Rum Cake with Glazed Pecan Topping #TheCakeSliceBakers

I love me a rum cake.

Maybe I was a pirate in a past life or something.

Cake Beard? Captain Cupcake?

Just kidding, of course. I'm secretly a pirate in my current life.

Hands off 'me rum cake! Arrrgh!

When I saw this choice for this month's Cake Slice Bake, I was immediately drawn to it. The caramelly topping, toasty pecans, and associated holiday vibes sealed the deal for me. Check out the links at the bottom of the post to see what the other lovely bakers made!

If you like to bake and haven't sent out your Christmas lists yet, you should really consider adding the cookbook "Little Everyday Cakes." I have thoroughly enjoyed each (little) bake every month.

The recipes come together easily, don't require that you dirty a bunch of dishes, and are small enough that you don't need to a major occasion to justify making them.

Wow, my coffee looks gross! It's a game I play every day--I make myself a cup of coffee, take one drink, get busy, heat it up and take another drink, and repeat. #momlife

Candace Floyd, the author of this little gem of a cookbook, mentions in the description that many rum cakes call for a box of instant vanilla pudding. But this cake is tender without the processed ingredients.

My family makes the rum cake with vanilla pudding mix, and it is delicious too.

And I am a firm believer that there is no shame in making "semi-homemade" cakes that use ingredients like vanilla pudding.

But it is nice to be able to make a cake from scratch that is not a production. And this cake is tender and delicious, even without the box of pudding.

The only part that might be a little tricky is cooking the topping--you'll need a candy thermometer. A lot of people are intimidated by making caramel, but this one is really easy. And the addition of corn syrup keeps the mixture from the caramel-danger of crystallization.

So don't be scared:) It's not nearly as tricky as other caramels.

My one complaint is that the "vanilla-pudding-mix-rum-cake" that my family makes has a soaking syrup that infuses the buttery, rummy flavor through the sponge. While this cake was delicious, I missed the syrupy infusion. Next time (and there WILL be a next time) I make it, I will probably poke some holes while the cake is still in the pan and drizzle some syrup.

With the caramel pecan topping, it will be OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious.

So unleash your inner pirate and give this Rum Cake with Glazed Pecan Topping a try! It you'll never miss the pudding mix!

Rum Cake with Glazed Pecan Topping

From Little Everyday Cakes by Candace Floyd

Cake:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup whole milk (room temp)

2 T rum

3/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)

1/4 cup regular sugar

2 eggs, room temp

1 egg yolk, room temp

Topping:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

4 T butter

1 T corn syrup

1/2 tsp salt

2 T rum

1/2 cup toasted, chopped pecans

1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease, line with parchment, and flour an 8" round pan

2. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a small bowl.

3. Whisk the milk, rum, and vanilla together in another small bowl.

4. Using a mixer on medium high speed, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy--about 4 minutes.

5. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition.

6. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternate adding the flour and milk in four additions, beginning and ending with the flour mix--until *just* mixed (don't overmix).

7. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly (mine took 27 minutes;). Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then turn out and allow to cool on the wire rack.

To make the topping, mix the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt together in a saucepan. Using a candy thermometer and stirring constantly, cook to 240F (soft ball stage, if you're a candy-maker!). Remove from heat and add the rum--stirring until smooth. Stir in the pecans. Cool slightly, then pour over the cooled cake, spreading the topping to the edges.

Enjoy!

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is Little Everyday Cakes by Candace Floyd. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.