Rum-soaked Cake

Remember those fantastic boxed liquor cakes that are popular gifts around the holidays? Well, who can wait for Christmas?

I was entertaining this week and I wanted to serve a special (but easy!) dessert. Enter my rum-soaked cake...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a Bundt or beautifully-shaped cake pan. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 box of yellow cake mix, 1 box (3.4 ounces) of instant vanilla pudding, 1/2 cup light rum, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 4 eggs. Beat until all ingredients are incorporated. Pour in prepared cake pan and bake for 40-50 minutes. After 10 minutes, gently un-mold the cake from the pan onto a platter. After this success, place the baking pan back on top of the cake, turn the platter/cake pan over and return the cake to the pan. The next step is soaking and you need the shape of the pan to help stabilize the cake.

In a small sauce pan, melt 1/2 stick (4 Tablespoons or 2 ounces) of butter. Add 1/4 cup light rum and warm the mixture. While cake cools, slowly pour this rum bath over cake and into the open space on the sides (between the cake and the pan). Let it rest an hour. Place the serving platter over the cake pan and gently turn it over. The cake should easily un-mold on the platter. Serve cake warm or room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.