Rum Soaked Cake – This simple yet indulgent cake is light, moist, and loaded with boozy, buttery vanilla flavors. It may be a holiday staple, but it’s so good I keep it around all year long. 👌
This golden tube or bundt cake is absolutely dreamy. After a few tests, I can say that this made-from-scratch recipe is sheer perfection with little effort. Then there’s the rum glaze. 🤤
The rum glaze is sugary, buttery, and boozy, of course. It infuses every inch of this rum-soaked cake for a supremely moist dessert. There’s nothing like it.
Best Rum for Rum-Soaked Cake
Expensive top-shelf rum isn’t necessary, but please use good quality. White or dark rum works, but I prefer dark because it’s richer. But for more delightfully complex flavors, try spiced rum or something with caramel or vanilla notes.
Recipe Ingredients
- Cake Ingredients – Flour, butter, sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, and buttermilk to keep everything extra moist.
- Rum – A good quality rum makes a difference in your cake and rum glaze. Speaking of the glaze…
- Rum Glaze – Besides rum, you’ll need more butter, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. 🤏
How to Make Rum-Soaked Cake
The Cake
- Cream Butter – Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Cream the butter and sugar on high in a stand mixture until it’s fluffy and looks white (5-7 minutes). (Photo 1)
- Add Wet Ingredients – Add the oil and beat until well incorporated. Beat in the eggs one at a time. (Photos 2-3)
- Dry Ingredients – In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. (Photo 4)
- Combine Wet and Dry – Whisk in ⅓ of the dry ingredients into the wet, followed by ½ of the buttermilk. Then, whisk in another ⅓ of the dry into the wet, followed by the rest of the buttermilk. Then add the last of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. (Photos 5-6)
- Add Rum – Gently fold in the rum and vanilla extract with a spatula. Stir until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl. (Photos 7-8)
- Bake – Pour the batter into a well-greased 10-inch tube or bundt pan. Bake at 325℉ (160℃) until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. Remove from the oven. (Photos 9-10)
- Cool – Transfer the bundt pan to a wire rack and cool for about 15 minutes. Then, carefully invert the cake to release it from the pan. Gently tap the sides of the pan if it appears stuck.
The Butter Rum Sauce
- Simmer – Mix butter, light brown sugar, water, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly so your sauce doesn’t burn. (Photo 11)
- Cool – Remove from heat, add the rum, and mix until well combined. Let it cool slightly. (Photo 12)
- Serve – Poke little holes into the cake with a skewer all the way to the bottom, spoon the sauce over the cake, and let it soak in. Let the cake cool completely.
Recipe Variations
- Add nuts! Loads of Caribbean rum cakes include toasted nuts (usually pecans or walnuts). They go great with the rum-butter flavors.
- Make it tropical. Feel free to add dried fruit and coconut flakes to the batter before baking for a fruity treat. Remember, the cake may take a little longer to bake if you add dried fruit.
- Non-alcoholic. In the cake batter, the rum’s alcohol will evaporate, but not in the butter rum sauce. If your guests don’t do alcohol, use a simple syrupor chocolate glaze. Or replace the rum flavor in the butter sauce with three tablespoons of water and a teaspoon of rum extract.
Tips and Tricks
- Adjust the rum according to your preference. Like it more or less boozy? Just add or subtract rum.
- Cool the butter rum sauce before pouring it over the cake to prevent it from becoming soggy.
- To distribute the syrup evenly, poke holes through the cake, piercing it to the bottom with a skewer.
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can make this decadence a day or two ahead or freeze it for up to a month! If you freeze it, thaw it in the fridge the day before serving it.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve rum-soaked cake at room temperature or chilled. If you prefer an even moister cake, brush it with additional rum syrup just before serving. To store the cake, cover it tightly with plastic wrap in an airtight container. It lasts at room temperature for up to 3 days.
FAQs
While rum is traditional, you can experiment with other spirits like bourbon, brandy, or cognac. Each will impart a unique flavor to the cake.
Yes, you can use a store-bought cake mix. Just follow the package instructions and soak it with rum as directed.
Many rum-soaked cake recipes include a glaze made with rum and sugar to enhance the flavor and sweetness. But it’s optional.
What Goes With Rum Soaked Cake
Enjoy rum-soaked cake after fun Caribbean meals like Jamaican curry shrimp or oven-baked jerk chicken. If you really want to impress your guests, serve it with rum raisin ice cream and grilled pineapple. 🤩
More Boozy Dessert Recipes to Try
- Chocolate Guinness Cake
- Chocolate Rum Marble Cake
- Bourbon Pecan Pie
- Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce
- Banana Foster
Conclusion
Get ready to treat yourself with this unapologetically rum-soaked cake. Already made it? Please comment below to let me know how it turned out for you. I can’t wait 🫶
Watch How to Make It
Rum Soaked Cake
Ingredients
Rum Cake
- 1 cup (226g) butter, softened
- 1¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) vegetable oil or canola oil
- 4 large eggs
- 2½ cups (285g) cake flour
- 1¼ teaspoons (6g) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) salt
- ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60ml) rum
Butter Rum Sauce
- ½ cup (113g) butter
- ½ cup (107g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- ¼ cup (60ml) rum
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon (a pinch) salt
Instructions
Rum Cake
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F.
- Cream the butter and sugar at high speed in a stand mixture until it’s fluffy and looks white, 5-7 minutes.
- Add in your oil and beat until well incorporated.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one.
- In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Whisk ⅓ of the dry ingredients into the wet, followed by ½ of the buttermilk. Then, whisk in another ⅓ of the dry into the wet, followed by the rest of the buttermilk. Then add the last of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in the rum and vanilla extract.
- Stir well until everything is thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Pour batter into a well-greased 10-inch-bottomed tube pan or bundt pan.
- Bake at 325℉ (160℃) until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for at least 15 minutes. Then, carefully invert the pan to release the cake. If it appears to be stuck, gently tap on the sides of the pan to help release the cake.
Butter Rum Sauce
- In a small saucepan, combine butter, light brown sugar, water, vanilla, and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Remove from heat, add the rum, and mix until well combined. Let it cool slightly.
- Poke little holes into the cake with a toothpick all the way down to the bottom, then spoon the syrup over the cake and let it soak in. Let the cake cool to room temperature before serving.
Tips & Notes:
- Adjust the rum according to your preference. Like it more or less boozy? Just add or subtract rum.
- Cool the butter rum sauce before pouring it over the cake to prevent it from becoming soggy.
- To distribute the syrup evenly, poke holes through the cake, piercing it to the bottom with a skewer.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
renata cigler-gandolfo says
hi, imma. see me here again. just made this lovely, delicious recipe, can’t wait to taste it. thank you
renata
Imma says
Hi Renata! You will love it :)!
Glen says
This recipe looks awesome. But I was looking for the rum raisin cake. Where can I find it?
ImmaculateBites says
Yeah, I ended up replacing the recipe with a better one:) It’s very similar, but here’s the first recipe. Thanks for asking!
Rum Raisin Cake
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup (8 ounces/226g) butter
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla flavor
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange rind
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon or lime rind
½ cup coconut flakes optional
Butter Rum Glaze
1 cup (8 ounces/226g) butter
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons rum
Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C. Bake ½ cup coconut flakes in the oven for about 10 minutes until it looks lightly toasted. Let them cool.
Grease and line the cake tin (pan) with baking parchment.
To soften raisins, bring water to a boil in a medium sauce, place raisins in a steam basket, and steam for about one minute. Do not submerge the raisins in the water. Remove and place on paper towels to dry.
Cream the butter and sugar at high speed in a stand mixture until it’s fluffy and looks white, 5-7 minutes.
Stir in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the batter from curdling.
Mix the raisins with about ½ a cup of flour. Set aside
Sift the flour and baking powder into the batter, and then add the grated orange and lime rind, nutmeg, and vanilla flavor. Add coconut flakes, if including, to the cake batter.
Stir well until everything is fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
Pour batter into a greased loaf pan or an 8- 9 inch bottomed tube pan and bake at 325℉ (160℃) until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Rum Glaze
In a small saucepan, combine butter, sugar, rum, and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Pour glaze over the cake and enjoy.
Laura says
Hi imma, love your recipes, how can I store the glaze and for how long
Pammie says
When do I add the raisins…I have tried to add raisins before and they always sink to the bottom of the cake…Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
To prevent raisins from sticking to the pan, mix raisins with a little bit of flour before adding to the batter.
kelsey says
Which other method can i use to soften the raisins if i don’t have a steam basket
Dina says
sounds delish!
Africanbites says
Thanks, Dina.
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
Goodness – that glaze has me totally sold!
Sarah says
Everything about this looks amazing, especially that gorgeous glaze! I’m also a huge rum raisin ice cream fan. I wonder if topping a slice with a scoop would be overkill or perfection…
Africanbites says
Sarah, who says there is an overkill when it comes to rum ? I can have rum in all my dessert and still would be left wanting more. However, I do agree it would be an overkill.Vanilla ice cream works best! Thanks for stopping by!
Rosa says
Hi Immaculate, you know what! I don’t know what to say, but gul you are GOODDD. When I open the page my son who just turn 11years says “mom please let us bake that cake, and this time round it better turn out good, more than what we did the last time” With your recipe, I persume we are going to do a better job.
Africanbites says
Thanks Rosa, sad to know you had a bad experience with another recipe , rest assured you would enjoy this one!
Christina says
Yummy! Rum raisin ice cream is my favorite, I know this will be a treat!
Africanbites says
Christina, they go together.