Rum Cake- Doctored Cake Mix Recipe
Christmas is almost here and this ultra moist, delicious, easy rum cake is the perfect holiday dessert!
We love bundt cake recipes, and we are happy now have an amazing rum cake recipe that can be made SO easily with a box of cake mix!
This rum-infused bundt cake has a wonderful balance of moist yellow cake, rum, and pecans. It's heavenly!
A family friend passed the recipe along to us which she has been making for years- and the best part (aside from the amazing flavor) is that it is so simple to make.
Nobody would believe that this amazing rum cake all starts with a box of yellow cake mix. We love the cake so much that, we have also added another delicious Baileys Toffee Pecan Cake version as well!
Table of Contents
How to Make Rum Cake
You can find the full, printable recipe card for this easy rum cake further down in this post. Here is a quick look at our steps!
- First, Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 or 12 cup bundt pan. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans.
- Sift the cake mix into your mixing bowl. Add all of the other ingredients
- Using a stand mixer, mix on medium speed for one minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix one more minute. (If you are using a hand mixer, mix just a bit longer).
- Fill prepared pan and 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.
For the Rum Glaze
Although there is rum mixed into the cake batter, it's the glaze that really adds an extra boost of moisture and rum flavor to the cake.
Unlike other glazes that we've used in the past, this glaze is poured over the cake while still in the pan. The result is an ultra moist cake that has been perfectly infused with rum without becoming overly saturated.
- In a saucepan, stir the glaze ingredients (sugar, butter, water, rum) over low heat until butter has melted. Raise the heat to medium heat, stirring constantly as it begins to boil. (Be careful, it may boil over if you are not stirring.) Boil for 3 minutes and remove from heat.
- Pour the hot glaze over the freshly baked cake just after removing from the oven and *while the cake is still in the Bundt pan*. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes have passed, when the glaze has been absorbed, place your cake plate/pedestal upside down over the Bundt pan and then flip it all as one so that the cake plate is now right side up with the inverted Bundt pan on top.
- Remove the Bundt pan to reveal the rum cake!
Doesn't it look beautiful?
Here is a closeup of a slice.
As you can see, the rum glaze is most concentrated around the edges of the slice but the flavor and additional moisture are carried throughout. This recipe is a keeper!
Is it Better to use Light Rum or Dark Rum in this cake?
Traditionally, dark rum is the popular choice for rum cakes. Clear rum is sweeter and lighter, and so the flavor of the rum is a bit more subtle.
Dark rum has a deeper, richer flavor. It really comes down to personal preference, we have tried both dark and clear rum in our recipe and like both.
While the rum flavor is unmistakable, it is not overpowering. If you like rum, you are going to love this cake!
More Boozy Cake Recipes
Alcohol infused cakes are not only flavorful, but they also make wonderful celebration cakes- from anniversaries to bridal showers, milestone birthday cake recipes, and more.
Some of our favorites are our popular Limoncello Cake, elegant Pink Champagne Cake, classic Black Forest Cake, and festive Pina Colada Cake!
We also have several doctored cake mix recipes that are based in part on today's easy rum cake. A few examples are our decadent Banana Rum Cake, Limoncello Bundt Cake, Coconut Rum Cake, and our Bailey's Toffee Pecan Cake.
Here are just a few more of our favorites- Make sure to check out our full collection of Boozy Cake Recipes!
Rum Cake- Doctored Cake Mix Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix I used Duncan Hines
- 1 Small Package 3.4 oz/96g Instant Vanilla Pudding
- 4 eggs room temperature
- ½ cup Water (121g)
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil (we use Canola oil) (108g)
- ½ cup Rum (121g) We have used both clear rum and dark rum in the past. Dark has a deeper flavor. Clear is more subtle. We like either for this recipe.
- ½ cup Pecans, chopped (52g)
For the Glaze
- 1 cup Sugar (200g)
- 1 stick Unsalted butter (113g)
- ¼ cup Water (61g)
- ¼ cup Rum (61g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
- Grease and flour a 10 or 12 cup bundt pan.
- Sprinkle the bottom of the prepared pan with the chopped pecans.
- Sift the cake mix into your mixing bowl. Add all of the other ingredients
- Mix a medium speed for one minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix one more minute. Pour 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, 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.
- 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.
Looks awesome! :-)
WOW!
Hello your cakes are so beautifully decorated and look very delicious. How can I place this rum cake on a cake board? I wanted to make it for a friend and place it into a box. Thank you :-)
Hi Suzie, you can just hold the cake board on top of the bundt cake pan once you are ready to turn it out, and flip it all over together. Then lift the pan. You may want to wrap the cake board in foil if using a cake cardboard.
Thank you very much 😊 I appreciate it.
Can I use rum extract instead of rum?
This cake is the most delicious recipe I’ve made from this site. My husband and his family kept raving about the lightness and flavor of the cake. I used dark rum and sprinkled extra pecans for the topping. As well as being delectable, the cake looks beautiful and inviting. It was perfect for a birthday dessert!
Thank you so much, Inez! We missed your post before.
So moist. I used Whalers coconut rum. It was a big hit.
Thank you Shanon!! We're so happy to hear it, your cake looks perfect!
This was so easy to make. It was a hit with my family that it was requested multiple times. I didn't have pecans. I used walnuts instead and I think I prefer that over pecans. Goes great with coffee or tea.
I got this awesome one baking it!