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Easy Coconut Rum Cake

Last Updated On: May 16, 2025 | Published: May 15, 2025 by Melissa Diamond | 4 Comments
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This decadent Coconut Rum Cake has fantastic flavor from flaked coconut, coconut extract, and a rich, buttery coconut rum glaze. Nobody would guess that this recipe begins with a box of cake mix!

Coconut Rum Cake, sliced, on a cake pedestal.

Why we Love It

  • Great party cake
  • The buttery rum glaze that is poured over the freshly baked cake- yum!
  • Easy doctored cake mix recipe
  • Coconut cakes are always a favorite
  • Another for our collection of festive "boozy cakes"!

Ingredients

Here's a quick look at our ingredients! See the bottom of this post for the full recipe.

  • White cake mix- we used Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist
  • Small box Instant Coconut Cream Pudding Mix (you can substitute vanilla pudding if you cannot find coconut).
  • All Purpose Flour
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • Large Eggs
  • Unsalted Butter, Melted
  • Coconut Rum- Any brand is fine. You can also substitute white or dark rum.
  • Sour Cream (full fat)- For richness and a nice texture.
  • Milk
  • Coconut Extract
  • Flaked, Sweetened Coconut (Sweetened coconut is softer than unsweetened)

How to Make Easy Coconut Rum Cake

This cake comes together in no time! You can find the full, detailed recipe at the bottom of this post.

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and grease & flour a bundt pan.
  • After combining the dry ingredients, add all other ingredients (except for the flaked coconut).
  • Mix with an electric mixer to combine, then increase to medium speed for two minutes. Fold in coconut.
  • Sprinkle ⅓ cup coconut into the bottom of the greased and floured bundt pan. Scoop in the cake batter and bake. For the last 15 minutes of baking, prepare the butter rum glaze.
Batter in cake pan.
  • Pour the glaze over the freshly baked cake while still in the pan.
Pouring the butter rum glaze over the freshly baked cake while still in pan.
  • Allow the cake to sit and absorb the glaze for 15 minutes before flipping out onto a cake plate. It is easiest to place the cake plate on top of the bundt pan and flip it over all as one. Then lift off the pan to reveal the cake.

Here's our pretty cake! You can see the concentration of the glaze around the edges of the sliced cake- it is heavenly! We sprinkled a bit more flaked coconut on top for decoration.

Coconut rum cake, sliced, on a cake pedestal.
Coconut Rum Cake Slice.

More Boozy Cakes

We have many more rum cakes and cocktail-inspired cakes to share with you! Some of our favorites are our Banana Rum Cake, Limoncello Bundt Cake, and Pina Colada Cake.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! We hope that you enjoy the Coconut Rum Cake! Make sure to check out our full collection of cake recipes and cake decorating tutorials!

Have you made this? We would LOVE for you to leave a ⭐️ rating as well as a comment and photo below! We really appreciate your feedback!

Coconut rum cake, sliced, on a cake pedestal.

Easy Coconut Rum Cake

BY Melissa and Bebe
This Easy Coconut Rum Cake transforms a box of white cake mix into a flavorful coconut-filled bundt cake which is soaked with a buttery coconut rum glaze. Makes a great party cake!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Servings: 15 servings
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Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 1 Box White Cake Mix We used Duncan Hines Classic White Perfectly Moist
  • 1 box (3.4 oz) Instant Coconut Cream Pudding Mix (If you cannot find coconut cream, use vanilla instead- do not prepare).
  • ½ cup All Purpose Flour (60g)
  • ½ cup White Sugar (100g)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (113g) (This is 1 stick of butter)
  • ½ cup Coconut Rum (121g) (You can swap in white rum if you'd like.)
  • 1 cup Sour Cream (227g)
  • ½ cup Milk (We use whole or 2% fat)
  • 2 teaspoons Coconut Extract (8g)
  • 1 cup Sweetened, Flaked Coconut (We use Bakers Angel Flake)

For the Glaze

  • 1 cup White Sugar (200g)
  • 1 stick Unsalted butter (113g)
  • 3 Tablespoons Water (44g)
  • ⅓ cup Coconut Rum (75g)

Additional Coconut

  • ⅓ cup flaked coconut -optional (for sprinkling into bundt pan before adding batter)
  • Additional coconut to sprinkle on top- optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
  • Grease and flour a 10 or 12 cup bundt pan. Sprinkle ⅓ cup flaked coconut into the bottom of the pan (optional).
  • Sift the cake mix into your mixing bowl. Add the flour, coconut cream pudding mix, salt, and sugar. Whisk to combine.
  • Next, add everything except for the flaked coconut-- the melted butter, sour cream, four eggs, coconut rum, milk, and coconut extract
  • Mix at low speed (paddle attachment if using a stand mixer) for about ten seconds to incorporate before increasing to medium speed for two minutes.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
  • During the last 15 minutes of baking, make the glaze.

Glaze Instructions

  • In a saucepan, stir the glaze ingredients (sugar, butter, water, coconut rum) over low heat until butter has melted. Raise the heat to medium heat, stirring constantly until it begins to boil. (Be careful-It may boil over if you are not stirring.) Boil for 3 minutes and remove from heat.
  • This glaze will be poured over the cake just after the baked cake is pulled from the oven and still in the pan. Pour the warm glaze over the cake (still in pan) and let it sit for 15 minutes to absorb.
  • After 15 minutes has passed, when the glaze has been absorbed, place your cake plate/pedestal upside down against the cake pan and then flip it all as one so that the cake plate is now right side up with the inverted pan on top. Remove the can pan to reveal the cake.
  • This cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or under a cake dome.

Notes

The recommended bundt pan size is a 10 or 12 cup pan.
If you are using a smaller pan than this, the general rule of thumb is not to fill your pan more than ⅔ full or you will run the risk of it overflowing as it bakes.

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4 Comments

  1. I like this cake recipe and will make it for an upcoming party. But do you know approx how many cups of batter this makes? And also, can it be made in a sheet pan or in cupcakes also?

    Reply

    1. Hi Mary, glad you are making it! I would say approximately 7.5 cups batter. I don't see why a sheet cake wouldn't work but I haven't tried it. Cupcakes should work with this batter-- for the glaze, I guess you could brush it on before frosting- or make a rum frosting.

      Reply