    I am planning on making this recipe for easter. What kind od powdered milk did you use?

    Thank you in advance.

    Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      Hi Fran, Any powdered milk would work. I used whole milk, nonfat works as well.
      Happy Easter!!

      Reply

    • imma africanbites says

      Hi Kathy. Yes, you sure can. Just place the cake in an airtight container and store in a room temperature or in the fridge.

      Reply

  15. Shirley says

    Irma is the flour for the rum cake paladin or self rising flour for the rum cake.!
    Thanks
    Shirley

    Reply

  18. Sandi says

    Greeting from My kitchen to yours

    For the butter sauce do you use whit or brown sugar??? I did use white but it does not look quite right.

    Kind Regards and Merry Christmas

    Sandi

    Reply

  20. Lynda Beckman says

    Amazing! So easy and so impressive. I want you to know how much I enjoy your Web site. I’ve tried many of your recipes, always perfect. Just made the crab stuffed mushrooms A+++. The Lomo saltado I’ve made over and over always a pleaser. Your recipes are so perfect, I now just jump to your recipes when I’m entertaining guest always confident that they will get great reviews. Thanks for making my life so easy

    Reply

  21. Tara Washington says

    Love the cake, love the run sauce. Recipe is simple with detailed instruction. I’ve tried several of your dishes all turned out spectacular and this dessert did not disappoint.

    Reply

    • imma africanbites says

      Thank you so much, Tara, for the kind words. I’m glad you love this cake as much as I do. =)

      Reply

  22. Reni says

    Sound and looks delicious. Are you mixing all by hand after creaming the butter and sugar? Looking forward to making it.

    Reply

  23. Abigail says

    Thanks Imma, for this wonderful cake recipe, I just want to find out if you put the cake back in the oven once you’ve poured the glaze. Thanks

    Reply

  24. Tom Lewis says

    I love hot butter rum sauce on cakes like this and mince meat pies. The problem is that the recipe makes too much sauce. I know in the future to cut the recipe but for now can the sauce be frozen?

    Reply

      • Kelly says

        Hi, the recipe says bake in 325 but in the video it’s says 350. Which temperature should we use? Thank you 😉

        Reply

        • ImmaculateBites says

          . For best results , when using a dark baking pan reduce the heat about 25 degrees, because it browns quickly . If not bake at 350 Degrees F. Hope this helps

          Reply

  25. Heather says

    Hi Imma this looks amazing , can’t wait to try it.. I came across your blog 3 days ago and I love your recipes. I have tried 3 of your recipes and looking forward to trying many more…. Thank you

    Reply

  26. Myra Bowen says

    You didn’t specify how long to extend the baking time if one used a large baking pan such as a tube pan. Thank you.

    Reply

  28. Rosemary says

    This is the cake that I just roll out of bed bake,
    It never goes wrong,really get a lot of credit from
    using yr recipe
    Thanks Miss Bites

    Reply

  29. micka says

    Love all your recipe. Cooking your pineapple chicken for dinner on Sunday.. Any way, Is 10 ounce of butter 2 and a half stick of butter?

    Reply

  34. Cheryl says

    Uh, I really should NOT have checked out your blog before breakfast. Stomach rumbling vibrating the table…. This looks so delicious! Leave it to me to crave boozy cake for breakfast.

    Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      They sure would – it tastes just like those cake you usually get from the Caribbean Islands.

      Reply

  37. Lolly says

    Hi Imma, I can’t wait to try this recipe, couple of questions pls, is it 1tbsp baking powder or 1tsp? Also do I need to double the ingredients to get the 2 same size cakes I see in ur pics above or do I use the recipe as is, thanks in advance.

    Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      Lolly, it is 1 Tablespoon baking powder. It all depends on your cake pan – this cake is large enough for 2 8-9 inch baking pan. For a single cake, use 10 inch bundt pan. I used 2 8 inch cake pan and did not double the recipe. Let me know how it works for you.

      Reply