This is a bundt cake soaked in a buttered rum glaze — dense, very moist, and genuinely better the next day once the glaze has settled in. It takes about 90 minutes start to finish and uses one mixing bowl, one saucepan, and a bundt pan. If you need a reliable cake for a holiday table or a celebration that can be made ahead, this is a good one to have.
The short version of why this works
Two things carry this recipe. First, the instant vanilla pudding mix in the batter — it adds starch and sugar that hold moisture in the crumb, so the cake stays soft for days instead of drying out overnight. Second, the glaze technique: you poke holes in the warm cake before spooning the warm glaze over it. Warm cake absorbs liquid far better than a cooled one. Skip either step and you get a decent cake; do both and you get something noticeably different.
Shopping notes
- Dark rum: Use a dark rum you’d actually drink — something like Gosling’s Black Seal or Myers’s works well. Spiced rum will change the flavor profile noticeably, so stick with plain dark rum if you want the classic result.
- Instant vanilla pudding mix: The recipe calls for one standard box, roughly 96 grams. Make sure it’s instant, not cook-and-serve — the two behave differently in batter.
- Pecans: Pre-chopped bagged pecans are fine here. They go on the bottom of the pan and end up on top after inverting, so uniform pieces aren’t important — finely chopped is what matters for even coverage.
Leftovers and make-ahead
This cake keeps well at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days — the glaze acts as a seal and the texture actually improves after the first 24 hours. In the fridge it’ll last up to a week, though cold butter in the crumb can make it feel denser than it should; let slices sit out for 20 minutes before serving. For longer storage, freeze individual slices wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then foil for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for a couple of hours. You can also bake the cake a day ahead, hold it unglazed at room temperature wrapped in plastic, then make and apply the glaze the next day — it absorbs just as well into a gently rewarmed cake (10 minutes at 300°F does it).
Troubleshooting
- Cake sticks to the bundt pan: Bundt pans have a lot of surface area and crevices. Grease every ridge thoroughly with softened butter or shortening, then flour it — cooking spray alone often isn’t enough. Let the cake rest exactly 10 minutes before inverting; too short and it tears, too long and steam makes it stick.
- Glaze pools on top instead of soaking in: The holes need to go deep — use a skewer or thin chopstick and poke all the way through, not just surface pricks. Spoon the glaze slowly in stages rather than pouring it all at once so it has time to absorb between additions.
- Cake is gummy in the center: A skewer test is more reliable than the timer here because bundt pans vary in thickness. If the skewer comes out with wet batter, give it another 5–10 minutes and test again. The 60-minute mark is a starting point, not a guarantee.
- Pecans burn or taste bitter: The oven temperature is 325°F specifically to prevent this. If your oven runs hot, check at 50 minutes. Skip the garnish of extra whole pecans on top after glazing — not worth the extra dish or the risk of them going soggy.
- Glaze crystallizes or turns grainy: This happens if the sugar isn’t fully dissolved before you add the rum. Keep the heat at a steady medium and stir continuously until the mixture is completely smooth and clear before pulling it off the heat.
Classic Rum Cake
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 1 cup pecans finely chopped
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix about 96 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ½ cup water
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup dark rum high quality preferred
Rum Glaze
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup dark rum
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and flour a standard bundt pan, then sprinkle the chopped pecans across the bottom evenly.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, vanilla pudding mix, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter, vegetable oil, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, ensuring each is well incorporated before adding the next.
- Gently fold in the dry ingredients alternately with water and rum, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan over the pecans, smoothing the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- For the rum glaze, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the sugar and water, and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and stir in the rum.
- Invert the warm cake onto a serving platter. Using a skewer, poke small holes across the cake's surface. Spoon the warm glaze generously over the cake, allowing it to seep into every crevice.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQ
Can I make this without alcohol?
You can substitute the rum with an equal amount of rum extract diluted in water — use 1 teaspoon of extract per ½ cup of water as a rough guide. The flavor won’t be identical, but the texture and moisture will be the same since the liquid ratio stays consistent.
Do I have to use a bundt pan, or can I use something else?
A standard 10–12 cup bundt pan is strongly recommended because the center tube helps the dense batter bake through evenly. A tube pan works too. A regular round or loaf pan will likely leave the center underbaked by the time the outside is done.
The recipe uses both butter and vegetable oil — is that a mistake?
No, it’s intentional. Butter adds flavor, oil adds moisture that stays liquid at room temperature. Using both gives you a cake that tastes rich but doesn’t dry out the way an all-butter cake can.
How much rum flavor does the finished cake actually have?
It’s noticeable but not sharp — the baking mellows the alcohol in the batter, and the glaze gives a stronger hit. If you want it more pronounced, spoon the glaze on slowly in two or three passes so more soaks in rather than running off.
Can I double the recipe?
Doubling the batter would overflow a standard bundt pan — they typically hold 10–12 cups and this batter fills one comfortably. Bake two separate cakes instead, which also means you can make and apply the glaze to each one individually for better absorption.
What to cook next
- Fiery Jamaican Jerk Chicken
- Traditional Homemade Eggnog
- Silky Dark Chocolate Mousse
- Warm and Comforting Classic Apple Crumble
