This easy homemade Rum Cake recipe is made from scratch and topped with a delicious homemade glaze. It is always a crowd pleaser and can also be made alcohol-free.
Want to try more cake recipes? Try this Blueberry Coffee Cake, Tres Leches Cake, or Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Why I love this cake:
- Unique – This delicious cake is a little unique and everyone always loves it! It’s basically a homemade yellow cake with a hint of rum flavor, and amazing glaze on top.
- Rum Cake Glaze – We pour a delicious rum glaze over the top of the cake when it’s hot from the oven, which makes it extra moist and yummy inside and adds a delicious glaze layer to the outside.
- Homemade – Made From Scratch and tastes so much better than anything you can buy!
How to Make Rum Cake:
Mix Wet Ingredients: Whisk milk, sour cream, and rum together in a liquid measuring cup and let come to room temperature.
Cream butter and sugar: Whip butter then add granulated sugar. Mix in vanilla then add eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, mixing just until combined.
Combine Dry Ingredients: Stir cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Alternate adding milk and flour mixtures to batter. Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined. Add ½ of the milk/sour cream mixture and mix. Repeat until dry ingredients and milk/sour cream mixture are incorporated.
Bake: Grease and flour Bundt pan. I use shortening, and make sure every crevice of the pan is coated! Pour batter evenly into the pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with few crumbs.
Make Glaze: While cake is baking, make the glaze sauce. Add sauce ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir well until butter has melted and mixture is smooth. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring, and boil for 2 minutes.
Add Glaze: Cool cake in pan for at least 15 minutes before gently inverting it. (I like to remove the cake first, to make sure it comes out easily). Then wipe the pan clean and put the cake back in it. Poke holes all over the cake and gently pour most of the glaze over the cake, reserving just a little.
Serve: Allow cake to soak up glaze and then invert it onto a plate or serving platter. Spoon remaining glaze on top.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Does Rum Cake Contain Alcohol?
- Though there is rum in both the cake and sauce, a lot of it cooks off during the baking/heating process. That being said, the conventional saying that “all” of the alcohol cooks out during baking isn’t completely true. However, the longer something is cooked and the hotter the temperature, the greater percentage of alcohol that will evaporate.
- To be sure that the greatest percent of alcohol cooks off when making the rum cake sauce, use a pan with a large surface area. The larger the surface area under heat, the greater percentage of alcohol that will cook off. A sauce that is simmering or boiling at about 172 degrees F for 20-30 seconds should evaporate the alcohol.
- Can I make Rum Cake Alcohol Free?
- Yes. If you’re looking to omit the alcohol completely from this recipe, you could add 1 teaspoon of rum extract to the cake batter.
- What kind of rum should I use?
- This is a decision that you alone will ultimately have to make, depending on your preferences and the flavor that you are looking for. I prefer to use Bicardi Gold or dark Myer’s rum
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: This homemade rum cake can be made and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can reheat a slice in the microwave for 15 seconds, or enjoy cold.
To Freeze: Bake the cake but do not make the glaze sauce. Allow cake to cool completely then wrap in plastic wrap then tinfoil and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw cake completely in refrigerator overnight. When ready to eat, make the sauce, poke holes in the cake and gently pour the glaze on top. Allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.
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Recipe
Rum Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup milk , room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream , room temperature (light or regular)
- 1/3 cup rum (Bicardi Gold or Dark Myer's rum, or your favorite kind)
- 1 cup butter , room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs , room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks , room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Glaze:
- ½ cup butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup rum
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with oven rack in the center of oven.
- Whisk the milk, sour cream and rum together in a liquid measure and let come to room temperature.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer whip the butter on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat for 4-5 minutes more. Mix in the vanilla.
- Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, mixing just until combined in between additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Combine the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined. Add ½ of the milk/sour cream mixture and mix.
- Add another ⅓ of the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Add the last ½ of the milk/sour cream mixture and beat until just combined.
- Add the final ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Grease and flour bundt pan. I use shortening, and make sure every crevice of the pan is coated! Pour batter evenly into the pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with few crumbs.
- Make the glaze: Add sauce ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir well until butter has melted and mixture is smooth. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring, and boil for 2 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool for in the pan for at least 15 minutes before gently inverting it. (I like to remove the cake first, to make sure to get it out easily). Then wipe the pan clean and put the cake back in it. Poke holes all over the cake and gently pour most of the sauce over the cake, reserving just a little.
- Allow the cake to soak up the glaze and then invert it onto a plate or serving platter. Spoon remaining glaze on top.
- Store rum cake well-covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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I originally shared this recipe August 2019. Updated April 2022.
Wow, this was my first cake ever and I am so happy with how it came out!
Good recipe and easy to do I would like a better glaze but the cake itself is great
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup rum
Melt butter in saucepan.
Stir in water and sugar.
Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Stir in rum
I’m about to make this cake and am going to use the above glaze. It is from the Bacardi rum cake recipe that I have always used and is delicious but I want to try making one from scratch.
We had homemade 3 year aged Madagascar vanilla bean sugar on hand to use instead of vanilla extract and sugar, so I might be a bit partial, but this recipe was fantastic. No cake flour, but I substituted 2 cups of all purpose four and 1/4 cup of cornstarch for equal results. Our 14-year-old son dealt a surprise Cutthroat Kitchen challenge by drinking all of the milk beforehand, but it was easily overcome by substituting unsweetened almond milk. Captain Morgan’s was the rum of choice for the extra spice this cake deserves. So much flavor. Nice job.
Can I substitute evaporated milk for heavy cream? And if so how much would I use?
Can I substitute regular flour instead of cake flour? Also does the measurements for the flour remains the same. TIA
You can but use a little bit less. It may alter the texture of the cake a little but it will still be delicious!
Hi, thanks for sharing this rum cake recipe, I look forward to trying it out.
Kind regards
Daniel
Looks like a great recipe! How big of a bundt pan?
We use a 12 cup bundt pan but any standard size will work!
This is the real deal ! I made the cake just as the recipe states and it turned out great! Everyone loves it. It will definitely be a “keeper”.
Lauren: I love your recipes. Would you consider listing your ingredients in grams? I like to weigh my flour, etc.
Super delicious
Super delicious!