Easy Bacardi Rum Cake
Delicious, easy Bacardi Rum Cake will be your favorite dessert for the holiday season or any other special occasion. This golden rum cake recipe uses Bacardi’s original recipe from the 1970’s. Made with instant pudding mix, boxed yellow cake mix and finished with an easy butter rum glaze, it will make a moist, tender and delicious cake the first time you try it!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
Easy to Make: This easy rum cake comes together quickly with pre-packaged pudding and cake mix.
Very Convenient: Rum cake can be made a day ahead for parties or entertaining. It is just as delicious the next day.
Total Crowd Pleaser: Bacardi Rum Cake was a staple at every party in the 1970s and 80s. I remember it on every dessert buffet table when I was a kid. Everyone loved it!
Recipe Ingredients:
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Rum Cake Recipe:
Ingredient Notes
I use Bacardi Gold Rum, but any rum will work, including a spiced rum like Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum.
If you are trying to avoid Vegetable/Seed Oil, I find Olive Oil to work well in this recipe. Avocado oil would work, as well.
This recipe is delicious with or without the nuts.
How to make Easy Bacardi Rum Cake: STEP BY STEP
Step One: Preheat the Oven to 375°F.
Step Two: Prepare Bundt Cake Pan with butter and flour. Chop nuts and sprinkle them in Bundt pan.
Step Three: In a large bowl, mix ingredients for cake batter. Pour cake batter over the top of nuts in Bundt pan.
Step Four: Put in preheated oven to bake for 1 Hour, or until toothpick comes out clean. While Cake Bakes, prepare the Rum Sauce Glaze. Over medium-low heat melt butter in a small pan on the stove top. Add water and sugar, stirring to dissolve, and boil gently for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in rum and set aside.
Step Five: When cake has finished baking, remove from the oven. While still in the pan, poke the cake with a wooden skewer and pour half of the glaze over the baked cake. Let absorb.
Step Five: Invert the cake onto a wire rack and baking sheet or plate and remove the pan. Poke holes in the top and sides of the cake with the wooden skewer and pour/brush the remaining glaze onto the cake
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store the Rum Cake in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 5 days.
Freezing: Wrap Cake well in plastic wrap and store for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw frozen cake in the refrigerator overnight.
Serve the cake at room temperature or wrap in foil and warm in the oven at 300°F for 10-15 minutes or until warm.
Substitutions
Rum Substitution: You can substitute 6 Tablespoons of water or milk to the cake batter in addition to 2 Tablespoons of Rum Extract. For the glaze, you could substitute 6 Tablespoons of water, apple juice, white grape juice, or orange juice plus 2 Tablespoons of Rum Extract.
I hope you love this Easy Bacardi Rum Cake! If you make it, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it!
Easy Bacardi Rum Cake
Equipment
- 1 12-cup Bundt Pan or 10-inch tube cake pan
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup Chopped Pecans or Walnuts
- 1 18.5 oz Package Yellow Cake Mix
- 1 3 ¾ oz Package Instant Vanilla Pudding mix
- 4 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Cold Water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil I used olive oil
- 1/2 cup Bacardi Dark Rum
Glaze
- 1/4 pound butter 1 stick
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 cup Bacardi Dark Rum
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉. Grease 10-inch tube or 12-cup Bundt pan.
- Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan.
- In large bowl, mix the remaining Cake ingredients together, yellow cake mix through rum.
- Pour the batter mixture over the nuts in the tube/Bundt pan.
- Bake one hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.
- While cake is baking make the glaze.
Glaze
- Melt butter in saucepan.
- Stir in water and sugar.
- Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Stir in rum.
- Set aside
Finish Cake
- When cake is finished baking, set pan with cake on rack.
- Prick the cake with a toothpick several times and pour half the glaze over the cake while still hot in pan.
- Let cake cool for at least 10 minutes while glaze is absorbed.
- Invert cake onto serving plate.
- Prick the top of the cake all over. Drizzle and brush the remaining glaze over the top and sides of the cake.
Optional
- Reserve a small amount of the Rum Glaze to drizzle over individual slices. Garnish the cake with whipped cream, grapes, cherries, or pineapple. It's perfect as is!
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
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Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t have dark rum, can I use white rum?
Yes! You can use white rum and still have a delicious cake!
Is Bacardi Rum Cake alcoholic?
No. If the cake is prepared according to the instructions, the alcohol evaporates during cooking leaving just the rum flavoring.
I loved revisiting this classic dessert. I hope you try it!