Thinking of hosting a New Year’ Eve party? If so, treat your guest with a slice of rum cake. It is a classic and easy holiday dessert. I remember watching my grandmother Eunice in the kitchen baking rum cakes every holiday season. Her rum cake was loved by neighbors , family and friends and included various dry fruits that were soaked in rum. This Christmas as I think of my late grandmother, I decided to honor her by baking a rum cake.

Since I am not a fan of fruit in my cakes, I wanted to add another ingredient to enhance the flavor; so I decided to add pecans. With its light and velvety flavor, Appleton Estate dark Jamaican rum was the excellent addition to my recipe. Paired with butter and brown sugar it made the perfect glaze for a slice of cake that will melt in your mouth. Your taste buds will be excited and begging for more.

Drunken Pecan Cake

For cake

1 box of yellow cake
4 Eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Appleton Estate Rum
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs vanilla power
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans

For Glaze

1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 cup water water
1/2 cup Appleton Estate Rum

Instructions for Cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix together eggs, vegetable oil, rum, and water until incorporated  using a hand or stand alone mixer
• Add cake mix and vanilla power and mix for 2 minutes until smooth
• Spray bunt baking pan with butter. Add sugar equally to the bottom of baking pan making sure that it gets into groves.
• If adding pecans, sprinkle on the bottom evenly.
• Pour cake mixture in baking pan. once completed, slightly hit the baking pan on counter to level out and get rid of air bubbles.
• Bake for 36 minutes or until cake tester is dry
• Cool for 10 minutes before removing from baking pan
• Once removed from baking pan, use a toothpick to make small holes into the cake
• Brush cake with glaze until well absorbed. Repeat in 30 minutes
• Ready to serve or  sit for a few hours for a strong rum finish

Instructions for Glaze

• In a heavy bottom sauce pan, melt butter and sugar together while constantly stirring. Simmer for 5 minutes on low heat
• Add water slowly and simmer for another 2 minutes
• Remove  saucepan from fire and slowly add rum while stirring

Tips

• For a stronger rum flavor, 3/4 cup rum and 1/4 cup water
• Pecan lovers can add 1/2 cup pecans
• If not a pecan lover, substitute for any other nut or simply bake without