Bacardi Rum Cake Recipe (Tender & Flavorful)
This Bacardi Rum Cake Recipe is incredibly moist and boozy. It's made with Bacardi rum and other simple ingredients, this cake is easy to make but tastes amazing.
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Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Bacardi Rum Cake is a delicious yellow cake soaked in rum, resulting in a sweet and rum-flavored dessert. This dessert is for adults only. It begins with rum in the batter and soaks the baked cake in more rum. Did I mention this cake was boozy?
The Caribbean produces the majority of rum, and that region gave rise to rum cake. I had a great time at the Bacardi factory in Puerto Rico, learning about various rums and how to enjoy them. Adding rum to cake is a great way to enjoy the flavors.
Rum cakes can vary, from black fruit cake to yellow cake soaked with a good bit of rum. For this cake, I chose to use Bacardi spiced rum. Spiced rum adds a unique flavor to this recipe and goes well with the vanilla flavor in the cake mix.
If you prefer a cake without cake mix, you can try this rum cake made from scratch.
Ingredients Needed:
- Unsalted butter: This is used to grease the bundt pan and for the glaze.
- Pecans: Chopped pecans. You can also use other chopped nuts, like walnuts or pistachios. You can also omit the nuts if you prefer.
- Dry ingredients: Yellow cake mix and vanilla pudding. Keeps the recipe easy and moist.
- Wet ingredients: Milk, vegetable oil, and Bacardi rum.
- Sugar: Both brown sugar and granulated sugar are used to make the sweet rum glaze.
How to make Bacardi Rum Cake
First, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake the Cake
Generously grease a 10-inch bundt cake pan with 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter.
Place chopped pecans in the bottom of the bundt pan and sprinkle with a little brown sugar. Set aside.
Add boxed cake mix and a package of dry vanilla pudding mix to a large bowl and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, add eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and ½ cups of Bacardi rum and whisk.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until combined. Pour mixture into bundt pan over the pecans.
Then, bake the cake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the cake clean. Set aside to cool.
Make the Glaze
Make the glaze by combining butter, water, ½ cup brown sugar, and ½ cup white sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in ½ cup of rum.
Next, pour the glaze over the cake while it remains in the bundt pan. Allow the glaze to soak into the cake for about 15-20 minutes.
After soaking, use a butter knife to release the sides of the cake from the bundt pan. Remove the cake from the bundt pan by flipping it onto a platter.
Serve and enjoy.
How to store Bacardi rum cake?
Depending on your preference, you can store it in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. Serve the cake at room temperature for the best flavor and texture. The cake will stay fresh for three days at room temperature or up to a week if refrigerated.
You can wrap and freeze this cake for up to three months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and bring it to room temperature before enjoying it.
Does the rum bake out of the rum cake?
Some of the rum is evaporated during the baking process, but not all of it. The cake is soaked in additional rum after baking.
How to give rum cakes as gifts?
You can bake smaller portions of these cakes in smaller bundt cake pans or even muffin pans. Reduce the baking time if making smaller versions of this recipe. The smaller versions make great Christmas and Holiday gifts.
Looking for more delicious dessert recipes? Try these out
Bacardi Rum Cake (Tender & Flavorful)
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 Tablespoon unslated butter softened
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1 15.25 oz package yellow cake mix
- 1 3.4 oz package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup Bacardi rum
Glaze
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup Bacardi rum
Instructions
Cake
- First, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously grease a 10-inch bundt cake pan with 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter.
- Place chopped pecans in the bottom of the bundt pan and sprinkle with a little brown sugar. Set aside.
- Add boxed cake mix and a package of dry vanilla pudding mix to a large bowl and stir to combine. Add eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and ½ cup of Bacardi rum in a separate bowl and whisk.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until combined. Pour mixture into bundt pan over the pecans.
- Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
Glaze
- While the cake is cooling, make the glaze by combining butter, water, ½ cup brown sugar, and ½ cup white sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in ½ cup of rum.
- Pour the glaze over the cake while it remains in the bundt pan. Allow the glaze to soak into the cake for about 15-20 minutes.
- After soaking, use a butter knife to release the sides of the cake from the bundt pan. Remove the cake from the bundt pan by flipping it onto a platter.
- Serve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- I use Bacardi Spiced Rum in this recipe. Any kind of dark rum can be used in its place.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on July 29, 2022. It has been updated with additional information.
This cake looks delicious but I prefer making my cakes from scratch, would you happen to have a recipe for such a cake? Thank you
Hi Kendall, I haven't made this cake from scratch, unfortunately. However, if I do, I'll be sure to update the instructions.
@Tanya, Hi, I agree with Kendall. Do you think I can substitute your yellow cake mix (Birthday cake) recipe for the yellow box cake?
Hi Tammi, I use yellow cake mix. Any cake mix will work, actually. I bet making it from scratch would work too, I'm just not positive it will hold the same exact structure.
I feel so dmb now.. I was going nuts trying to find the instant vanilla pudding cake mix that is listed in the cake part of the recipe..
I now realize it is a typing eror.. the "cake mix" part should not be there..
Hi Mary, I see that now. Just fixed it. Thanks for letting me know.
I made this with bottom-shelf dark rum and it's among one of the best cakes I've ever eaten, let alone made. Foolproof recipe. Going to try making a bourbon bundt cake out of this soon. Thank you Tanya!
Thank you James! So glad you enjoyed the cake 🙂
May I use Pudding mix that is not instant?
Hi Barbara, I haven't tried it with pudding mix that was not instant, so I'm not sure how it would affect the texture.
Is it possible to use white rum? I have some tropical flavored white bacardi.....what do you think?
Yes it sure is if that is all you have on hand.
@Kayla M., i think you can adapt it anyway you like as long as you follow this basic recipe. I just made one, (with no brown sugar) using lemon cake mix, lemon INSTANT pudding and coconut Bardi rum. Im sure it will be great.
WHAT TEMP. TO BAKE?
Hi Janie, the cake should be baked at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. My apologies, the temperature was included in the blog post but not the recipe card. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Can the rum cake be frozen? I would like to make it ahead of time for an event.
Hi Susan, yes, it can be frozen. Just wrap the cake up before freezing. I would suggest slicing before freezing as well. It will last for up to 3-4 months. Just defrost in the fridge before enjoying.
Great cake! I especially love that all the ingredients are a half cup measure. I veganized the cake with 1/2 cup of Just Egg and 1/2 cup of soy creamer and the glaze with 1/2 cup of vegan butter. It came out perfect!
Thanks so much, Mona! So happy you liked the cake and the fact that you made it Vegan.
Best rum cake I ever ate. I used Bacardi gold reserve 8yr old rum. Wow best cake I have ever eaten.
We're happy that you enjoyed this, Joe!
Just made it...looks beautiful...I made brown butter, rum glaze
Thanks so much, Yolanda! 🙂
Should I make any adjustments for high altitude baking? Thanks!
Hi Renee, yes, you should. Kings Arthur has a great tutorial on adjusting for high altitude baking. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
for the summer I wanted to do a lemon one so I used lemon cake mix with lemon pudding and Bacardi limon in mini Bundt pans and instead of nuts I zested a lemon and a lime with some course lemon flavored sugar I got at our local tea and spice shop and put that on the bottom of the pans after greasing. After they were just cooled enough to take out of the pans I brushed with simple syrup mixed with Bacardi Limon and let them sit in the fridge overnight (that also keeps the moisture in if you are not frosting right away ) then glazed with a cream cheese frosting with a teaspoon or 2 of the lemon flavored rum & some lemon extract and oh my God this was the best summer rum cake I have ever made so thank you thank you thank you
I’ve made this cake back in the 1970s .I went to the liquor store and they had recipes books on the counter. I lost the booklet between moving between different states. I wish I had that little booklet again .
You are a genius! I have been making this cake for years and it’s a real pain to poke holes and brush the glaze on the top. Also there is too much glaze around the bottom of the cake. I used your method and all the glaze soaked into the cake!
Thanks Paula! So happy you liked the technique. It's the best when the cake soaks up all that good rum glaze.
I’ve made this recipe many times since the 80’s. I do let the cake cool for 10 minutes. Take it out, wash the pan and dry, then put cake back in. I then pour the glaze. I did leave in pan and glaze once without washing and it stuck. I’ve never had it stick if I take the trouble to clean before glazing.
Thanks Donna for sharing your technique. This cake is such a staple.