Diana's Rum Cake
My friend, Diana, gave me a rum cake for my birthday.
Now, I've known Diana since fifth grade. We went through junior high and high school together in NYC. When we teenagers, we used to get together and bake. Our specialties were brownies and cheesecake.
When we went away to college in Massachusetts, she visited me. When I moved to Palo Alto, California, I stayed with her until I found my own place. Somehow we both managed to marry guys from Minnesota. And now we both live in Minneapolis. Wow! What a journey, huh?
But, enough about Diana and I. Back to the cake.
Diana's cake cover didn't have a clasp, so she had secured it with a couple of turns of duct tape. This turned out to be fortuitous.
I left our luncheon clutching the cake. Wasn't this great! A rum cake! My family was going to be ecstatic!
I stopped off at the library for fifteen minutes. When I returned I found that my dachshund, Pepper, had worked off a section of the duct tape!
Egad!
But, worry not! The cake was untouched.
At home, we each savored a sliver of it. (Yes, even the kids. I figured at worst it would make them sleep really, really well.) A golden crisp crust with crunchy pecans, moist and soft on the inside with a good rummy flavor. It was very good. Just like I knew it would be.
And, even better, after a few months I finally convinced her to share the recipe. And now, after a few more months, I have come across it again and can share it with you here. Enjoy!
Diana's Rum Cake
Serves 8
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1-18 oz yellow cake mix
1-3.75 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white rum
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
glaze:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup rum
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a bundt cake pan with shortening and sprinkle with the sugar and chopped pecans.
In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, pudding mix, water, rum, oil and eggs. Pour the batter over the chopped nuts in the pan.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. While it is baking, make the glaze: combine the butter, water and sugar in a saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the rum.
Cool the cake for 10 minutes in the pan. Turn out the cake onto a serving dish and brush it with glaze on the top and the sides. Allow the cake to absorb the glaze and repeat until all the glaze is used.
Let cool and serve. This cake also freezes well.