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This **Rum Cake** is buttery, ultra-moist, and soaked in a warm rum glaze that seeps into every bite, with toasted pecans baked right into the bottom. I make it every holiday season because it feeds a crowd and somehow tastes even better the next day. If you love an easy, impressive bundt, this one is right up there with our strawberry cheesecake bundt cake.
Starting with a boxed cake mix and a homemade rum glaze, this showstopper comes together with almost no fuss and disappears at every gathering.
Rum Cake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 1 hour
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 608kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Buttery, sweet, and boozy with toasted pecan crunch
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our fresh strawberry dump cake
Quick Answer
To make rum cake, sprinkle chopped pecans into a greased bundt pan, then pour in a batter made from yellow cake mix, instant vanilla pudding, eggs, water, oil, and rum. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. While it bakes, simmer a glaze of butter, sugar, water, and rum, then drizzle it over the cake, invert it, poke holes all over, and pour on the rest. Let it soak and cool before serving.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Pudding mix in the batter. Instant vanilla pudding makes the crumb extra moist and tender so the cake stays soft for days.
- A double rum soak. Glazing the cake both before and after inverting drives the buttery rum syrup deep into every layer.
- Poking the cake. Pricking holes all over lets the warm glaze sink in instead of pooling on top.
- Pecans on the bottom. Baked into the base, they toast in the oven and become a crunchy, caramelized top once inverted.
- Boxed-mix shortcut. Starting with cake mix guarantees a reliable, fluffy crumb with a fraction of the effort.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It tastes like a from-scratch bakery cake but starts with a boxed mix.
- It is a true make-ahead dessert that gets better as it soaks overnight.
- It feeds a crowd beautifully, just like our key lime eclair cake.
Key Ingredients
A few simple ingredients, boxed and homemade, come together for this boozy bundt. Here is what each one does.
- Yellow Cake Mix: The reliable, fluffy base. Any standard boxed yellow mix works.
- Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix: The secret to an extra-moist, tender crumb that stays soft.
- Rum: Used in both the batter and the glaze for deep, warm flavor. A gold or dark rum gives the richest taste.
- Pecans: Sprinkled in the pan so they bake into a crunchy, toasted top once the cake is flipped.
- Butter and Sugar: Cooked with water and rum into the glossy glaze that soaks the whole cake.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Make this rum cake your own with a few easy swaps.
- Use walnuts instead of pecans, or leave the nuts out entirely.
- Swap the rum for spiced rum or dark rum for a deeper flavor.
- For a non-alcoholic version, replace the rum with equal parts water or apple juice plus a teaspoon of rum extract.
- Add a teaspoon of cinnamon or nutmeg to the batter for a warm, spiced twist.
- For another easy boxed-mix dessert, try our fresh strawberry dump cake.
How to Make Rum Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a bundt pan well, then sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the bottom.
- In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil, and rum until well combined.
- Beat the batter until smooth and no streaks remain.
- Carefully pour the batter into the pan over the pecans, then bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the water and sugar, boil for 4 to 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the rum.
- Drizzle a third of the glaze over the hot cake, cool 10 to 15 minutes, invert onto a plate, poke holes all over, and pour on the rest of the glaze. Let it soak and cool completely.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Grease the pan thoroughly. A well-greased and floured bundt pan is the key to releasing this sticky cake cleanly.
- Use a gold or dark rum. It delivers far more flavor than a light rum, which can get lost in the sweet glaze.
- Poke the cake while warm. Warm cake and warm glaze means the syrup soaks all the way through.
- Do not rush the soak. Letting the cake rest lets it absorb every drop of glaze for that signature moist texture.
- Toast extra pecans. A handful of toasted pecans on top adds even more crunch and a bakery finish.
- Make it a day ahead. Rum cake tastes even better the next day once the flavors have melded.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This rum cake is a holiday-table showpiece next to our strawberry cheesecake bundt cake and a platter of golden Oreo strawberry cheesecake bars.
Serve slices slightly warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a drizzle of caramel. It is rich enough to stand alone with a cup of coffee.
For a lighter dessert option on the same table, add our strawberry angel food cake.
Rum Cake FAQs
Much of the alcohol from the rum baked into the batter cooks off, but the glaze is added after baking and is not cooked again, so the finished cake does retain some alcohol. For a fully non-alcoholic version, use rum extract with water or juice in both the batter and glaze.
A gold or dark rum gives the richest, warmest flavor and stands up to the sweet glaze. Spiced rum is also delicious for a holiday twist. Light or white rum works but its flavor is more subtle in the finished cake.
Store rum cake covered at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Because of the moist glaze, it keeps beautifully and actually tastes better after a day or two of soaking.
Yes, and it is recommended. Rum cake tastes even better the next day once the glaze has fully soaked in. Make it a day or two ahead, keep it covered, and bring it to room temperature before serving.
Absolutely. Wrap the cooled, glazed cake tightly in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight at room temperature. The moist, glazed texture holds up very well to freezing.
Sticking almost always comes from an under-greased pan. Grease every crevice of the bundt pan with butter or baking spray and dust it with flour. Also let the cake cool for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting, but not so long that the glaze glues it in place.
Hungry for more? Try our strawberry cheesecake bundt cake next for another easy, impressive bundt.
Easy Moist Rum Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 3.5 ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup rum
Glaze
- 12 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup rum
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Grease and flour a bundt cake pan well.
- Sprinkle the pecans all over the bottom of the pan.1 cup chopped pecans
- Mix the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil, and rum in a large mixing bowl until well combined.1 box yellow cake mix, 3.5 ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix, 4 large eggs, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup rum
- Pour the batter carefully into the pan over the pecans.
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.12 tablespoons butter
- Stir in the water and sugar.1/4 cup water, 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Bring up to a boil for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the rum.3/4 cup rum
- When you remove the cake from the oven, immediately drizzle 1/3 of the glaze onto the cake.
- Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Gently Invert the cake onto your serving plate.
- Gently poke the cake with a fork or toothpick all over the cake.
- Drizzle the rest of the glaze all over the cake.
- Let the cake cool completely and soak in all the glaze. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Grease the Bundt Pan Well: Make sure to grease and flour every nook and cranny of your bundt pan to prevent sticking.
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Eggs and other ingredients mix better when at room temperature, leading to a smoother cake batter.
- Poke Holes Carefully: When pouring the glaze, gently poke holes in the top of the cake with a fork or toothpick to help it soak in.
- Let the Cake Cool Slightly Before Inverting: Allowing the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes helps it come out of the pan more easily.
- Stir the Glaze Constantly: When making the rum glaze, stir it constantly over medium heat to prevent burning.
- Serve with Extra Glaze: Keep some of the rum glaze to drizzle over slices when serving for extra moistness.
Nutrition
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