Grandma Terrill's Rum Cake

 My Grandma Terrill passed away earlier this year. She was a feisty lady, to say the least. Quite opinionated to boot. I still remember a day I was visiting her while still in college. I believe I might have been moving from the dorms into an apartment. She told me no kitchen was complete without a pretty bundt pan, so she took me to buy one. In her own kitchen, the bundt pan was used primarily to bake rum cakes. It changed through the years whether she made the cake part with a mix or from various recipes, but no matter what, that cake was well soaked in a rum glaze and we'd all finish it quickly. She always had homemade cookies in a cookie jar, too, but her rum cake was always the favorite. Enjoy! 

Grandma Terrill's Rum Cake

For the cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 small box vanilla instant pudding*

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup whole milk

4 eggs

1/2 cup rum

2 tsp vanilla

Pecan halves, opt

For the glaze:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4-1/2 cup rum

2 pinches of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

*I do not usually have access to instant vanilla pudding mix, so I add the following ingredients as a substitution into my dry mix:  3 Tbs sugar, 2 1/2 Tbs cornstarch, 2 1/2 Tbs dry milk powder, pinch of salt, 1 tsp vanilla powder. In this case, I would omit vanilla powder and just add 1 Tbs vanilla to the cake.

Bring cake ingredients to room temperature prior to beginning, including the butter, eggs, and milk. 

Begin by greasing and flouring a bundt pan and set aside. You can place pecan halves in the bottom of the bundt pan once it is greased and floured. The batter will be poured over them and add a pretty touch in the final product. Bites with a pecan are a treat, but omit if you don't like nuts. This was just the way my Grandma always did it. 

Place all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the softened butter and oil to make a crumbly mix. Add milk and mix well. Beat in eggs one at a time. Gently combine in the rum and vanilla. Place cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 325F (165C) for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Test for doneness with a toothpick. When it is inserted and comes out clean, remove the cake and set on a wire rack to cool. 

Meanwhile, mix together the glaze. In a small saucepan, melt together the butter, sugar, rum, water and salt until combined and boiling. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. 

While cooling, the cake will have separated slightly from the edge of the pan. Using a long, thin skewer, poke holes all over the cake. Pour hot glaze over, allowing to soak through holes and around edges of cake. Let cake continue to cool. When cooled, turn cake out onto a plate. The cake may stick and not easily release. You can try gently running a knife between the cake and pan, but this can be difficult with some bundt pans (this could also be made in 2 small/medium loaf pans). 

Enjoy!