XXXtra Rummy Rum Cake Recipe
Vespa's recipes have appeared in "Midwest Living" and "Taste of Home". She belongs to Cook's Recipe Testers for "Cook's Illustrated".
Rum Cake Made From Scratch
I was barely old enough to sit at the dinner table without a booster seat when I first heard of rum balls. My grandmother had filled a tin full of them, and Mother was raving. When I found out they were cake-like, I knew I had to try them. "You're too little," explained my mother. "There's Jell-O for you."
Jell-O! We'd have to see about this! No way would I settle for jiggly, artificially-colored gelatin while the adults ate delectable, sugar-covered cake balls. I calmly finished dinner and retired to my bedroom. Sometime in the middle of the night I awoke with a jerk. Rum balls! How could I forget? I sneaked down in the cover of winter darkness, floor boards creaking gently under my stocking feet.
Once in the living room, I popped open the tin and peeked inside: Grandma's snowball puffs awaited. Without hesitation, I popped one in my mouth, then shuddered as the rum ball burned a trail down my throat. Phew! I spit out the remainder in the trashcan, and then carefully covered the evidence of my mischief with some crumpled newspaper.
Nevertheless, my obsession with liqueur-spiked sweets stayed with me. And as an adult, my tastes changed considerably. Unlike the rum balls I sampled as a child, this rum cake is meltingly moist and cloyingly sweet.
Say goodbye to boring rum cake: dry, heavy, and flavorless with only a hint of rum flavor. Say "yes" to cake that is incredibly moist, tender, and packed with real rum flavor. You have to taste it to believe us . . . this is the best rum cake you'll ever sink your teeth into.
Tips
- Use a 10-cup bundt pan for this rum cake.
- Thoroughly grease and flour the bundt pan so the cake doesn't stick.
- Beat whites until stiff peaks form.
- Remove cake from the oven as soon as a toothpick tests clean and not a minute longer!
- Don't be shy about poking holes in the cake. You want the rum syrup to soak every inch of the cake.
- Allow cake to cool thoroughly before attempting to unmold it.
- Serve rum cake with cold milk or a cup of hot coffee or tea. Enjoy!
- There's a high-altitude version of this recipe if that works better for you!
Cook Time
Prep time | Cook time | Ready in | Yields |
---|---|---|---|
20 min | 1 hour | 1 hour 20 min | serves 8–10 |
Favorite Rum Cake
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 2 cups unbleached flour
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup dark rum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Read More From Delishably
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Thoroughly grease and flour a 10-cup bundt pan.
- Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Measure milk and rum in a large measuring cup. Add vanilla.
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add yolks and beat well.
- In three additions, alternately blend flour mixture and milk mixture into sugar/egg mixture, starting and ending with flour.
- Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold into cake batter with a rubber spatula.
- Pour into prepared bundt pan and slide into hot oven.
- Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until a tester toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- While cake is baking, prepare rum syrup. (See below.)
- Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes.
- Using a toothpick, poke holes all over bundt cake.
- Slowly pour rum syrup all over cake.
- Allow cake to cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes.
- Carefully unmold bundt cake. While it is still slightly warm, wrap in plastic and store overnight.
- Pour rum glaze over completely cool cake.
- Serve with milk, hot coffee, or tea. Enjoy!
Rum Syrup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter, salted
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup dark rum
Instructions
- Combine butter, sugar, and rum in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar melts.
- Remove from heat.
- Allow to cool before use.
Rum Glaze
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup salted butter, melted
- 2–4 tablespoons dark rum, to taste
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Pour melted butter and rum into a mixing bowl.
- Add powdered sugar and blend with a hand mixer or whisk until smooth.
- Drizzle over cooled bundt cake.
Questions & Answers
Question: How can I make sure the rum bundt cake will turn out moist?
Answer: This recipe yields a moist cake, just be sure not to over bake it. Poke the cake with a toothpick 5 minutes before the end baking time and remove the cake as soon as a few point crumbs are all that clings to it.