Years ago I had a sleeping problem. I would wake-up at 4am -5am and not be able to get back o sleep. Even my dog balked about heading outside at that hour, but I was determined to use my time to do more than stare into the darkness. My solution was to bake rum cakes and/or take a 3 mile walk around the neighborhood. My co-workers were most pleased when I decided to make the cake.
The basic recipe from the internet is simple:
Ingredients
- 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
- 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup dark rum
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup dark rum
I read somewhere that the flavor and texture of any box cake can be improved by making some simple changes:
- Replace water with whole milk
- Use butter in place of vegetable oil
- Add 1 more egg than the recipe says
I make all of these changes and the result gets a lot of kudos, although I don’t always add the instant pudding. And it is no crime to use a boxed cake mix either. As someone on the web pointed out “They use million dollar machines to make sure the ingredients are measured correctly. Why not take advantage of this?”
With the changes
Ingredients
- 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
- 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 5 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
- ½ cup dark rum
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
Glaze
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup dark rum
I mix together all of the ingredients and place in a Bundt pan which had been treated with Baker’s Joy or similar. I bake it at 325 for 55 minutes.
With about 10 minutes remaining I start getting the glaze ready. For that I melt the butter with the 1/4 cup water and then add the sugar. Stir occasionally and bring to a gentle boil so it thickens.
Pull the cake out and then poke holes using something handy such as a fork or toothpicks; then pour the glaze over the cake with still in the pan and give it a chance to soak in. Flip it over and enjoy.
