I’m so excited so share with you what has taken years in progress to come to a reality in my kitchen:Â Tropical Rum Cake.
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My mama started making me rum cakes since my 21st birthday and I’ve always loved them ever since. She makes one for me every single year for my birthday to this day!
In my early 30s I asked her for her recipe because I wanted to make one for a friend. Apparently the recipe came from my Nana and she told me all about eating rum cakes at her house before I was born. Warm fuzzies! 🙂
So I’m a little of a rebel when it comes to recipes and like to change them up to make them my own. Over the years I’ve given this recipe a tropical flare… I started out by adding coconut to the batter…. then added banana cream pudding instead of vanilla… then used spiced rum instead of regular rum… it goes on and on. And now I finally get to share it with you.
Not to say that the original version isn’t awesome (it is!). This is just my spin on a traditional rum cake that I think would be perfect for any holiday or birthday for people who love tropical flavors.
I would not consider this a kid-friendly cake by any means… because I marinate maraschino cherries and green grapes (for garnish) in spiced rum while I’m preparing everything, so please keep that in mind. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I do! 🙂
PrintTropical Rum Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
Description
Rum cake with a tropical twist prepared with spiced rum, pineapple, maraschino cherries, coconut, banana cream pudding mix and nutmeg.
Ingredients
For the rum-marinated fruit:Â
- 2 cups seedless green grapes
- 1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained (reserve 8–10 cherries for cake)
- 1 cup spiced rum
For the cake:
- 4 cored slices of pineapple, halved
- 8–10 maraschino cherries (without stem)
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box butter golden cake mix
- 1 (3.4-ounce) box INSTANT banana cream pudding mix
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup spiced rum
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- For the glaze:
- 1 stick (½ cup) butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- â…” cup spiced rum
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
- Place grapes and maraschino cherries in a bowl and pour in 1 cup of spiced rum. Stir to coat, cover and refrigerate.
- Spray a bundt pan generously with cooking spray. Place pineapple slice halves in ridges of bundt pan evenly and evenly distribute cherries around pineapple slice halves.
- Sprinkle evenly with pecans.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, pudding mix, nutmeg, eggs, water, vegetable oil and rum with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add coconut flakes and stir until combined.
- Pour over pineapple, cherry and nut mixture in bundt pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted is removed clean. Place on a baking rack to cool.
- While cake is cooling, prepare the rum glaze. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, then add water. Stir to combine. Increase heat to high and boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat, slowly add rum (exercise caution when adding rum, mixture will bubble) and stir well to combine.
- Once cake has cooled, invert onto a serving plate. Using a skewer or toothpick, pierce holes throughout the cake. Drizzle glaze over top and sides of cake, allowing it to absorb the glaze. Garnish with the marinated cherries and grapes.
Notes
- Cook time includes time to prepare glaze.
- I save the rum marinade from the cherries and grapes to mix with ginger ale for a special cocktail!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Jess
Can you take the run out of this recipe?
Amy
Hi Jess, I’ve never made this cake without rum so I can’t say with 100% certainty… but I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to try it. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it and I hope you enjoy it!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
I make a rum cake too but your tropical version is over the top good. 🙂
Amy @ The Blond Cook
Thanks so much, Karen! 🙂
George R Hooper Jr
Recipe calls for water in Glaze but fails to specify quantity in Ingredients…
HELP!!
Amy @ The Blond Cook
Hi George… so very sorry! I have updated the recipe… 1/4 cup of water.