1 (15 oz) box yellow cake mix
1 (3.5 oz) box ‘instant’ Vanilla Pudding Mix
½ cup water
4 eggs
½ cup oil
½ cup dark Rum (80 or 90 proof)
1 cup broken pecans
2 Tbsps dark brown sugar
1 (10 oz) jar No Stem Maraschino Cherries
Preparation Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray oil ‘tube’ (bundt) pan then lightly dust with flour – set aside. Chop pecans – drain cherries and slice into halves – set pecans and cherries aside. In a small bowl - beat eggs well – set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine cake mix and dry pudding mix together – add water, oil, rum, and beaten eggs to dry ingredients – mix well (either with electric mixer or about 100 hand strokes). Place broken pecans into bottom of tube pan (can use pecan halves if desired). Sprinkle brown sugar over pecans. Set cherries (cut side ‘up’) all around over the top of pecans & sugar. Gradually pour cake batter over cherry/pecan mixture ( be careful not to ‘dump’ batter into pan which will disturb the placement of the cherries – let batter flow from your tilted bowl as you pour it around in a circle). Bake cake about 55 minutes or until toothpick test is clean. Let cake sit in tube pan while you prepare the “Rum Sauce” to pour over cake. Rum Sauce Recipe below. After sauce has been prepared – (while cake is still in pan) – poke holes all around the cake’s surface with a toothpick – then pour about 1/3 of hot rum sauce over cake’s surface. Let cake sit 5 – 7 minutes then place a serving plate over the top of the tube pan (covering cake) – and ‘flip’ the pan over. The cake will release from the tube pan and reveal a beautiful cherry and pecan covered top for your cake. Poke holes all around the top, sides, and inside the ring of your cake with a toothpick – be generous with the holes (they will be filled up with rum sauce). Gently spoon ladle hot rum sauce all over top, sides, inside ring of cake.
Rum Sauce:
1 ½ sticks real butter (3/4 cup)
1 ¼ cups sugar
¼ cup water
½ to ¾ cup dark Rum
½ tsp vanilla extract
Heat butter in deep saucepan – stir in sugar & water – bring to rolling boil – cook 2 minutes – stir in rum & vanilla – cook 1 minute longer. Spoon over cake.
**Note: This cake is easy to make. The most difficult part is 'deciding' how much Rum is 'enough' to satisfy your 'Rum Tastebuds'. The basic recipe calls for 1/2 cup Rum both in the cake and in the sauce. However, the 'type' of rum affects the taste. Light (70 proof) Rum is not as strong. Using the 1/2 cup measure with the Light Rum will deliver 'just a hint' of Rum flavor. When using Light Rum, and desiring a 'stronger' Rum taste, the cook could re-work the recipe and use 1/3 cup water & 2/3 cup rum in the cake 'and' use 3/4 cup rum in the sauce. The standard 1/2 cup measures, when using 'dark rum' will deliver a notable 'rum flavor'. If the cook wants an 'intense' rum flavor, the above changes could be made, however, too much rum in the cake can deliver a strong 'alcohol' flavor to the cake which overwhelms the other delicious vanilla and butter elements that make this cake a classic.
You can find many more wonderful Cake, Cookies, Cupcake, Muffins, Breads, and Roll Recipes in My Specialty Cookbook: Grandma Rosa's Kitchen Bakery. Only $7.99 makes it 'so affordable' - available at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.booksamillion.com, 'or' By Request at your local brick & mortar bookstore.