Instead of sweetening this all-butter cake only with sugar, I started adding a good portion of honey to complement the aged rum’s heady flavor. It’s loved in our family because it has one of the most delicate crumbs of any cake I make, it’s fairly easy to make, and I usually have all of its ingredients on hand. Try it and I’m positive it will become a favorite in your home too.
How to Make Rum Cake
The key to creating that delicate (or tender) crumb I mentioned earlier is properly mixing the fat and sugars together to develop small air cells. These cells provide the rum cake’s texture and give it a little bit of rise. Because too much gluten makes cakes tough, using cake flour is ideal. It’s low in gluten and it minimizes the chance of us developing too much of it while mixing the cake batter. The cake flour and baking powder are sifted 3 times to aerate the flour and combine them. Aerating the flour helps create a cake that bakes up lighter and fluffier. The wet and dry ingredients are added alternately to create a harmonious balance between normally unmixable fat and liquid. Take your time, and don’t rush. It’s worth it. Remove the cake from the oven when just a few crumbs stick to a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake, which usually takes just under an hour. Pour part of the butter-rum syrup over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. The cake is more apt to soak up the syrup while its hot, without growing soggy and the syrup caramelizes ever so slightly when it hits the hot pan. The remaining syrup is poured after you remove the cake from the pan. You can also reserve it to pour on just before serving the cake.
Why Use Honey in Rum Cake?
I started adding honey to this Rum Cake because it was just so darn tasty. I mean, is there a better reason than that? But, whenever I was out of honey and made it with just sugar, I realized that honey, an invert sugar, helps retain moisture in the cake, making it super moist. So, even more reason to add it. Not only does it keep the cake moist longer, but the flavor of the honey also complements the caramel, oaky notes of the rum. I use regular honey, but feel free to experiment with different honey flavors. Wildflower, salted, or even spiced honey would add a more unique flavor to this cake.
Tips and Tricks for Making Rum Cake
Here are a few tips and tricks for you to make the best cake possible!
Use a baking spray that contains flour to make greasing and releasing your pan easier. A 12-15 cup Bundt pan is perfect for this recipe. Grease the measuring cup with the butter wrapper to prevent the honey from sticking.Use a rum that you would drink in a cocktail. Though I’ve indulged in my fair share of gut-rot rums, this isn’t the recipe to use a bottom-shelf rum in. Turning the cake out of the pan 5 minutes after removing it from the oven is key to avoiding patches on the exterior of your cake.
Can Kids Eat Rum Cake?
This cake isn’t completely alcohol-free, but it’s on par with vanilla extract’s alcohol content. Burning off alcohol at the beginning and baking the cake helps reduce a percentage of alcohol. That said, the flavor will be left behind, so that’s something to consider if you plan to serve it to children or to someone abstaining from alcohol. Be careful when igniting the rum. I light mine with a long-stemmed lighter or a long matchstick. Keep cabinets, hair, clothing, or body parts clear of the flame as well. Because you lose some liquid volume while burning off the alcohol, this recipe calls for more than is used in the actual cake and syrup. If you don’t plan to burn off any of the alcohol, decrease the amount of rum to 1 1/2 cups. If you don’t, the cake batter will not only taste boozier, but it will be runnier, which could lead to a longer bake time.
Swaps and Subs
Rum Cake is easy to adapt to what what you have on hand. Here are a few ideas to make this recipe work for you.
You can omit the honey altogether and use 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar. The finished cake won’t be as moist, though.Use gold, dark, or spiced rum in place of the aged rum for alternative rum flavors. If you don’t have cake flour, make your own at home:Measure 3 1/2 level cups (448g) of all-purpose flour into a bowlAdd 1/2 cup (60g) of cornstarch into the same bowlSift the all-purpose flour and cornstarch together with the baking powderIf you don’t have salted butter to use in the butter-rum syrup, just use unsalted butter and add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the pot with the liquids.You can also omit the salt altogether. The taste may be a little bland, but it won’t be a massive difference.
Ways to Enjoy Rum Cake
For something fancier, lightly toast slices of this cake in a pan with a little butter and serve it sprinkled with toasted coconut and a drizzle of pineapple jelly. A favorite way to serve this cake is as a sundae: topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, warm dulce de leche, and whipped cream. Plain is never too plain when it comes to this cake. I highly recommend enjoying it as is.
How to Store Rum Cake
The great thing about this rum pound cake is that it doesn’t require refrigeration. In fact, I don’t recommend putting it in the fridge at all since it makes the cake stale faster. Keep it at room temperature for 3 days covered by a cloche (cake dome) or wrapped in plastic film. You can also wrap the cooled cake (or any leftovers) really well and freeze it for 2 months.
More Irresistible Pound Cake Recipes
Vanilla Pound Cake Lemon Pound Cake Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake Mrs. Adams’ Delicious Pound Cake Marmalade Pound Cake
4 cups (500g) cake flour 1 tablespoon (13g) baking powder 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup (225g) granulated sugar 1/2 cup (170g) honey 1 teaspoon (6g) kosher salt 4 large eggs, at room temperature
For the butter-rum syrup
3/4 cup (225g) honey 1/2 cup (113g) salted butter, sliced 1/4 cup (60ml) water 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
If you prefer not to ignite the rum, you will need to simmer this on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow the flame burn without moving the pot. As the flame burns, it will go from an invisible or blue color to an orange color. The pot’s sides will grow very hot, and the rum may sizzle on the sides and caramelize slightly; this is normal. After 5 minutes of burning, carefully cover the pot with a lid for 30 seconds to smother the flame. Remove the pot from the stove and allow the rum to cool completely. Set a fine mesh sieve over the bowl add the flour and baking powder to the sieve. Lightly tap the sieve against your hand to to sift the flour and let it fall through the sieve. Set the sieve onto the parchment, pour the sifted flour from the bowl into the sieve and sift again. Once you’ve sifted the flour, put the sieve back over the bowl. Pour the sifted flour from the parchment into the sieve and sift into the bowl. Set this aside while you begin mixing the cake. Once the mixture is smooth, stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle. Continue beating, this time at medium speed until the mixture is almost white in appearance and slightly fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle halfway through this 3-minute mixing time. Once all of the eggs have been incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle. Now, beat the mixture for 3 minutes on medium speed or until light and fluffy. Repeat this again: add 1/3 of the flour mixture and the remaining rum mixture. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. Then add the final third of the flour mixture. Blend the batter at low speed for an additional 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and use the spatula to fold the batter a few times by hand for 30 seconds. Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake’s ring comes out mostly clean. Minimal crumbs are ideal. The cake will have a crackled, deep brown crust and will have pulled away from the pan slightly. In a small pot, combine the remaining cup of rum, honey, salted butter, water, and vanilla extract. Bring this mixture up to a simmer over medium heat this should take about a minute, whisking to encourage the butter to melt and the syrup to combine. Allow the mixture to simmer, small bubbles that are gently breaking the surface of the liquid, for 1 minute, then turn the stove off. Allow the syrup to cool as the cake finishes baking. You can repurpose the syrup to serve with the individual slices later.
