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Classic Butter Rum Cake

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A delicious and easy recipe for Classic Butter Rum Cake with Butter Rum Caramel Sauce. Just like Grandma used to make.

This Butter Rum Cake brings back so many memories of Christmases past…there always seemed to be one on the treat table. I have thought of this cake for years and finally decided to make it! Maybe you remember it too?

a top down view of half of a freshly baked Butter Rum Cake. the top of the cake is covered in chopped pecans and butter rum caramel sauce

Mostly From Scratch

Technically this cake is mostly homemade…the recipe has 2 shortcuts and I make no apologies for them whatsoever. Sometimes you have to bake what you have to bake! This Butter Rum Cake is made using a golden cake mix and instant vanilla pudding mix. These 2 easy ingredients make a moist, flavourful and super delicious cake.

a top down view of half of a freshly baked Butter Rum Cake. the top of the cake is covered in chopped pecans and butter rum caramel sauce

Easy Ingredients means quick and easy assembly!

One of the things I love about this cake…besides the cake, the topping and the caramel sauce…is how easy it is to prepare it. You can have it in the pan and into the oven in about 15 minutes. So simple.

a side view of half of a freshly baked Butter Rum Cake. the top of the cake is covered in chopped pecans and butter rum caramel sauce

Layers of deliciousness.

This Butter Rum Cake is made up of 3 ‘layers’. The butter rum cake, the chopped pecan topping, and the butter rum caramel sauce. All the essentials of the most delicious holiday cake ever.

a top down view of a freshly baked Butter Rum Cake. the top of the cake is covered in chopped pecans and butter rum caramel sauce. the cake has a slice cut into it

Let’s talk about the butter rum caramel sauce.

Butter. Rum. Caramel. Sauce. Need I say more? But seriously, this sauce (or glaze) is SO good. Once the caramel sauce is cooked down you are left with about 2 cups of a buttery, rummy, caramelly sauce, of which you drizzle about 1 cup over the top of the baked cake. Then you keep the other half and offer it as more drizzle when you serve the cake…that way people can drizzle on more sauce if they want to…and they’ll want to, trust me.

a close up of the inside of a Butter Rum Cake covered in chopped pecans and butter rum caramel sauce. the cake sits on a glass cake stand
a top down view of a Butter Rum Cake. the top of the cake is covered in chopped pecans and butter rum caramel sauce. the cake has a slice cut into it and the slice of cake sits on a light grey plate with a gold fork

Flavourful and delicious.

This cake is very flavourful and has a fairly strong taste of rum. Keep in mind that the type of rum that you use will make a big difference in the flavour of this cake. We like to use dark rum like Captain Morgan, but you can use what ever type of rum you like. The stronger the rum, the stronger the rum flavour.

a Butter Rum Cake sits on a glass cake stand. the top of the cake is covered in chopped pecans and butter rum caramel sauce. the cake has a slice cut into it and the slice of cake sits on a light grey plate with a gold fork

A Perfect Cake for the Holidays

This Butter Rum Cake is great any time of year, but it’s especially wonderful during the holiday season. This cake would make a perfect dessert for Christmas.

a close up of the inside of a Butter Rum Cake covered in chopped pecans and butter rum caramel sauce. the cake sits on a glass cake stand
a Butter Rum Cake covered in chopped pecans and butter rum caramel sauce sits on a glass cake stand. in the background is a Christmas tree

Assembling your Butter Rum Cake

I thought I would show you a couple of images that may help you when you’re assembling your cake to bake it. It’s a very easy recipe that comes together quickly. First make sure you grease and flour your Bundt Pan. Then sprinkle in 1 cup of chopped pecans into the bottom of the pan. Pour the batter over the pecans.

process shots of a butter rum cake. the first image is a Bundt pan with the bottom of the pan filled with chopped pecans. the second image is the Bundt pan filled with rum cake batter

Bake your cake for 1 hour (it’s done when a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean). Let it cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a cake plate. To do this I place the cake plate over the bottom of the Bundt pan, then turn the pan over and the cake will slide out.

process shots of a butter rum cake. the first image is a Bundt pan filled with a freshly baked rum cake. the second image is the rum cake turned out onto a glass cake dish. the top of the cake is covered with chopped pecans
a side view of half of a freshly baked Butter Rum Cake. the top of the cake is covered in chopped pecans
a top down view of a freshly baked Butter Rum Cake. the top of the cake is covered in chopped pecans. next to the cake is a jar of caramel sauce, white plates and gold forks. the plates sit on a plaid cloth

Now it’s time to add the butter rum caramel sauce. Drizzle about half of the sauce over the top of the cake, then slice and enjoy!

a side view of half of a freshly baked Butter Rum Cake. the top of the cake is covered in chopped pecans. a spoon hovers over the top of the cake as it drizzles caramel sauce
a close up of the inside of a Butter Rum Cake covered in chopped pecans and butter rum caramel sauce. the cake sits on a glass cake stand

Recipe Tips

  • Cake Mix: Use a golden or yellow cake mix: 15.2 ounce box (432 grams)
  • Vanilla Pudding: You have to use INSTANT vanilla pudding powder: 3.6 ounce box (102 grams)
  • Cream: I like to use half & half, but you can also use whole milk or 2%.
  • Butter: Butter adds a rich and delicious flavour to this cake. But if you wish, you can use an equal amount of vegetable oil instead.
  • Rum: Use dark rum (we like Captain Morgan’s). I’ve also used spiced dark rum and it’s tasty too!
  • Nuts: I like to use chopped pecans, but you can also used chopped walnuts.
  • Bundt Cake Pan Size: Use a 10 cup Bundt pan.
  • Bundt Pan Prep: Make sure to prepare your pan before baking. Do this by greasing and flouring the inside. I actually like to use a flour/oil spray (Pam has a really good one) to prepare all of my pans
  • Butter Rum Caramel Sauce: I use half of the glaze/sauce to drizzle over the top of the cake, then I use the other half to offer as more drizzle when I serve slices of the cake…I let people drizzle on more sauce if they want to.
  • Why do some recipes say to poke the cake before adding the sauce? I choose not to do this because we like the texture and taste of the cake without doing this. The glaze is really good on top and does soak in a bit, but doesn’t soak the cake.
  • Make Ahead Tips: This cake is delicious the day it is made, but it gets even better after it has sat, making it a great cake to make ahead of time…2 days ahead even!
  • How do I store my rum cake? You can store this cake at room temperature on your counter for up to 3 days (or more). Make sure to keep it covered so that it doesn’t dry out.
  • Serving Options: You can serve this cake with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if you like.
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Classic Butter Rum Cake

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A delicious and easy recipe for Classic Butter Rum Cake with Butter Rum Caramel Sauce. Just like Grandma used to make.

  • Author: Jo-Anna Rooney
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x
  • Category: Cake
  • Method: Baking

Ingredients

Scale

Rum Cake:

  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 (15.2 ounce) package golden cake mix
  • 1 (3.6 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding powder mix
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup cream
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • ½ cup dark rum

Butter Rum Caramel Sauce:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup rum

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Prepare a 10 cup Bundt pan by greasing and flouring the inside. I actually like to use a flour/oil spray (Pam has a really good one) to prepare all of my pans.
  3. Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the bottom of the pan.
  4. Using a stand mixer set at medium speed (I use the paddle attachment), mix together the cake mix, pudding powder mix, eggs, cream, melted butter and rum. Mix until creamy and smooth.
  5. Then pour the batter evenly over the chopped pecans. If the batter is too thick to pour, just scoop it out.
  6. Bake for 1 hour. A toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean.
  7. Once the cake is done baking, let it cool in the pan for about 30 minutes or more.
  8. Then once the cake has cooled, place a serving plate over the top of the cake in the pan, then holding the plate tightly to the pan, invert the cake over and the cake should slide out onto the plate.  Gently remove the pan.
  9. Now you can make the caramel sauce.
  10. In a small saucepan melt the butter.
  11. Then stir in the brown sugar and rum.
  12. Simmer over low heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce thickens. It’s okay if the mixture gently boils. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken as it cools, so remove it from the heat when it’s like a runny syrup.
  13. Slowly drizzle half of the butter rum caramel sauce over the top of the cake, letting it drizzle down the sides and middle. Then save the other half of the rum glaze to offer as more drizzle when you serve slices of the cake.
  14. Enjoy!

Keywords: rum cake, butter rum cake

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Recipe adapted from AllRecipes

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