Homemade Rum Cake

If we are being honest, what are the holidays without alcohol? The “festive” mindset reaches a whole new level when it’s been immersed in wine and spiked eggnog. The conversations get funnier, you bond more with family members you only see twice a year, and if you don’t have anyone to kiss under mistletoe, that’s not that big of a problem. This rum cake combines decadent moist cake, the warm taste of spiced rum, and caramelized spiced rum syrup. Its sweet and dense and I ate some for breakfast.

The batter ended up lumpy and I was really afraid that I would end up with lumps of dry ingredients but the cake came out perfect. I also had to make mine with clear rum, because that’s all my parents had. It was ok but I would strongly recommend a spiced rum.

Everyone who tried this rum cake loved it! It was the highlight of Christmas dinner and everyone had seconds. I’ve been craving it ever since my Dad ate the last piece while I was out with my friends. Now I want rum cake for breakfast, after dates…..oh oh oh! Cupcakes!!!

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Ingredients:

For the cake:
1 cup chopped walnuts
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons + ½ cup canola oil, divided
1 3.4-ounce package of instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup dark rum
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the Rum Syrup:
¾ cup unsalted butter
1½ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup water
Pinch of salt
½ cup dark rum

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a standard Bundt pan (12-cup capacity). Use a paper towel or brush to really butter ever part of the pan, otherwise the cake wont turn out right. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts around the bottom; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture and the 3 tablespoons of canola oil, and mix on medium-low speed for a minute or two – the mixture should look like wet sand. Add the pudding mix and mix again on medium-low speed until combined.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, rum, remaining ½ cup canola oil, and vanilla extract. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. (The batter will be quite thin – this is good! It will be nice and moist!)
5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
6. When the cake has about 10 minutes left to bake, start the rum syrup. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Once it is melted, add the sugar and the water. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat and stir in the rum, be careful because the caramel syrup will bubble and splash. Once it is mixed in, return it to medium heat for about 30 seconds.
7. When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately poke wholes in the top, I used a butter knife and pour about one-third of the rum syrup over the bottom of the cake. Pour slowly so it has time to seep into the cake. Let it sit for 5 minutes. I turned my cake out to make sure it would turn out of the pan alright, then put it back in and poured the syrup over it.
8. Invert the cake onto a serving platter. Using a fork or a skewer, poke holes all over the cake – the top, sides, and around the inside. Don’t be shy – all of the holes ensure that the rum syrup seeps into the cake evenly. Sloooooowly pour the remaining rum syrup over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. You want to do this step very slowly (it took me almost 15 minutes) so that the syrup actually seeps into the cake and doesn’t just pool on the bottom of the serving dish.
9. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before serving. Leftovers can be kept, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for up to 5 days.

(Adapted from http://www.browneyedbaker.com/homemade-rum-cake-recipe/)