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Hot Buttered Rum Bundt Cake

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This hot buttered rum bundt cake is a boozy winter dessert and it’s made with a cake mix to make your life extra easy.

overhead shot of hot buttered rum cake on a cake stand
I’ve never known my parents to drink rum. Margaritas for football games, sure. The occasional scotch before dinner, yes. Plenty of red wine, most definitely. But not rum

So when I described this cake to my mom and she told me she and my dad had the best recipe for hot buttered rum mix, and that they used to eat it straight from the freezer all winter long, I was like what are you talking about?

Thinking about my parents’ having lives before I was around never ceases to weird me out.

My dad supposedly owned a pair of purple calypso pants with a gold belt when he was growing up, and people called him Tommy, and he had a full head of curly hair.

My mom used to eat maple bars and peach jolly ranchers every day after school.

Neither of my parents’ lives sounds remarkable by my description, but you have to know that my dad has no hair anymore and certainly doesn’t wear purple pants, and my mom doesn’t eat sugar or gluten at all today.

I can’t imagine either of them eating hot buttered rum mix out of the freezer. Or even making hot buttered rum mix to store in the freezer.

slice of hot buttered rum cake on a plate with a scoop of ice cream

Am I just really selfish for preferring to think my parents’ lives began the day I was born? Or is it normal to be so self-centered?

And do the answers to those questions even matter when we could be eating delicious (and easy to make) hot buttered rum cake?

I sooooo can’t answer those questions.

But I can tell you that this is not a cake for those who are on the fence about rum in their desserts. It’s also not a cake for children; this cake practically oozes booze.

Scratch that. It’s so moist it literally oozes booze.

The rum flavor is quite pronounced due to the rum in the batter and the rum-butter mixture you pour over the finished product. And the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in the cake make this a total must for cozy winter nights. Served warm with a healthy scoop of vanilla ice cream or cold straight from the freezer (a la mode versus a la Kelsie’s mom and dad), this recipe is a keeper.

And I’ll gladly share some hot buttered rum cake with you. Would a selfish person say that? Finally a question I can answer: clearly not.

half eaten slice of hot buttered rum cake on a plate with a scoop of ice cream and a fork

This hot buttered rum cake is a boozy winter dessert and it's made with a cake mix to make your life extra easy. recipe via itsybitsykitchen.com #bundtcake #boozycake #rumcake
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Hot Buttered Rum Bundt Cake
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
55 mins
 

Easy to make and easier to eat, this hot buttered rum cake will be a winter favorite!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 14
Author: Kelsie
Ingredients
Cake:
  • 1 15.25-ounce box white or yellow cake mix
  • 1 3.56-ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup dark rum
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
Glaze:
  • 1/4 cup dark rum
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • additional powdered sugar for serving (if desired)
  • vanilla ice cream for serving (if desired)
Instructions
Cake:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until combined. Add the rum, milk, brown sugar, spices, and melted butter and mix well.
  3. Generously oil a 10-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle with flour, then tap out any excess. Set pan aside.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully invert cake onto a serving platter.
Glaze:
  1. Combine the rum, butter, and powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until completely smooth. Spoon over the warm cake, then let stand until cool. Dust cake with additional powdered sugar and serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.

Adapted from Simply Classic

Comments

  1. evolvewithmary says

    I’ve never had hot buttered rum. It just doesn’t sound appetizing to me, but your Hot buttered Rum bundt cake surly does. I would have to have multiple pieces of this bad boy. I love this cake pan!! The shape of the cake is super impressive, the crust looks crispy and the inside crazy moist, omg I think I’m drooling. My parents lives totally started the day I was born. lol I’m right there with you.

    Reply

  2. Milena | Craft Beering says

    I love a cake that oozes booze, Kelsie:) Especially if it is rum, it has such an affinity for desserts, doesn’t it? No wonder I have always loved tiramisu with extra rum. This cake is a serious contender, for any time of the year really. Pinned!

    Reply

  5. Katherine | Love In My Oven says

    Haha! Kelsie, I think my Dad also had purple pants back in the day. I guess that was a thing? It’s so normal to assume your parents’ lives started the minute you were born. It’s too weird to think of them as anything but your parents….this cake, however. Is FAR from weird! So yum!! Just the words “hot buttered rum” make me salivate. Yum!

    Reply

  6. Ben|Havocinthekitchen says

    Believe it or not Kelsie, but I didn’t know buttered rum existed until this year (Indeed, until just few months back). Well, I had eaten some desserts (like ice cream) named “buttered rum”, but I would think it was just a name. I do like buttered rum now. It’s delicious, cozy, and hearty. And I think it would be perfectly paired with this scrumptious cake you made!;)

    Reply

    • Kelsie says

      Thank you, Ben! I’ll admit I’ve never had an actual buttered rum–I’ve only had desserts made with the butter rum flavors :). Hope you’re having a great week!

      Reply

  9. Maria Doss says

    Let me start by saying that is the most picture perfect bundt cake that I’ve seen (should be in a magazine cover). I’m all over that hot buttered rum and it’s a great excuse to have some booze in the morning😀. Great recipe dear:)

    Reply

  10. hummingbirdthyme says

    Kelsie, this sounds amazing! When you said it “oozes booze” it reminded me of a cake my Mom used to make called “Harvey Wallbanger Cake” which included Galliano. As kids, we loved it so much – it was also a bundt cake. I imagine we had no idea it was also oozing booze. Crazy. Secret lives of parents, Ha! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

    • Kelsie says

      I’ve had a Harvey Wallbanger cake bookmarked in a cookbook for months. I think your comment is a sign that it’s time to make it! Thank you, Laura 🙂

      Reply

  12. marcie@flavorthemoments says

    Love those stories about your parents — hilarious! I keep some of my stories from my kids. 🙂 This cake is so pretty and knowing this was in the freezer would be my down fall. haha This is so perfect for the holidays!

    Reply

  13. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    LOL! I love hearing stories about my parents when they were younger. Apparently my father was a HUGE rebel without a cause and my mom, well she loves to play goodie two shoes, but I’ve heard stories about her and Woodstock!! 😉 Anyways, you had me at hot buttered rum!!!! And this cake is gorgeous too! Hello holidays! This cake was made for you! <3 Cheers, doll!

    Reply

  15. David | Spiced says

    Ok, we are most definitely related, Kelsie. It’s settled. And why is that? Because I would gladly put on a pair of purple pants with a gold belt. (Of course, this may or may not be related to a certain football team located on the bayous of Louisiana…haha!) I’ve got a tiger print robe with purple velvet trim that I used to pull out for games? Does that count for something? Haha! So like you (or your parents at least), I’m not a huge rum person…unless it’s a rum cake! I love a good rum cake (I have that exact same bundt pan), and I would gladly dig into a slice of this cake…with ice cream, please! 🙂

    Reply

    • Kelsie says

      You have me thinking that maybe my dad’s pants were some kind of foreshadowing because he went to college at the University of Washington. Husky colors are purple and gold too! This bundt pan is the best and I’m officially obsessed with it :). Have a great week, David!

      Reply

  16. Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says

    This looks and sounds amazing, Kelsie! Something about ‘hot buttered rum’ that sounds so inviting and holiday-ish (is that even a word??). And that pan is gorgeous!! P.S.I would love to see those purple pants, lol. Have a wonderful week, my friend!

    Reply

  18. Ruby_&_Cake says

    I love finding out what my parents were like before I came along. Mine were absolutely cray. So many juicy secrets and bizarre behaviour. I love your description of your dad those pants sound amazing! Now this cake, this cake looks seriously divine and just so perfect for the cold winter days we have right now!

    Reply

    • Kelsie says

      Thank you, Deepika! You’ll have to let me know what you think :). PS I’m just gonna say you could probably add a little chocolate somewhere and it would be even better!

      Reply

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