Ok, I have literally been waiting to post this recipe ever since I began the blog. It is without a doubt my favorite dessert in the entire world. And it may soon become yours too. :)

Behold….the famous rum cake.

Words can’t even describe this one. Suffice it to say, it is by far my most-requested recipe. My family loves it. My friends are crazy about it. Friends of my friends email to ask for the recipe. Non-rum-lovers ask for seconds at parties. Even my boss asks for leftovers whenever he hears it’s being made!

Yes, it is that good. :) And, it only takes about 15 minutes of total prep time. What could be better??

So if you’re looking for a new rockstar dessert this holiday season, look no further. This is the cake for you. Enjoy!!!

Rum Cake

4.75 from 4 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes: 1 cake
You’ll love this Rum Cake Recipe! It’s super-delicious!

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 (18.25 oz.) package yellow cake mix
  • 1 (3.4 oz.) package vanilla instant pudding mix
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup rum
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • extra sugar for pan

Glaze Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup rum

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Liberally grease (either way cooking spray or butter) a bundt pan, and then pour sugar into it and swirl around until the entire inside of the pan is coated in sugar. (Discard any remaining sugar.)
  • In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in the eggs, 1/2 cup water, oil and 1/2 cup rum. Blend well. Pour batter into pan.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto serving plate. Spoon glaze over top and sides. Allow cake to absorb glaze and repeat until all glaze is used.

Glaze Instructions:

  • In a saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup rum.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!

About Ali

Hi, I'm Ali Martin! I created this site in 2009 to celebrate good food and gathering around the table. I live in Kansas City with my husband and two young boys and love creating simple, reliable, delicious recipes that anyone can make!

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4.75 from 4 votes

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23 Comments

  1. Worawan says:

    Hi Ali:

    Exactly like you said, this cake has become our family’s favorite. I made it the first time last week and my hubby and step-son loved it. I made another one and took it to work. My co-workers loved it. Some asked for the recipe. Others asked when I would bring another one. I will make another one tomorrow for my hubby to take to his office.

    The glaze was amazingly delicious. My little problem is it didn’t get soaked in to the cake despite all the little holes of toothpicks. Having said that, the glaze that later formed a crust around the cake was just too good. I scraped all the glaze left on the plate and ate it after the whole cake was gone. This cake has become my family’s regularly made cake. Thanks again, Ali, for sharing the recipe. I will try more of your recipes from the blog and report back. :)

  2. Tammy says:

    I made this for Easter, it was gone in about 15 min! I made it with drained crushed pinapple, instead of water I used pinapple juice in the cake and the icing. Also, I used ” Whaler’s Vanille Rum ” A wonderfull cake, Thanks for sharing!

  3. Erin says:

    I made this cake yesterday and I used regular rum in the cake, but in the glaze I used CAPTAIN MORGAN SPICED RUM. The flavor of the glaze was AMAZING. Next time I will use the spiced rum in both the cake and the glaze. YUM!

    1. ali says:

      Hey Erin!

      I’ve heard so many people talk about spiced rum with this! So glad you loved it! Next time I make it, I’m totally going with that — sounds amazing!

      ~A

  4. brittany says:

    I made this cake today and couldnt resist trying it. It was absolutely amazing. My family are very big non drinkers and loved it. Thank you so much for sharing.

  5. jane says:

    I have made the rum cake twice since you posted it. The first one I shared with my neighbors and we all LOVED it. The second one is sitting in my office right now for a lunch party this afternoon. It is soooo tempting. I was thinking this recipe could be tweaked to make an apple cake substituting good apple cider for the rum.

  6. Andrew says:

    I made this for Chirstmas and it kicked ass, the family loved it…I used Appleton’s 12 year reserve dark rum and used the suggestion to put the cake back in the pan and poke holes. What a wonderful and easy recipe.

    Next time, I’m going to experiment with some Key Limes and see what happens…thanks a bunch!

    1. ali says:

      Sweet! Glad it went well, Andrew!

      Definitely let me know how things go with the key limes next time — I’m intrigued!!

  7. Kim Kerkhoff says:

    Would Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum work or is there a rum that you would recommend – like light or dark?

    1. ali says:

      Hi Kim!

      I’ve never actually tried this yet with spiced rum, but had a friend who did and loved it! And I prefer dark rum, but either work well. :)

      Enjoy!
      ~A

  8. Michelle says:

    I’ve made this cake for years and it’s always a hit (found the recipe on a Bacardi ad). I do the same as Miche and put the cake back in the pan to soak up the glaze. Otherwise it goes all over the plate, and not into the cake. I also sometimes put a chocolate drizzle over the whole thing too (as my original recipe called for). Extra yum!

  9. Kathleen Smith says:

    The cake was a hit at our party last night.
    Delish!!

  10. miche says:

    Your pictures are great. I make my glaze with 1/2 cup instead of 1/4 cup of rum and poke holes all in the cake then I pour a little glaze in the pan and then put the cake back in the pan and pour the glaze all over the cake in the pan. After it sit awhile I shake the cake loose carefully and plate it we usually eat it the next day too. But I love it abpout a week later.