Name: Jamaican Rum Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 16 persons
Cuisine: Caribbean
Ingredients: 250 grams Cake Flour; 2 teaspoons Baking Powder; 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda; 1/2 teaspoons Salt; 250 grams Sugar - granulated; 200 grams Unsalted Butter; 5 Egg yolks; 79 ml Pineapple Juice; 30 ml Dark Rum; 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract; 6 Egg Whites; 100 grams Caster Sugar; 1 tablespoon Lime Juice; 115 grams Butter; 120 ml Pineapple Juice; 100 grams Brown Sugar; 250 ml Dark Rum; 250 ml White Rum; 1 tablespoon Mixed Essence

Font shot of sliced Jamaican Rum Cake with lime and basil on the side

Front shot of Jamaican Rum Cake with syrup pouring

Aerial shot of Jamaican Rum Cake in a plate with towel on the side

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As Seen On

Jamaican Rum Cake is a dense, moist yellow cake with a buttery rum flavor. Not to be confused with Black Cake or Fruit Cake, this cake is more about the taste and not always about getting drunk. The cake is traditionally made in a bundt pan and glazed with butter and rum sugar syrup. We have given you easy-to-follow instructions to make your own authentic Jamaican Rum Cake. Since the alcohol will be cooked away, there are special instructions for having your cake with or without the alcohol content. This recipe is sure to be a favorite for you and your loved ones, so please enjoy!

Does Jamaican rum cake have alcohol?

Traditionally, yes, rum cake contains alcohol in the form of rum. You can always enjoy rum cake without adding the rum to the glaze or syrup that is added and soaked in at the end & not baked inside the cake itself.

Can you get drunk off Jamaican rum cake?

It's highly unlikely to get intoxicated from rum cake itself.

How long does it take to bake a Jamaican rum cake?

It takes approximately 1 hour to bake a rum cake depending on the size of your bunt pan. Add on an extra hour for cooling and soaking the cake to the time it takes to serve rum cake as well.

What rum is best for rum cake?

Dark rum is traditionally added to rum cake however no matter which type of rum, dark or white, it won't dramatically change the flavor of the cake in the end result. The type of rum you add can be based on your preference. Add in some spiced rum or coconut rum and this will enhance the cake with different flavors.

Author: Rachel Ottier-Hart

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Total Time

70 mins

Serves

16 persons

Ingredients

Cake Batter

250 grams Cake Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoons Salt
250 grams Sugar - granulated
200 grams Unsalted Butter
5 Egg yolks
79 ml Pineapple Juice
30 ml Dark Rum
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Meringue

6 Egg Whites
100 grams Caster Sugar
1 tablespoon Lime Juice

Glaze

115 grams Butter
120 ml Pineapple Juice
100 grams Brown Sugar
250 ml Dark Rum
250 ml White Rum
1 tablespoon Mixed Essence

Instructions

Cake Batter part 1

Using a pad of butter, grease the inside of a Bundt cake pan and set it aside for later.

Mix your dry mix by adding the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into one bowl and set aside.

Into another bowl, add the butter and sugar, and using a stand or hand mixer on medium speed, mix them to make a smooth, fluffy buttercream.

Once the buttercream is ready, add the egg yolks and mix at low speed until they are thoroughly combined with the buttercream.

Slowly add one scoop of dry mix at a time to the buttercream mixture and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined and with a smooth consistency.

When all the dry mix has been added to the cream, add the pineapple juice, dark rum, and vanilla extract and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined, and you have a silky batter.

Set the batter aside, preheat your oven to 350 F/ 176 C with a rack in the middle of the oven and continue on to the meringue.

Meringue

Using your stand mixer, add the egg whites and the lime juice, then, using your mixer, whip them together on high speed, slowly adding a large spoonful of the sugar at a time.

Continue whipping until the mixture is fluffy, and when you remove the beaters, the fluff has firm peaks.

Cake Batter part 2

Once the meringue is ready, carefully scoop one-third of the mixture at a time into the cake batter and gently fold them together using a spatula, repeating with the other thirds one at a time.

The folding technique is done by gently scraping your spatula or spoon around the inside of the bowl, making a full circle, and then drawing it through the middle and repeating the process until all the ingredients are mixed. You can also try a figure of 8 motion. Remember to be gentle because you do not want to deflate the meringue.

When all the meringue and batter have been folded together, carefully pour the batter into the cake pan, lightly shimmy it from side to side to level, and remove any air bubbles but still keep the batter fluffy.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or golden brown.

After 50 minutes, check the cake by poking a toothpick into the center and removing it to see if it has any uncooked cake batter on end. If the toothpick is clean, the cake is ready to withdraw from the oven. If not, let it bake for another 10 minutes and test again.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to rest until cool to the touch.

Once the cake is cool to the touch, use a skewer to poke holes into the cake while still in the pan, then spoon the glaze onto the cake, cover and let it rest for at least an hour or overnight for more depth of flavor

Flip over onto a plate or cake tray and serve when the cake has rested and absorbed the glaze.

To serve, slice, and enjoy or warm the cake in the oven at 350 F/ 176 C for 10 minutes, then slice and serve

Glaze

Using a saucepan, add the butter and bring to medium heat.

Once the butter is melted, add the rest of the juice, Rum, and Sugar, then stir until the sugar is dissolved, and the consistency becomes a syrup.

Remove from the heat and add the mixed essence.

Spoon the glaze onto the cake while still in the pan, cover, and let rest for at least an hour or overnight for more depth of flavor.

Alcoholic Version

This is for those who want the cake to have an alcohol content, not just the flavor.

Make the glaze with the butter, juice, and sugar until you have a syrup consistency.

Remove from the heat and add the rum and mixed essence.

Spoon over the cake, cover, and let the cake rest for at least an hour or overnight for more depth of flavor.

Jamaican Rum Cake