I found that many recipes called for “yellow cake mix” and either a “pudding mix” or some dry milk powder. Unfortunately, these items aren’t always easy to find – furthermore I like to minimise unknown elements found in pre-made box mixes. So this recipe includes substitutions which will make it easier to use what you can find.

The rum itself is another key element. Here in Costa Rica the favourite is Nicaraguan Flor de Cana, 4 year. It’s smooth and delicious, and less expensive than the 7 year bottle, which I think is the most popular and exported. Of course, the Costa Rican Ron Centenario is also good. And prior to moving here, I would use Mount Gay rum which comes from Barbados, or Jamaician Myers dark rum, which I personally don’t care for but I can confirm that it’s delicious in a homemade rum cake!

Top tip – make this the day before you want to eat it!

Ingredients

for the homemade rum cake

• “1 box Yellow Cake Mix 18.25oz” or instead use:
  • 2 cups plain flour (250g)
  • 1 and 1/2 cup sugar (300g)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder (15g)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
• “1 package vanilla instant pudding mix (3.4oz)” – aka “Angel Delight” in the UK – or instead use:
  • 1/4 cup sugar (50g)
  • scant 1/4 (as should be 1/5) cup cornstarch (25g)
  • scant 1/4 (as should be 1/5) cup instant dry milk powder (25g)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (or scrape out 2 vanilla pods)
• 4 eggs (200g)
• 1/2 cup milk (120g)
• 1/2 cup oil (I use avocado, olive, or warm/liquid coconut oil – 112g)
• 1/2 cup dark rum (120g)
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional – quantity to vary completely for taste… but if you do use pecans, toast them first! Bake for 7 minutes in the air-fryer at 350 degrees and you’ll be laughing!)

for the homemade rum cake topping

• 4 tbsp butter (half stick or 55g)
• 2 tbsp water (30g)
• 1 cup sugar (200g) – don’t be scared to cut back. Go on, be wild, use 100g.
• 1/2 cup dark rum (120g)

Instructions

1. Prepare Bundt pan by spraying with oil or greasing with butter.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
3. Mix together dry cake ingredients except pecans if using. Add wet cake ingredients and mix until smooth. No standing mixer required, you can use a spoon.
4. If using (toasted) pecans, place pecans beautifully into bottom of cake tin. Pour batter over top.
5. Bake for 50 minutes in preheated oven, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes and then turn out.
6. Meanwhile, prepare topping – add the butter, water and sugar into a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until sugar dissolves. Then add the rum, and cook for 3-5 minutes.
7. Place slightly cooled cake on a plate with a rim. Maybe you need to slice off the top so that it sits flat (what to do with the cutoffs? hmmm). Poke holes into the cake with your toothpick to help the sauce saturate, then pour topping over cake while the cake is still warm. Cover and let it sit for 4 hours or overnight if you can.
8. Warm your homemade rum cake slightly to get the topping liquid again, spoon extra topping back onto the top, and serve!
9. Recommended with whipped cream or custard to top.

Note to self: Next time try pouring the topping onto the cake while it’s still in the pan. The topping really does saturate the bottom of the cake as it sits, so it would make sense to saturate the top of the cake instead! Anybody else reading this – please let me know if you try this! Thank you 🙂

One final comment – my 9-year-old loved this homemade rum cake. Don’t judge! I figured the rum “cooks off” so it would be okay to give her a slice of the top that wasn’t saturated with the topping… and she absolutely loved it. Even more than my Queque Nube de Chocolate if you can believe that! As a precaution and at my daughter’s request, I went ahead and made a second cake so that she would have birthday cake too. I don’t like to brag, but I must say there is never a shortage of cakes in my house!