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Recipes Nugget Markets Signature Recipes

Caribbean Rum Cake

Prep time
35 minutes, plus 8 hours cooling PT0.58333333333333M
Cook time
1 hour PT1H
Yield
16 servings
Difficulty
2 out of 5 on the difficulty scale
Caribbean Rum Cake Nugget Markets signature recipes

This soft, moist cake may look innocent at first glance, but it really packs a punch! Rum dances with the sweetness of vanilla to create something that’s sure to be a hit with your family and friends. If you want everything completely homemade, try making your own pudding mix!

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • 3½ ounces instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup milk, room temperature
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup rum
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
  • Powdered sugar, for garnish

Syrup:

  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup rum
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Place the flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking powder, salt, butter and vegetable oil in the bowl of a stand mixer, and mix with a paddle at medium speed until everything is thoroughly combined.

Beat in the milk, then beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Scrape the bowl thoroughly, and beat briefly to recombine any sticky residue. Stir in the rum and vanilla.

Generously coat the inside of a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray, then pour the batter into the pan.

Bake for 1 hour. Remove cake from oven, but leave in the pan to cool slightly while you prepare the syrup.

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine all syrup ingredients except vanilla. Bring to a rapid boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5–8 minutes, until the syrup thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

With the cake still in the pan, use a long skewer to poke holes all over it. Pour about 1⁄4 cup of the syrup over the top, allow the syrup to soak in, then repeat again and again until all the syrup is used.

Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow the cake to sit overnight at room temperature to cool completely and soak in the syrup. When ready to serve, loosen the edges of the cake and invert onto your serving plate, then dust with powdered sugar.

Caribbean Rum Cake Lore:

Rum cake is the ultimate dessert. Combining both edible and drinkable indulgence into one delicious masterpiece, it’s simple yet nuanced at the same time. Its flavor screams one thing: Celebrate! And that’s exactly what it’s made for, with origins that can be traced to the festival season in the Caribbean.

Originally, when British colonists came to the islands, they needed to find a way to preserve their traditional, beloved pudding desserts in the much warmer climate. Enter a combination of sugar and alcohol! Now, that concoction is more for flavor than longevity. Fluffy, moist and light, the texture has also come a long way. Even though it looks different nowadays, one thing remains true: it’s sure to keep the party going!