BVI Dark Rum Cake

About This Recipe

Rum cake is the quintessential celebration cake of the British Virgin Islands and broader Caribbean. Soaked in local aged rum, the dense, fruit-studded cake is given as gifts and enjoyed at holidays year-round.

Ingredients

Serves 12

• 2 cupsall-purpose flour
• 1 cupdark rum(divided)
• 3eggs
• 1 cupunsalted butter(softened)
• 1½ cupsbrown sugar
• 1 tspvanilla extract

Instructions

1. 1

   Cream butter and sugar

   Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla.

2. 2

   Add flour and rum

   Fold in flour alternately with ¾ cup rum until just combined.

3. 3

   Bake

   Pour into a greased bundt tin and bake at 175 °C for 55–60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

   Cover loosely with foil if browning too fast.

4. 4

   Soak with rum

   While still warm, brush the remaining ¼ cup rum over the cake several times until absorbed. Cool before slicing.

Variations

• •

  Add soaked raisins and cherries for a traditional fruit cake.

• •

  Drizzle with a rum-butter glaze.

Storage

Store wrapped at room temperature up to 1 week; freezes well up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions