Golden Rum Cake

I am generally a fan of "from scratch" baking, but this recipe that starts with a boxed cake mix has won me over. I have to admit, I was sceptical at the beginning, but after reading all the rave reviews it had on the website where I found it, I had to give it a try. Wow! I can honestly say this is one of the moistest cakes I have ever tasted- between the pudding mix and rum in the cake itself and the rum glaze you add to it after baking it is simply phenomenal! And- always a bonus for me- easy, easy! It does have a little "kick" to it, so if you want to avoid that, just add the rum to the glaze a couple of minutes earlier to let the alcohol cook out. The flavor will still be there! This is great on its own, but I think it will be out of this world with a little vanilla ice cream on the side... :)))

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix 1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix 4 eggs 1/2 cup water (or milk) 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup dark rum (I used Bacardi) GLAZE: 1/2 cup butter 1/4 cup water 1 cup white sugar   1/2 cup dark rum (I used Bacardi)

 

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the bottom of the pan.
2.	In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in the eggs, 1/2 cup water, oil and 1/2 cup rum. Blend well. Pour batter over chopped nuts in the pan.
3.	Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes in the pan. After the cake cools in the pan for about ten minutes, take a spatula and loosen it from the sides and from the center (bundt pan). Poke holes in cake using a fork or a skewer. Then, pour the hot glaze around the edges so it goes right down the sides and soaks into the bottom (which will be the top) and the sides of the cake. Also, pour some around the inner ring and then a little along the top (which will be the bottom).  Let it sit for an hour or two, upside down, and then flip it over onto a serving plate and let it sit for a few hours or overnight before serving. It is definitely better the day after.
4.	To make the glaze: in a saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup rum. Recipe courtesy: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/golden-rum-cake/detail.aspx