Butter Rum Cake

Our Classic Butter Rum cake is moist and buttery with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that will have you begging for another slice.

Made from scratch, this homemade rum cake is easy to make and is perfect for any occasion an guaranteed to be a hit with your friends and family.

After one taste of this delicious butter rum cake, it was love at first bite. I’ve made a lot of cakes over the years, and this is definitely one of my favorites.

You’ll find some recipes that call for a yellow cake mix, but they pale in comparison to our made-from-scratch butter rum cake. This moist cake is so much better than box mix will ever be.

If you love buttery delicious cakes, make sure to check out our Kentucky Butter Cake and Louisiana Crunch Cake recipes.

Ingredients to make Butter Rum Cake

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Butter Rum Cake recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

How to make Butter Rum Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Grease a 12-cup bundt cake pan with butter and then dust with flour. Make sure to get a good coating on the bottom and sides of the pan.

• Add the eggs, egg yolks, dark rum, vanilla extract, and almond extract to a medium bowl.
• Whisk to combine and set aside until needed.
• Add the cake flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment ( or a large bowl and an electric mixer).
• Mix on low speed briefly to combine the dry ingredients.
• Add the unsalted butter to the bowl.
• Beat the mixture on low speed for about 2 minutes,

• Add half of the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Then, increase the speed to medium speed and beat the mixture for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  Repeat the process with the remainder of the wet ingredients.
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick (or cake tester) inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Remove the butter rum cake from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

How to make Butter Rum Glaze

• Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat to melt the butter.
• Add the water and granulated sugar to the pan.
• Bring the mixture to a boil.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for about five minutes, stirring frequently. Then, remove the pan from the heat and add the rum to the glaze.
  *The mixture should be slightly thickened.

• Use a long skewer to poke holes about ¾ of the way down, over the bottom of the cake (about ¼ inch apart).
• Slowly pour ⅔ of the glaze over the bottom of the cake, giving it time to soak in before pouring more. Let cake the sit for 1 hour to cool in the pan.
• Carefully turn the cake onto a serving plate.
• Poke holes in the top of the cake, then brush the top and sides of the cake with the rum sauce. Take your time so the rum sauce soaks in and doesn’t pool on the platter.
  *Use a brush to pick up any of the remaining glaze that has pooled in the center, applying it to the whole cake.

When you’re done applying the glaze and the cake has fully cooled, cover the cake and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 18-24 hours. This will allow the cake to fully absorb the glaze and mellow the rum flavor.

Butter rum cake is one of my favorite bundt cake recipes. Our easy recipe is the perfect sweet treat for dinner parties, brunch, family get-togethers, and game days.

Chef Tip

If you’re worried about the alcohol content, you can burn off the alcohol before adding it. Place the rum in a saucepan or frying pan and heat over medium-high heat.

When the rum is hot, remove the pan from the heat and very carefully ignite the rum with a stick lighter. The alcohol will burn off fairly quickly, and you’ll be left with all the flavor of any of the alcohol.

I love boozy cakes, and this is definitely the best cake I’ve ever had the pleasure of sampling.

When not serving, the butter rum cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or well-covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil for 4 – 5 days or refrigerated for up to 7 days.

The cake can be frozen but may get a little soggy when defrosted.

Recipe FAQ’s

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