Mini Rum Cakes

This winter one of our good friends fell in love with a delicious rum cake while vacationing with us in the Dominican Republic. He ate this cake while standing in the Caribbean ocean drinking Cuba Libres on a hot and beautiful sunny day, how great is that? So when we returned I decided to make him a rum cake for his birthday and started searching for a recipe to recreate the cake he had while on holidays.  I found this popular  recipe all over the internet and I also found it in a few of my cookbooks. All the reviews were so positive I figured this might be the one. I decided to make mini cakes instead of the usual bundt style cake. Each cake is drizzled on both sides with a rum glaze after coming out of the oven, making them moist and delicious! This is a great make ahead recipe as the cakes get better the next day, that is if there are any left!!!



Ingredients:


1 Cup chopped pecans

⅓ Cup packed brown sugar

1 box (460g or 18.25 oz) golden/yellow cake mix

1 box (102g or 3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

4 large eggs

½ Cup vegetable oil

½ Cup water

½ Cup dark or light rum(I prefer dark but white is fine too)


Glaze Ingredients:

1/2  Cup butter

¼ Cup water

1 Cup white sugar

½ Cup dark/white rum (I prefer dark rum)


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Grease mini muffin tin or bundt pan well. I used Pam baking spray, if you don’t have Pam, grease and flour baking vessel.

Sprinkle chopped nuts on the bottom of each mini muffin or bundt pan.

Sprinkle brown sugar on the bottom of each mini muffin or bundt pan.


In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine cake mix,pudding mix,eggs, water, vegetable oil, and rum. Mix well. If using mini muffin vessel, fill each to ¾ the way up the side of the pan or pour batter into a bundt pan.

Bake mini muffins for approximately 15 minutes. Bundt cake bake for approximately 60 minutes. Test with a toothpick to ensure cake is done, but do not overbake!!!

Just before cakes are done prepare the glaze. In a saucepan, combine butter, water, and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in rum. Remove from heat.

Remove cooked mini muffins or bundt cake from the oven and poke little holes all over the cake ( this will actually be the bottom). Carefully brush or pour the glaze on the cake, allowing the glaze time to soak into the cake. Repeat this process a couple of times. Invert mini muffin tin onto a baking rack. If some of the nuts adhere to the pan, scrape out and apply to the tops. If making a bundt cake, turn cake onto a serving plate. Brush or carefully pour glaze over top of the cake, allowing time for the glaze to absorb into the cake. Repeat this process until all the glaze is used.

Cool completely before serving.Store cake in airtight container. This cake gets better the next day, so great to make the day before you plan on serving.

This recipe makes one bundt cake or 48 mini cakes.

Printer Friendly Recipe:Mini Rum Cakes

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, water and rum. Mix well.

Prepare baking vessel.

Sprinkle chopped nuts and brown sugar into each muffin tin or the bundt pan.

Fill each muffin 3/4 the way up the pan. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes.

While cakes are baking make glaze. Melt butter in a saucepan.

Add sugar.

Add water and stir well.

Bring mixture to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.

Add rum and remove from heat.

Poke holes into cakes and drizzle with glaze, repeat a couple of times.

Invert pan using a wire rack.

If any of the nut mixture stuck to the pan, remove it and reapply to the top of the cakes. The glaze will act as a glue.

Poke holes into cakes.

Drizzle glaze over cakes, repeat until all the glaze is used.

   

Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight container.

Now if I could only eat my rum cakes on the beach!