Let’s try this again. This post escaped yesterday before it was ready. My ducks are in a row now. Apologies.
This is one of my top five kinds of cake. Good friends of our brought us a rum cake the first time they went to the Caribbean and then learned to make it themselves. It is glorious and has become one of their signature cakes. They use the recipe here with modifications which I have rewritten below. I accidently modified it further by leaving out 1/2 cup of oil. I didn’t notice a difference in the cake, and it was well received at the event I took it to, so am leaving it out below as well. I also added a 1/4 cup more nuts. So good!
Pretty colour, yes?
Cake
2 cups flour
1/2 cups sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks
3 Tbsp. canola oil (or you can add the extra 1/2 cup as well, if you like)
3/4 cup pecans, rough chop
102 gram package of vanilla instant pudding
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup run (I used Captain Morgan Private Stock, which is a beautiful amber-coloured spiced rum)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Soaking Glaze
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup rum
Grease and flour a Bundt pan. Sprinkle the chopped nuts in the bottom of the pan.
In a mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add pieces of butter and the 3 Tbsp. of oil. Mix until it looks like fine gravel. Add the remainder of the cake ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour over the nuts and bake for 55 minutes in a preheated 325 degree F oven.
While the cake is baking, prepare the Soaking Glaze by combining the water, sugar and butter in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and then turn down to let it simmer slowly and evaporate some of the water to thicken the sauce. This is not the time to check on a load of laundry as the mixture will readily boil over if you don’t watch it. (Trust me on this. Haha). Take the pan off the heat and add the rum.
Remove the cake from the oven and poke holes liberally across the surface.
Slowly pour the soaking glaze over the top, letting it absorb into the cake. It may not look like it will all be absorbed, but be patient. It will get there. You want all that rummy goodness.
The cake in all its Rum-Soaked-Glory
Cool the cake completely and invert onto your serving plate.
Everyday Cheer 