Rum cake has been a holiday tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas it is served as a dessert. It is definitely one of my favorites! I mean, who can resist booze AND cake? I even ate it as a kid because my mom says the alcohol gets cooked out, but I’m not sure that’s entirely true. I’ll let my son have some but only a couple bites. If I was able to have some, he can too. Gotta keep the tradition alive! So… let’s go bake a rum cake (and drink some, too) 😉

What you will need:

1 Bundt pan, greased

For the cake:

1 cup chopped pecans
1 box of yellow cake mix (I like Duncan Hines)
1 package (3.5 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 large eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup rum (dark is best)

For the glaze:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup rum (again, dark is best)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit. Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the bottom of the pan, then set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the rest of the cake ingredients together. Easy right? Pour into the pan over the chopped nuts. Bake for 50-60 minutes.

When the cake has about 10 minutes left to bake, start the glaze. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Pour in the water and sugar and boil for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Next, turn down the heat and pour in the rum. Stir for about 30 seconds over low heat.

Remove cake from oven and immediately pour 1/3 of the glaze on top. Allow the cake to cool and the drizzle to seep into the cake for about 10 minutes. The, prick with the tines of a fork and slowly pour the rest of the glaze over the cake. Let rest for another 10 minutes and then invert onto serving plate. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Tip: I usually make this the night before serving because all the flavors come together over time and that let’s the glaze really soak in. Store in an airtight container.