Momma's Rum Cake

The holiday season is all about the sweets in my household. My mom has a fantastic recipe for rum cake that I thought I would share with y'all. I'd consider it "semi-homemade" because it calls for a box mix but you could certainly substitute with a real deal recipe for your favorite yellow or butter flavored cake. This is a super simple and insanely delicious cake!

There is something so comforting about using a rustic looking recipe card...

What you'll need:

Cake:
1 box of butter cake mix (yellow works fine too)
3 eggs
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of white or golden rum (we use Bacardi Gold)
1/2 cup of water
1 small box of instant vanilla pudding mix
1/3 cup of chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Glaze:
1 stick of real sweet cream butter 
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup of rum


Putting it all together:

1. The most important part of this entire recipe is to grease and flour the bundt pan extremely well. Take this from my own experience, your cake will forever rest in your pan if this is missed! This step becomes crucial during the "big reveal" aka the flip at the end of your baking journey. 
2. Next, prepare your dry ingredients just as would make a normal box cake. Don't forget to add the box of pudding mix! It makes the cake incredibly moist; it is definitely the secret weapon of this recipe. 
3. Once your cake batter is all mixed up, take your nuts and sprinkle them evenly around the bottom of the pan. They will form a nice looking crust at the top your cake!
4. Pour the batter evenly into the pan and place it in the oven at 325 degrees for approximately 50 minutes.

Creating the Glaze

Important: You want to glaze your cake while it's still hot so you should start making your glaze just as your cake is about 1-2 minutes from being done. The glaze is really simple and it is actually quite versatile too! You could really use this on any cake. 

My mom and I had a bunch of oranges so we thought it might be nice to add in some fresh orange zest and a splash of orange extract. You could easily swap this out for flavors like lemon or almond. The cake tastes awesome regardless!

1. In a sauce pan on medium heat, drop in your stick of butter, 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of rum.
2. Bring the butter, sugar and rum mix to boil and stir continuously for two minutes (no more, no less- this is just how it is!). The mix will bubble and steam so don't be alarmed! 
3. Once you have boiled and stirred for two minutes, pour the glaze first around the edges of the cake in the pan, working your way toward the center. 
4. After the cake has settled and cooled for twenty minutes, it will be time to do the "big reveal" aka the flip!

Drum roll please... 

TAAADAAA!

 The final product! I must say, this cake is equally as delicious served straight from the oven as it is the next morning with a warm cup of coffee. Breakfast of champions, my friends!