Butter Rum Cake: the moist and decadent cake recipe you’ll love

If you’re looking for a decadent, rich, and somewhat boozy cake… then look no further. This cake has all those and more. The cake is very moist (thanks to the rum syrup) and has all the rich flavor you’d expect from a cake that bears the name “Butter Rum Cake”. The cake is made in a Bundt cake pan, which provides the perfect grooves for the syrup. What makes the syrup so special? Well, it’s made with butter, rum, and sugar… yum! This cake is perfectly suited for special occasions— it’s rich and decadent, but will also look pretty on the cake plate!

What is a Butter Rum Cake?

It’s believed that the Butter Rum Cake has its origin in the Caribbean. When settling on the islands, British settlers brought with them their repertoire of steamed puddings (which is still popular today in the UK). Chefs soon started to fuse these steamed puddings with one of their favorite ingredients in the area—rum!

What is the best rum to use for the Rum Cake?

For this cake, you want punchy rum flavor, and for that you need to use dark rum. Because the focus point of the cake is the rum, you want a good quality rum, preferably with a few vanilla notes. Captain Morgan is a good option.

Tips for making the Best Rum Cake

You can use any cake pan for this cake, but since the appearance of the cake can be a bit bland, the Bundt cake just gives it something special.

To make a keto version of this cake, you need to swop the flour for almond flour, and use a sugar substitute instead of granulated sugar. I will be slightly more dense, but because this is a syrup-soaked cake, it won’t make a big difference.

If you want a shortcut, you can used boxed cake mix. Simply prepare the cake according to the package instructions, and proceed with the remaining recipe by poking the cake with holes and adding the rum-sugar syrup.

Don’t be impatient during the soaking step. The syrup is what makes this cake special, so it needs enough time to soak deeply into the cake. This also means that you need to poke enough holes in the cake, so that the syrup can soak through.

How to store Buttered Rum Cake

The Butter Rum Cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. This works especially well if you freeze it in slices. Thaw in the fridge, and to serve, you can warm it up slightly.

How to make Butter Rum Cake

Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease a Bundt cake tin with a little bit of oil or melted butter. Start with the cake by combining dry ingredients first: flour, powdered milk, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, add the eggs.

Add the milk, dark rum, and milk to the eggs and whisk.

In a small bowl, whisk butter and sugar together until light.

Combine dry ingredients with butter and sugar mixture to form crumbs.

Add liquids to crumbs and whisk until smooth.

Pout into the pan and bake for 60 minutes.

Meanwhile make simple rum syrup by combining all of the listed ingredients in one pot and bringing the mixture to boil. Remove from heat immediately after.

Poke holes in a cake and pour hot rum syrup on top (about 2/3 of it). Leave to soak up and cool down.

Take the cake from the pan and pour leftover rum syrup on top before serving.

Notes

If you’re having guests over, why not make the Butter Rum Cake in small Bundt pans? This way, each guest will have they own little Buttered Rum Cake!