Mama's Rum Cake!

This rum cake is absolutely my favorite type of pound cake.  It's so moist and delicious with just a hint of rum flavoring and it's not overly sweet or rich...the perfect cake for a breakfast cake or for a snack with your afternoon coffee.  The glaze that goes over it just makes it even more delicious and it's also a pretty cake to be a Bundt pan type cake.  This is my mother's recipe and she has always made the very best rum cake.   Is this cake made using a cake mix?  Yes. Is this cake still one of the best cakes you will ever make or eat?  Again, yes!   It's also not a difficult cake to make and even those who are fairly new to baking can do this.  

Here is what you will need:

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 (18.25 oz.)  yellow cake mix

1 (3  3/4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding and pie filling

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla flavoring

1/2 cup dark rum

Rum Glaze

2 Tbs. butter, melted

2 cups confectioners sugar

2 Tbs. dark rum or 2 tsp. rum flavoring

1 to 2 Tbs. half and half or milk

1 cup pecan halves for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Spray a Bundt pan well with nonstick spray for baking.  Sprinkle the chopped nuts in the bottom of the pan.  Mix the cake mix, pudding mix,  oil, water, eggs, vanilla flavoring, and rum until well mixed, about 2 minutes.   Pour over the pecans in the Bundt pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 50 - 60 minutes.   Remove from oven and let cool for about 30 minutes before removing from pan.

Glaze

Melt butter in a saucepan, combine with confectioners sugar and rum or rum flavoring.  Mix until smooth, adding 1/2 Tablespoon milk at a time until it's thin enough to pour over cake, but not too thin.  You will probably need more of the milk if you use the rum flavoring instead of the actual rum since you use less.



Pour the glaze over the cake letting it run down and over the sides.  If your glaze is thick enough it won't run a whole lot.  Dot the top and down the side a little with the pecan halves.

 Mama's Rum Cake!