Traditional Bermuda Rum Cake

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With tropical citrus flavors - and of course lots of rum - this cake evokes memories of lazy days spent on pink sand beaches.  Bring paradise home this summer with this traditional Bermuda rum cake!

Traditional Bermuda Rum Cake

Known for its amazing pink beaches and crystal clear waters, Bermuda holds a special place in my family's heart.  My parents first discovered this beautiful island in 1983, and fell in love with everything Bermuda has to offer.  They went back for their honeymoon in 1986, and have since revisited with my sister and I multiple times.  We were planning on visiting Bermuda again this summer, but will not be able to due to Coronavirus travel restrictions.  My mother's birthday is coming up.  I baked her a rum cake for her birthday, and to bring a bit of Bermuda to her!

Rum cake is a traditional dessert in Bermuda.  It is made using Gosling's black seal rum, which is distilled on the island.  Gosling's rum is a source of pride for Bermudians.  Bermuda rum cake is distinctive from other Caribbean style rum cakes due to its use of this Gosling's black seal rum which gives it a unique flavor.    

I found this recipe on Rocky Mountain Cooking's site, and made some minor changes to add the flavors of lemon and vanilla that are indicative of our favorite rum cakes from the Bermuda Rum Cake Company.

Cake in the oven

How to Make the Best Bermudian Rum Cake

Full recipe details are provided below.  Here are some tips for you to make the most amazing rum cake:

  • Bundt Pan: to ensure your cake comes out of your bundt pan smoothly, you need to coat the pan generously with melted butter.  Next, you need to coat the buttered pan with flour.  This is important, because the flour helps the cake batter to cling to the sides of the pan and rise.  It is also important because the butter creates a barrier between the cake and the pan, which allows the cake to pop out of the pan easily.
  • Rum: the rum you use is very important because it is the main flavor profile used in this cake.  The black rum used in this cake gives it its unique flavor.  The best rum to use for this is, not surprisingly, Gosling's black seal rum.  This rum is found in most government liquor stores.  If you cannot find it, I recommend that you opt for a dark blend of rum that is not spiced.
  • Glaze: let your rum cake cool before pouring the glaze over your cake.  This is important because your cake will better soak up the rum.  Once you are ready to glaze your cake, pierce holes into your cake to allow the glaze to absorb.  Be careful where you pierce, to ensure that you do not collapse any of your cake's design.  I recommend piercing closer to the creases between the peaks in your cake.
Cake cooling on cooling rack

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Traditional Bermuda Rum Cake

With tropical citrus flavors – and of course lots of rum – this cake evokes memories of lazy days spent on pink sand beaches. Bring paradise home this summer with this traditional Bermuda rum cake! I found this recipe on Rocky Mountain Cooking’s site, and made some minor changes to add the flavors of lemon and vanilla that are indicative of our favorite rum cakes from the Bermuda Rum Cake Company.

Author:
Kirsten
Servings:
12
Prep Time:
15
Cooking Time:
45

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 + 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp orange zest (approximately zest of 1 entire orange)
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Gosling’s black seal rum

For the Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup Gosling’s black seal rum

Instructions

For the Cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325F.
  2. Prepare pan by melting 1/4 cup of unsalted butter and letting it cool.  Using a pastry brush, spread melted butter throughout the inside of the bundt pan, making sure not to miss any creases.  Sprinkle the inside of the pan with flour, and rotate pan to ensure the whole pan is covered by flour.  Spread 1/2 cup of pecans on the bottom of the pan.
  3. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and orange zest until the eggs start to form light and fluffy peaks, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
  4. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the baking powder and salt until fully combined into the egg mixture.  
  5. Keeping the mixer speed low, slowly add in the flour until the batter is a consistent texture and flour is fully combined.
  6. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, pineapple juice, whole milk, extra virgin olive oil, and Gosling’s black seal rum.  Keeping the mixer speed low, slowly add the liquid mixture to the batter and mix until fully combined.
  7. Bake the cake at 325F for 40 to 50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  8. Let cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Remove cake from bundt pan onto a cake stand by turning it upside down.  Do not shake, let it come out of the pan slowly.

For the Glaze:

  1. In a small saucepan, melt together the unsalted butter, sugar, pineapple juice, and lemon juice and remove from heat.
  2. Whisk the rum into the saucepan.
  3. Once the cake has fully cooled, pierce the cake all over to ensure it will absorb the glaze.
  4. Slowly pour the glaze over the cake.  Some glaze will initially be left on the cake stand, but will eventually be absorbed by the cake.

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Barbara Saunders
July 2, 2022
Kirsten - Scrambled + Scrumptious