• For your cake
  • 1 box (about 18 ounces) yellow cake mix
  • 1 package (3.5 ounces) instant (very important) vanilla pudding mix
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup dark Bacardi rum
  • For your glaze
  • 1-1/2 sticks salted butter
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1-1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cups dark rum

Why call this a “Really” Rum Cake, well because this cake is certainly not for the faint of heart and won’t be enjoyed for breakfast the next day for a couple of reasons. For one, you probably won’t have any cake left and two, it is way too “sharp” shall we say for a morning treat! Get my drift?

I make this Rum Cake once a year at Christmas time only. Everyone has a favorite recipe made only for holidays, right? My son accompanied me to “ABC store” which at one time I thought was a teacher store – that tells you how much we drink in our family! Oh, ABC stands for Alcohol Beverage Control.” Okay, yet again another Edith Bunker moment… I have many… so I walked up to the desk and told the gentleman I was making a Rum Cake. He looked at me and smiled, saying “Sure, that’s what they all say!” I said, “No really! I am! and smiled…

I first had this recipe at my dear friend Maureen’s home in Asheville, NC. I was hooked! Last week when bringing in the groceries, my hubby spotted a box of yellow cake mix. He looked at me jokingly (at least I hope he was joking) and yelled, “I never thought I’d see the day!” We laughed and I told him that was what I used for the Rum Cake. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Maureen’s cake is perfect and so I make it the same way she did. Maybe I just omit the pecans (allergies) but I make up for it with a “little” more rum! wink wink …

So…here’s the recipe requested every Christmas! It is divine!

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Generously grease a bundt cake pan. I just bought a new stone bundt pan from Pampered Chef and it worked amazingly well. I didn’t even flour the pan and the light color stone helped to keep the cake from browning too much. Never buy a dark cake pan – you’ll be sorry!

Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour batter into pan. Smooth out the top and bake for 1 hour.

Glaze:

When the cake has ten minutes to go, begin to make your glaze by melting the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the water and the sugar. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off flame and pour in rum. Stir to combine and reheat for 30 seconds.

Remove the cake from oven and while hot and in the pan immediately drizzle a little of the glaze on the top (which is actually the bottom of the cake. Allow the cake a few moments to soak in the rum glaze. Add a little more at a time, allowing the cake to soak up the goodness of the glaze, until all of the Rum Butter Glaze is absorbed into the cake… party time! You may find your plates and forks dancing around the kitchen!

Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Enjoy – guilt free..why it’s the holidays!