Rum Cake

Having just sailed the Caribbean and Bahamas for the last year, we have tasted our fair share of rum but still to this day one of the favourite ways to share the rum experience is through a traditional rum cake;

lets get started:
preheat oven to 325F (165C), grease and flour 10" Bundt pan.

ingredients for the cake:

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 packet yellow cake mix
• 1 packet of instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup dark rum

ingredients for the glaze:

• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup white rum

lets make it:

1. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the bottom of your Bundt pan
2. In a large bow, combine cake mi and pudding, mix in the eggs, 1/2 cup water, oil and 1/2 cup dark rum - blend well.
3. Pour batter over the chopped nuts in the pan
4. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
5. Let the cake sit for 10 minutes in the pan, while doing this make your glaze.
6. Making the glaze: in a saucepan combine water, butter and sugar, bring to the boil and continue to boil for a further 5 minutes, stirring constantly. 
7. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining white rum.
8. After your 10 minutes turn out cake onto a serving dish, pour 1/3 of your half cup of white rum  into the Bundt pan.
9. Now return your cake to the Bundt, once back using a skewer stick poke several holes around the cake (make sure you do not pierce the cake complete through) now pour the glaze gradually over the bottom of the cake allowing it to seep through the holes you poked.
10. Let cake sit for 30minutes, allowing sufficient time for the glaze to penetrate the cake.

As some members of my family are great rum lovers, after the cake has rested I will turn the cake onto a serving dish and drizzle the cake again in rum, then hide the bottle as I can guarantee you that someone will have the same idea about the drizzle and before you know it you will have a 100% rum cake..... If I could share one thing also about this cake it really is much better when it is a day or two days old, the reason for this is that the rum will have seeped through the entire the cake. 

Oh by the way if you would like to flame the cake, pre heat the rum in a saucepan, then light the rum whilst in the saucepan and pour over your cake, rum will not ignite by itself as it does not have a high enough alcohol content, yes another great boy trick ...... XXoo S