This Brown Buttered Bacardi Rum Cake is all that and more—a rich, moist, and flavorful dessert that brings the perfect balance of nutty caramel notes from browned butter and the signature smooth sweetness of Bacardi rum. This recipe is inspired by Chenée Lewis. There’s something undeniably magical about a dessert that combines warmth, decadence, and just the right kick of indulgence.
So grab your bundt pan and your favorite bottle of Bacardi, and let’s create a dessert that’s as impressive as it is delicious!
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Bacardi Gold Rum or dark rum
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- Pam Baking Spray with Flour
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 crockpot oven bag or plastic wrap
Browned Butter Rum Syrup and Glaze
- ½ cup salted butter (1 stick)
- ¾ cup Bacardi Gold Rum or dark rum
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp pure vanila extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Prepping and Baking Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place oven rack in middle of oven.
- Beat the butter in a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer until creamy. Add sugars and beat another 3 minutes.
- Add in eggs one at a time, then vanilla, beating until smooth and scraping sides of bowl with a spatula after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. In another separate bowl, whisk together sour cream and rum.
- Add ⅓ of flour mixture to the batter and gently mix until just combined. Follow with half of sour cream mixture, and then another ⅓ of flour mixture. Continue alternating until both wet and dry ingredients are incorporated into batter.
- Spoon in batter and smooth the top to even it out.
- Bake in preheated oven 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Let cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from Bundt pan onto a cake plate to cool for another 15 minutes.
Browned Butter Rum Syrup
- Brown salted butter in a light-colored saute pan. STpes: Place butter in a cold light-color pot. Heat on medium-high and allow butter to melt, whisking constantly to ensure even cooking. Butter should start to foam and sizzle. Continue whisking until milk solids separate and begin to turn golden brown. Remove from heat as soon as it is lightly browned.
- Add water, brown sugar, and rum and bring to a simmer. Cook on medium-heat for 1-2 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring.
- Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and remove half of syrup (about ½ cup) and set aside for later.
- Line the inside of your Bundt pan loosely with a crockpot oven bag OR plastic wrap. Sit the pan on top of the cake. Invert upside down and poke holes all over the cake using a toothpick or skewer. Pour remaining syrup evenly over holes on the cake.
- Cover cake, still in Bundt pan, with plastic wrap and allow it to cool completely and soak up the syrup for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
- Once cake is done chilling, invert onto a cake plate.
Rum Glaze
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat reserved syrup in the microwave for 30 seconds or until warm.
- Whisk in powdered sugar until smooth, adding more powdered sugar as needed for desired thickness. Pour warm glaze over cake and serve.
