What's more representative of the holidays than the luxury of eggnog and rum cake? Well, maybe fruitcake but I don't have a family recipe for that. Rum cake is thought to have its origins in the 17th century, likely this cake was a luxury during the long ocean voyages because of the preserving properties of the rum. It's most certainly been improved over the years and now rum cake is purely made to be enjoyed as dessert and not staple. It's an extremely easy and versatile recipe, lending itself to many different flavors and forms, but always has the same trait...delicious, delicious rum. While you can use any rum you like depending on the flavor of cake you're going for, I really like just the basic butter bundt cake soaked in sweet rum sauce. It's a lovely blank canvas that can be painted upon with many different toppings.
I didn't used to like rum, it was much too sweet for my drinking tastes. Kind of reminds me of Southern Comfort and that takes me back to 1979 driving down backroads in east Texas with Harold McElhannon and SoCom and it not ending well for Harold and his shirt. Needless to say sweet alcohol was not my friend for many, many years until I went to Belize two years ago and I was reacquainted with some in the form of One Barrel rum. It smells like rich maple-y goodness mingling with butter and vanilla and surrounded by the guarantee of a grown up beverage bonus in the background. Many a night on a tiny island off the coast of Belize was spent lying in the hammock, listening to the ocean lapping on the beach and the sound of breezes rustling the palms, with a glass of One Barrel and Coke in my hand. It was there under the Belizean moonlight that I began my love affair with spiced rum, but it's only been fairly recently that I started making rum cakes. An easier, more foolproof cannot be found. No mater what you do to it - overbake it, overmix it, bake it in funny shapes - it will be perfect. It's like after a plain-looking model is photographed and the artist airbrushes all her flaws away and adds some extra goodies. The rum is the airbrush and goodies for the plain model cake.
While I was growing up, I'd get a snippet of a conversation between my father and another adult and I'd hear him gush about how he used to love to drink rum when he was young and in the Navy, especially if it came in the form of a Mai Tai. I only saw him drink once when we were in Hawaii, but he was in heaven when that single, glorious Mai Tai was placed in his hand. He even let me order one as we lay out by the pool. I still remember the warm smell and flavor and the beautiful orange and pink colors in my glass. I don't smell spiced rum in a bottle that I don't, first, go right back to my beach in Belize and, second, feel the sun and smell the suntan lotion in Hawaii, both as I sipped my drinks. I only drink it when I'm in a tropical locale because it just doesn't taste as good in Rowlett, Texas as it does several thousand miles away. But...I do like to make a rum cake or two.
There are as many flavors of rum cake as there are flavors in the world, i.e., butter, chocolate, coconut, mango, cinnamon, sweet potato, lemon, key lime, banana, etc...it goes on forever. You can add some fresh fruit, caramel sauce, flavored whipped cream or a nice anglaise sauce and it's a dessert fit to be served in the world's finest restaurant. If you want to flavor it, just add the fruit or flavor to the cake and use the same flavor rum and you've got a whole 'nother animal. Below is my Banana"No Baking Experience Required Rum Cake" recipe. Bake it now and by the time you're ready to have it, it will be the wicked little highlight to your Christmas dinner.
Banana Rum Cake
1 c pecans, finely chopped, toasted
1 (18 oz) package yellow cake mix
1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1 c mashed bananas
1/2 c milk
1/2 c banana rum (or 1/4 c banana liqueur + 1/4 c dark rum)
Rum Glaze
1/2 c butter
1/4 c water
1 c sugar
1/2 c rum (or 1/4 c banana liqueur + 1/4 c dark rum)
Cake instructions:
Oven to 350. Grease and flour bundt cake pan, sprinkle toasted on bottom of cake pan. Set aside. Mix all ingredients on medium speed in mixer for 2 minutes, pour into prepared bundt pan and bake for 1 hour, use a toothpick to check for doneness. Remove from oven when toothpick comes out clean, cool in pan. When cake is cool invert onto plate. Make glaze:
Glaze instructions:
In small saucepan on medium heat, melt butter. Stir in water and sugar. Increase heat slightly and bring mixture to a boil, let boil for 5 mins, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add rum. Spoon glaze over cake, be sure to put drippings from glazing back on cake until all glaze is used. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate till ready to serve.
Drizzle caramel sauce and sprinkle with toasted pecans, a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and you're set to impress....Enjoy!!
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