Bacardi Rum Cake (video)
Popular since the 1970s for its taste and texture, this Bacardi rum cake is soft, fluffy, and supremely moist. It’s bursting with rum and yellow cake flavor, easy to prepare, and perfect for any special occasion. 
I’ve been dreaming about rum cakes ever since I went on a cruise and had a taste of Tortuga Rum Cake for the first time. Having never heard of it before, I was amazed at how moist it was for a packaged cake, and how lovely the rum flavor was without being overpowering. I did some research and came across this recipe from The Bacardi Party Book circa 1973. The result is exactly the same as the cake I had from the cruise, and I don’t have to pay $30 for it. 
How to make rum cake:
(Full instructions and quantities are in the recipe card further below)
This recipe starts with a cup of walnuts sprinkled over the bottom of a bundt pan. Then you mix a package of yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, eggs, water, oil, and half a cup of rum until combined. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for one hour. Once the cake is done, you prepare a simple butter-rum sauce made of butter, sugar, water, and rum. Brush the hot sauce all over the warm cake. Let it sit to soak in all that butter-rum goodness and serve. 
The original recipe calls for brushing all of the rum sauce on the cake, but I like to only brush half of the sauce on the cake, and reserve the rest for drizzling over the cake when serving. This actual cake was used to celebrate the 50th birthday of one of my husband’s work friends. Everyone in his office loved the extra rum sauce on the side. 
The taste of this cake is rich and buttery. It starts with a delightful rum flavor and finishes with a vanilla custard flavor. There is a little nuttiness and crunch from the walnuts. The texture is soft and fluffy, and it’s the moistest cake ever. Drizzle with a little extra sauce for even more sweet butter rum taste! 
Other boozy treats you might like:
- Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
- Baileys & Coffee Cupcakes
- Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes
- Easy Eggless Tiramisu
- Chocolate Pecan Pie
Music in the video: Vacaciones by Mike Leite
Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.
Bacardi Rum Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup (125g) chopped walnuts
- 1 box yellow cake mix, like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker brand
- 1 box (3.4oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (120ml) water
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (120ml) Bacardi dark rum
Glaze
- 1/2 cup (114g) butter
- 1/4 cup (60m)l water
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) Bacardi dark rum
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Generously grease and flour a 10" bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped walnuts evenly over the bottom of the pan.1 cup (125g) chopped walnuts
- Mix together the rest of the cake ingredients in a large bowl using an electric mixer until well combined. The batter might be lumpy, but that's ok. Pour the batter into the pan evenly over the nuts.1 box yellow cake mix, 1 box (3.4oz) instant vanilla pudding mix, 4 large eggs, 1/2 cup (120ml) water, 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil, 1/2 cup (120ml) Bacardi dark rum
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes in the pan.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small saucepan, combine butter, water, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Carefully and slowly whisk in the rum (it will bubble).1/2 cup (114g) butter, 1/4 cup (60m)l water, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, 1/2 cup (120ml) Bacardi dark rum
- Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Brush the hot glaze all over the warm cake. Repeat until all the glaze is used up, or reserve half of the glaze for serving. Let stand for 15 minutes to absorb.
I have made this cake many times. However, when I make the rum syrup, I use a flavor injector and pump most of the syrup into the cake directly and then pour the rest over the top. The original recipe – I have the page from the magazine that published it in 1978! – indicated that the top of the cake was to be pricked with a toothpick and the syrup drizzled into the cake. It makes the cake much more moist. There is also a chocolate version – a layer cake – and you can replace the rum in the original with Italian lemon liqueur and use a lemon cake mix and a lemon pudding mix. Delicious!
Did you lessen the sugar with the lemon cello? It’s sweet as is.
In the glaze you mean? If so, I don’t see why not, but I would only reduce it to half at the most. Enjoy!
Lily, thank you so much for that delicious recipe, it was quick and easy to make and a very good holiday dessert for adults 💯
You’re very welcome and thank you for your review, Allison! Enjoy:)
This recipe has been in my family over fifty years, I have always used pecans, but love walnuts as well, looking forward to try it with walnuts, I use a tube pan, which has a flat bottom and it allows space for a more even layer for the nuts and for when you are applying the glace, but not as pretty as the Bundt pan. I boil the icing after adding the rum to remove the alcohol, because I have taken this cake to church and work potlucks.