This ultra-moist Jamaican Appleton Rum Cake is a tried-and-true recipe with the taste of the Caribbean. And it's EASY! Start with a cake mix and end up with the perfect dessert!
Time flies when you’re having rum! This Appleton Rum Cake is adapted from the very popular Bacardi rum cake recipe from the 1970s.
It is a tested and perfected recipe that I have made many times using Appleton Rum although I have also used other rums that I have handy in my liquor cabinet.
A sweeter rum, like Appleton, really enhances the rich flavor of the cake and is now my favorite one to use.
The Bacardi Oakheart is also excellent for baking as it contains a melding of flavors like vanilla, cinnamon, butterscotch and caramel. For an even more tropical flavor, Cruzan Tropical Fruit Rum has exotic accents of guava, passion fruit, and pineapple.
Are you wondering about wasting an expensive rum for baking purposes? Perhaps it’s been sitting in your cabinet collecting dust.
Expensive or not, now is the perfect time to use it to create an incredibly rich, moist and satisfying cake. Only one cup is needed for the entire recipe! And if that seems like a lot of rum, much of it cooks off during the heating and baking process.
Using a Bundt pan
I have always used a 10” Bundt pan for baking this amazing cake, so I would like to share a few “rules of rum” (rules of thumb) on prepping your pan so that your cake releases and slides out of the pan effortlessly without sticking or breaking.
Greasing your Bundt pan
Use a non-stick pan without scratches. Grease the pan thoroughly, including the center tube. It is well worth the time to grease every nook and cranny of your Bundt pan.
Use a pastry brush if using vegetable oil or baking spray and do this right before adding the batter so that the oil doesn't pool in the bottom of the pan.
If using a Crisco like vegetable shortening stick, use a paper towel or fingers to cover all of the surface.
Removing the cake from the Bundt pan
After removing the pan from the oven, place it on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. This should allow the cake enough time to firm up to be removed from the pan easily. Be aware, waiting too long can cause the cake to stick to the pan and fall apart when turned over.
Gently loosen the edges of the cake to release any stuck areas after you remove it from the oven. A thin and narrow heatproof spatula works best; avoid a sharp knife as it may scratch the pan.
If you have inverted the pan and the cake still hasn’t released, jiggle it from side to side. If the cake has not released, return the pan to the warm oven for about 10 minutes. The warm heat should release any baked-on areas that have stuck to the pan.
The very best part of this recipe is how easy it is to make. You’re actually using a cake mix from a box … so very few ingredients are needed to create this dessert.
This rum cake is so delicious, you’ll have your family or your guests eating every single c-rum-b off their plates! The Great 8 enjoyed it thoroughly at our Jamaican themed dinner party!
Appleton Rum Cake
Special Equipment
- 10" Bundt pan
Ingredients
- Cooking spray, or vegetable shortening
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted
- 1 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix butter recipe, ** If using a cake mix with pudding in it, see Gr8 Tips below!
- 1 3.4 ounce instant vanilla pudding mix, (I prefer Jell-O)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup cold water
- ½ cup amber rum, Appleton or another amber rum
Butter Rum Sauce
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup sugar, granulated
- ½ cup amber rum, Appleton or another amber rum
Instructions
Rum Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325℉.
- In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand beater, beat the eggs and then gradually add the oil, water and rum. Add the cake mix and vanilla pudding. Mix and set aside.
- Generously grease a 10" Bundt pan with cooking spray or liquid vegetable shortening (use a pastry brush to make sure you cover every crevice of the pan so the cake releases easily after baking) or vegetable shortening in a stick form using a paper towel or your fingers.
- Spread the toasted nuts over the bottom of the Bundt pan.
- Stir the cake batter then slowly spoon the batter evenly over the nuts. When finished, tap the bottom of the pan on a work surface to release any bubbles in the batter.
- Bake for 50 minutes to one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
- When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes (cooling longer in the pan will cause the cake to stick to the pan prior to flipping it).
- After 10 minutes, tap the bottom of the pan on a work surface to help loosen the cake, carefully lay your serving plate over the top of the bundt pan then invert the pan. The cake should drop out of the pan. Remove the pan and prick the top and the sides of the cake with a long toothpick, skewer or fork.
Butter Rum Sauce
- While the cake is baking, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the water and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from the heat and add the rum.
- Brush half of the sauce over the top and all sides of the cake until all of it is absorbed. This can be done while the cake is warm or when completely cool. You may continue to use all of the sauce or reserve half to glaze over the cake when serving.
Notes
Great 8 Tips:
- ** If using a cake mix that already has pudding in the mix, you will use 3 eggs instead of 4, and ⅓ cup of oil instead of ½ cup. The amount of water is the same at ½ cup.
- The longer it sits, the better it tastes! I recommend baking it the day before serving.
- These cakes are perfect to send as a gift because the rum acts as a preservative. At Christmas time, they are often shipped to soldiers overseas. Divide the batter and bake in disposable foil baking pans. Once cool, remove the cake and put a bit of the butter rum sauce at the bottom of the pan and replace the cooled cake. The foil will hold the sauce against the cake to let it absorb.
Be a Gr8 Friend and tell us what you think!