The last time I was at my parent’s house, I had some time to kill and decided to go through a few cookbooks sitting on the shelf. There was a large book of world international recipes. It was extremely interesting, and in fact, I found quite a few fantastic recipes. This island rum cake was one such recipe, so I decided to make it.
The original recipe stated to bake it in an 8×8 or 9×9 square baking dish. If you don’t have Kitchen Craft Silicone Cake Cups as I do, then this method would be your next best bet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. I personally love the little baking cups. They are super cute but also make perfect servings for many people. These cakes are very soft and spongy in the middle but leave a lovely crispy outer crust on top. It’s delicious!
I feel this is a versatile cake batter. You can change up these cakes to make a variety of flavors. Try substituting pineapple juice or coconut water for the water. Or how about try almond, lemon, or orange extracts in place of the vanilla extract. All these changes stay true to the original rum cakes.
Perfectly sweet toppings.
There are several different toppings that could go perfectly over these little island rum cakes. The first and easiest is a light dusting of powder sugar. It is simple and sweet but also gives a nice presentation look of white sugar over light brown cakes.
A butter rum glaze is another great addition to these cakes. In a saucepan, bring to a boil one stick of butter, one cup white granulated sugar, 1/4 cup rum, and 1/4 cup water for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool. Drizzle on cakes before serving.
Or you can make a buttercream rum frosting. This frosting can be heavy or thinner, depending on your tastes. Blend one stick butter, 16 ounces powdered sugar, three tablespoons rum, 2-3 tablespoons milk, one teaspoon vanilla extract.
Cost to make this recipe.
These little cakes are relatively inexpensive at about $0.43 per mini rum cake. This recipe makes eight small cakes, but you can cook it as one if you like. The entire cake would cost you about $3.45. The majority of the cost coming from the rum and vanilla extract. We make our vanilla, and the cost reduced considerably.
This recipe is adapted from the International Recipe Cookbook. All images and text are all my own and original to One Acre Vintage Homestead – Pumpkin Patch Mountain Homestead. Please visit our disclaimer page for more information on our recipe sharing policies.
Blend together white sugar and shortening. Add in the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
Preheat oven to 350 °F and set out silicone baking cups on a large baking sheet. Pour batter halfway into silicone cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Let cakes cool in silicone cups and then gently remove. Dust with powder sugar or make a rum buttercream frosting or butter rum topping.
