Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Rum Cake

A perfect celebratory dessert for the holidays! This easy Rum Cake recipe starts with a box of cake mix for a moist, flavorful and quick yellow Bundt cake that’s topped with pecans and soaked with a rich, butter-rum glaze. The old-fashioned treat has been a favorite for generations!

Rum Cake Recipe​​​​​​​

I have vivid memories of my mom and my grandmother preparing this Christmas cake throughout my childhood. It’s a perfect holiday dessert because you can make it in advance (and it doesn’t need to be refrigerated), it’s easy (since it takes advantage of a boxed cake mix), and it feels festive and celebratory — thanks to plenty of butter rum glaze!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ It would also be ideal for Thanksgiving or New Year’s Eve.​​​​​​​

What does rum cake taste like?

The base of the recipe is a golden yellow cake mix made with vanilla pudding and a touch of Caribbean rum. The cake itself doesn’t have a strong rum flavor at all — instead, it’s just a really moist, fluffy golden Bundt cake with a rich vanilla flavor and a toasty, crunchy pecan topping.

The warm cake soaks up a buttery rum glaze, which gives it that classic rum taste without an overpowering amount of alcohol. While some rum cakes taste very strongly of booze, this cake is made with less alcohol and therefore has a more subtle rum taste. Plus, the amount of alcohol in any given slice is not enough to make anyone drunk. You’ll need to pour some cocktails if that’s what you’re going for!

The Best Rum for this Cake

You can use almost any rum — just make sure that it tastes good enough to drink! I use a light rum — specifically, Captain Morgan Caribbean Spiced Rum — since that’s what we tend to have on hand. A bolder dark rum will also work for a stronger, richer flavor.

How to Make Rum Cake with Cake Mix

We’re big fans of store-bought shortcuts to help get easy desserts on the table without too much stress. This simple rum soaked cake looks impressive on a holiday table, but a yellow cake mix and a box of vanilla instant pudding make it a breeze to put together.

Ingredients for Grandma’s Rum Cake Recipe

• Pecans
• Yellow cake mix (my mom always uses Duncan Hines, but any similar brand will work)
• Box of instant vanilla pudding mix (not prepared — just the dry mix)
• Rum
• Water
• Vegetable oil
• Eggs

Step 1: Sprinkle Pecans in Bottom of Bundt Pan

Arrange the nuts in an even layer at the bottom of a greased and floured Bundt pan.

Step 2: Make Cake Batter

Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, rum, water, vegetable oil and eggs. Beat for 2 minutes.

Step 3: Add Batter to Pan

Pour the cake batter over the nuts in the Bundt pan.

Step 4: Bake

Bake the cake in a 325 degree F oven for 1 hour.

How to Make Easy Rum Cake Glaze

This cake gets it’s ultra-moist texture and rich flavor from the special rum glaze. You’ll need to prepare the glaze about 5-10 minutes before the cake comes out of the oven so that it’s ready to go when you need to drizzle it over the hot cake.

Ingredients for Butter Rum Cake Glaze

• Salted butter
• Sugar
• Rum
• Water

Combine the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Poke holes in the bottom of the cake while it’s still in the pan and drizzle about half of the glaze all over the hot cake. ​​​​​​​After about 10 minutes, flip the cake out onto a wire rack, poke holes in the top, and drizzle with the remaining glaze.

Tip: Set the wire rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet for easy clean-up. Some of the glaze will drip down the side of the cake onto the foil, so it’s much easier if that mess isn’t all over your countertops! When the cake is completely cool, slice and serve!

Storage

This is a great make-ahead dessert recipe because it gets better as it sits! The cake does not need to be refrigerated. Covered, it will last at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.​​​​​​​

You can also wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap and foil and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter overnight before serving.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Tips for the Best Rum Cake Recipe

• Grease the Bundt pan really well by coating with butter and then dusting with flour. Alternatively, you can use a cooking spray that’s specifically made for baking (like this one). These options will ensure that your cake pops right out of the pan when it’s done!
• Use a high quality rum that actually tastes good. It will flavor your dessert, so make sure you like the rum that you choose! Either light rum or dark rum will work in this recipe.
• Glaze the cake while it’s still warm so that it soaks up as much of the butter rum glaze as possible. It’s also nice to have some of the glaze all over the outside of the cake as it drips down the sides.
• The cake gets better as it sits, so this is a nice dessert option to prepare the day before you plan to serve it.

More Bundt Cake Recipes to Try

• Orange Juice Cake
• Old-Fashioned Apple Cake
• Sour Cream Pound Cake
• 7Up Pound Cake

Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Rum Cake

5 from 4 votes

Prep: 20 minutes minutes

Cook: 1 hour hour

Cooling Time 2 hours hours

Total: 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12 people

Calories 480 kcal

This easy Rum Cake starts with a box of cake mix and is soaked in a rich, butter-rum glaze. The perfect holiday dessert!

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Ingredients

  

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FOR THE CAKE:

• 1 cup finely-chopped pecans
• 1 (15.25 oz) box yellow cake mix
• 1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding mix
• ¼ cup rum
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, at room temperature

FOR THE GLAZE:

• ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup rum
• ¼ cup water

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan.
• Sprinkle nuts in the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, rum, water, vegetable oil and eggs. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Pour the batter over the nuts in the pan.
• Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• About 10 minutes before the cake is done, prepare the glaze. In a saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, rum and water. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Leave the hot cake in the pan and use a toothpick or wooden skewer to poke holes in the bottom of the cake. Slowly drizzle about half of the glaze over the bottom of the cake, allowing time for the glaze to soak into the holes and be absorbed by the hot cake.
• Place a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet to catch drips. After about 10 minutes in the pan, turn the cake out onto the wire rack (right-side up). Poke holes on the top of the cake. Gradually drizzle remaining glaze over the top of the cake. A lot of the glaze will soak into the cake, and some will also drip down the sides.
• Cool completely, then slice and serve!

Notes

• Grease the Bundt pan really well by coating with butter and then dusting with flour. Alternatively, you can use a cooking spray that’s specifically made for baking (like this one). These options will ensure that your cake pops right out of the pan when it’s done!
• Use a high quality rum that actually tastes good. It will flavor your dessert, so make sure you like the rum that you choose! Either light rum or dark rum will work in this recipe.
• Glaze the cake while it’s still warm so that it soaks up as much of the butter rum glaze as possible. It’s also nice to have some of the glaze all over the outside of the cake as it drips down.
• The cake gets better as it sits, so this is a nice dessert option to prepare the day before you plan to serve it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 480kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 4gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 403mgPotassium: 74mgFiber: 1gSugar: 39gVitamin A: 321IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 1mg

Keyword: rum cake

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Blair Lonergan

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