Make Ahead

Regine’s Rum Cake

by:
November  4, 2014
5
2 Ratings
Regine’s Rum Cake
Photo by Regine
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour
  • Serves 12
Author Notes

For me, the best edible gift, and maybe a most popular one, is a rum cake. Some make it using a cake mix (it is delicious), and some buy it (example, Tortuga Rum cakes). But here is my from scratch rum cake that all my friends ask me to make over and over. You can make it either in one 12 cup bundt pan (or an angel tube pan), or in two 6 cup bundt pans, or in about 10 mini bundt pans. You can wrap cake(s) with a transparent cellophane gift wrapping paper and tie with a colorful ribbon. The post office has made a lot of money with this cake which I have mailed to various friends within and outside the United States. —Regine

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Cake
  • 2 cups bleached all purpose flour (my favorite is Pillsbury brand)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 package (about 3 3/4 oz) Jello Instant vanilla or French Vanilla pudding mix – but I have, by the way, made this cake a few times and with success without the pudding mix because I noticed last minute I did not have any.
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup milk (regular or 2%)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup rum (My favorite is Haitian Barbancourt but is is also good with Appleton or Diplomatico)
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract (equivalent to 1 tbsp)
  • Rum Syrup
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (equivalent to 1 stick, or 4 oz, or 8 tbsp). Use only real butter.
  • 1/4 cup water (equivalent to 4 tbsp)
  • 2/3 cup rum
  • 1 cup sugar
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 325°. Spray (I used a Baking Spray) one 12 cup bundt pan, or two 6 cup bundt pans, or about 10 mini bundt pans.
  2. Warm milk, water, and oil in microwave. Stir pudding into milk mixture until it is dissolved. Stir rum and vanilla, and set aside. In bowl of mixer, add eggs and sugar, and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, then slowly add the milk mixture and beat for another minute. Last, add the flour and baking powder; start stirring by hand so flour does not fly all over and then beat for maybe 40/60 seconds or until batter is very smooth.
  3. Pour batter into 12 cup bundt pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick/skewer inserted around the middle comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes. Unmold cake, clean pan if it has some cake crumbs (hopefully not) and then place pan on top of cake and flip it over so cake is again inside pan. Use a long skewer to poke 30+ holes all over the cake and then slowly pour the syrup all over the cake’s surface - on top of and around the cake. This will ensure syrup is more uniformly absorbed into cake. Leave cake in pan for about 1 hour or until all syrup is absorbed into cake and the top has dried up a bit. Unmold and serve (even better one day after) or wrap as an edible gift. See pictures. Note: If using 2 6 cup Bundt pans, or 12 mini Bundt pans, you will of course need bake for less time. Start checking at 28 minutes.
  4. For the Glaze: Melt butter, sugar, and water in saucepan or, like me, do it in a microwave. Stir occasionally to make sure sugar is totally dissolved (see SybilC’s review). Remove from heat or microwave, and add rum. If using microwave , be careful because the mixture can easily boil and flow all over the microwave.
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9 Reviews

Sybilc
Sybilc April 19, 2020
I have made my sister’s cake several times for Holiday parties to rave reviews. The first time I made it however, as a nonbaker, I did not dissolve the sugar properly in the syrup and the butter and sugar separated after I poured it on my cake. I remade the cake and the next time I used the saucepan method to make the syrup making sure the sugar had completely dissolved (basically bringing the sugar, water, and butter to a boil) before removing it from the heat and adding the rum. Worked great!
 
Regine
Regine April 19, 2020
Haha. Thanks dear sister Sybilc. Happy you are now a Rum cake baker specialist. 😀 I will edit recipe to clarify sugar in syrup must be totally dissolved. Love u!
 
Regine
Regine January 9, 2018
Wp, yes. Cake batter has 1/2 cup each oil, water, rum and water.
 
Wp
Wp January 9, 2018
Are the following ingredients IN THE CAKE batter?
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk (regular or 2%)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rum (My favorite is Haitian Barbancourt but is is also good with Appleton or Diplomatico)


I ask because it seems really wet. Thanks!
 
Regine
Regine November 9, 2015
Silly me. So sorry. I will fix. 1 cup sugar for the syrup. Thanks so much!
 
Connie O.
Connie O. November 9, 2015
The list of ingredients for the glaze are:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup rum
However, the instructions for making the glaze state "Melt butter, sugar, and water in saucepan.". What sugar? I think this may be the ingredient error that Coing was referring to.
 
Coing
Coing January 19, 2015
I think it was that the ingredients for the syrup are missing, or seem to be
included with the cake ingredients.
 
Regine
Regine January 19, 2015
Coing i only saw your comments. I dont seem to see any errors myself. Please let me know what errors you are referring to so i can check further. Thanks.
 
Coing
Coing November 5, 2014
There seem to be some errors in the ingredient list.