Want to know how to pick the best rum for your rum cake? Here, we explain the options, and provide a great rum cake recipe to test it out with!
What is the best rum for rum cake?
Different rums will give your cake a slightly different quality. Here’s a quick summary of some of our favorite rums for baking:
Buy on Drizly!
We do not recommend using a white rum for a rum cake since its flavor profile is narrower and harsher.
We are not big cocktail drinkers, so have not cross-checked this list against criteria for the best rum cocktails. Gold star for anyone who can help us do so in the comments section, since this would clearly be a wonderful contribution for baker/drinkers of the world.
Another important question, as you test the best rum for rum cake: how on earth do I get my Bundt cake to release from its pan?
We find that getting a cake out of a Bundt pan is NO JOKE and the key to ensuring that your cake actually slides out in one piece, rather than many, is a very generous coating of Pam or some other oil-based spray. We recommend using an oil-based spray, rather than butter, because the milk solids in butter can stick to the nooks and crannies as they caramelize (King Arthur Flour, one of our favorite baking authorities, describes this, quite poetically, as “like glue”), making it harder to release the cake. Another key pointer is to let the cake cool for only 5-10 minutes before inverting the warm cake onto a cake stand or cooling rack. As it cools, the cake will tend to stick. So excited by this discussion about bundt cake removal pitfalls that you’re looking for more options? Check these out:
Baking Tips
Have you picked the best rum for your rum cake and steeled yourself for the Bundt cake challenge? Now, on to the cake! Resist the urge, if you can, to use yellow cake mix and instant pudding mix. It will be worth it, we promise. This cake gets a double dose of rum flavor since we include rum both in the batter and in the rum sauce. This recipe allows us to use our adorable Bundt pan. If, after all this talk of stuck Bundt cakes, the idea of using a Bundt pan makes your insides quiver and turn to Jell-O, you can simply bake it off in a 10-inch springform pan lined with parchment paper.
Useful Tools for Making Your Rum Cake
Rum Cake
Equipment
- 10 inch (10-15 cup) bundt pan
Ingredients
For the Rum Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 3/4 cup rum
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
For the Rum Sauce
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup rum
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
For the rum cake
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Generously coat Bundt pan with cooking spray; set aside.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes).
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the rum.
- Add flour mix in three parts, alternating with the heavy cream, beginning and ending with the flour.
- Pour batter into Bundt pan, smoothing the top of the cake.
- Bake in preheated oven until golden brown (roughly 60-75 minutes, but may depend on your bundt pan so check early and often!). A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, and the sides of the cake should begin to peel away from the pan. If the top of the cake begins to brown excessively, cover with tin foil.
For assembly
- Make the Rum Sauce during the final 10 minutes of baking. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
- Add sugar and 1/4 cup of water and let the mixture come to a boil.
- Boil, stirring occasionally, until syrupy, about 5 minutes.
- Carefully add rum and vanilla (mixture will bubble). Boil, stirring often, 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Leaving the warm cake in the pan, use a wooden skewer to poke holes in the bottom of the cake all over.
- Spoon 1/3 cup of the Rum Syrup evenly over the cake. Let stand for 10 minutes.
- Take a deep breath and say a brief but persuasive prayer to the Bundt pan gods, before inverting onto the cake stand or serving plate. Spoon the remaining glaze evenly over the top. Let cool at least 20 minutes before serving.
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