People who first meet this cake don’t quite know what to do with themselves. They stutter. They pray. They beg for more. It’s a sad and beautiful spectacle to behold, especially since I was once one of those fools. Now my reaction to seeing it in residence is to simply punch everyone in the vicinity, shove the cake down my shirt for storage, and sprint for the hills. You could say it’s excessive, but I call it survival of the fittest.

Since my grandmother passed, my mother has gallantly taken up the mantle when it comes to Rum Cake prep. This is no small feat (she usually makes 4-5 during mid-December alone), but she does it without complaining (most of the time. One time I was worried she cracked in the middle of a holiday baking extravaganza because she sat down to “lunch” with a bowl of cookie dough.)

It’s highly addictive, moist, rummy, and has a beautiful butter-rum glaze that gives it a teeeeensy crunch on the outer crust. It’s amazing.

Rum Cake

1 Yellow cake mix
1 package vanilla instant pudding
4 eggs
1/2 c oil
1/2 c water
1/2 c rum
1/2 c chopped pecans (optional)
Glaze
1 stick butter
1/4 c rum
1 c sugar
1 tsp rum extract (I didn’t have this and it turned out just fine, so consider it optional if rum extract is not a staple in your house)

Heat your oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, pudding, eggs, oil, water, and rum together. I would recommend doing one liquid at a time and mixing until homogenous, or else you’ll end up with lumpies. Generously grease a bundt pan and sprinkle the pecans on the bottom. Pour the batter in and level out with a spatula. Bake for 45-50 min, or until a knife comes out clean. For the glaze, bring all ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan, then immediately pour over the hot cake. Let stand until absorbed (about 10 minutes), then invert onto a plate to cool completely. Serve alone or with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!