The famous Bacardi rum cake recipe: Find out how to make the classic 1970s dessert, step-by-step with photos

How to make the famous Bacardi rum cake: Now make it with regular or pudding cake mix

Article from the St Cloud Times (Minnesota) November 3, 1976

If you’re looking for a dessert that combines all of the best new ideas in cake baking and easy preparation, with foolproof results, try a Bacardi Rum Cake.

This exceptional cake is a pudding cake baked in a ring pan and flavored with Bacardi dark dry rum. You can get a really elegant cake with the addition of a little whipped cream topping, and the artful placement of pecan halves.

The recipe is easy. Just sprinkle chopped pecans or walnuts in the bottom of a well-greased pan, and, after mixing all the remaining cake ingredients, pour over the sprinkled nuts. Then bake one hour. [The full recipe follows this vintage ad.]

Adding pudding mix to a cake recipe assures that your cake will be moist for days, so you can confidently bake one well in advance of a party, and cut down on last-minute preparations.

The real star of the recipe is Bacardi rum. A half-cup goes into the cake mix, and, although [most of] the alcohol in the rum evaporates during the baking, the delicious mellow flavor of the rum remains.

As a ring cake with a simple glaze topping, the Bacardi Rum Cake is adaptable to all kinds of uses. It is just right to offer mid-afternoon or early evening guests, and it makes a great snack for after lunch or at midnight.

And, if you’re planning a picnic, or are the one who has to provide the dessert at a potluck dinner, this cake will arrive just as moist and attractive as when you made it in your kitchen, and is sure to be a hit with everyone.

The rum cake ingredients

Clockwise from upper left: Cake mix, pudding mix, white sugar, water, eggs, pecans, vegetable oil, butter, and rum.

One important note: The original recipe from the 70s used an 18.5 ounce box of cake mix. Over the years, manufacturers have been slowly decreasing the weight of boxed cake mix, and now most are in the 15.25 ounce range, like these at Amazon.

For the recipe you see here, we chose to make the cake just as in classic recipe, despite the three fewer ounces of dry batter. Some people have recommended adding 5 or 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour in place of the missing mix, but we thought it still turned out great.

Stir up the batter

Combine all of the ingredients by hand until thoroughly combined, but don’t overmix the batter. (Room temperature eggs are preferred — you can take off the refrigerator chill by running them under warm water.)

Add the pecans to the pan before pouring the batter

For this recipe, you can use a 10-inch tube pan or a 12-cup Bundt pan. Grease and lightly flour the pan, then line the bottom of the cake pan with your choice of nuts — typically pecans or walnuts are used.

You can scatter chopped nuts in a single layer, like we did here, or can try arranging them in a pattern at the bottom of the pan. (If you want to keep the pecan or walnut arrangement neat, you will need to take extra care when adding the cake batter on top.)

Pour in the cake batter mix

This batter is made with cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil, and — of course — the rum! Pour the cake batter over the pecans slowly and make sure it’s level in the pan, so the cake bakes evenly, and the pecans stay visible on what will become the top of the rum cake.

Bake it for one hour at 325 degrees F. 

While the cake bakes, make the rum glaze

From left to right: 1) Melted butter with water and granulated sugar. 2) The mixture, boiled for five minutes while stirring constantly. 3) Remove the glaze mixture from the heat, and stir in the rum.

Here’s the baked cake, with the bottom on the top

Spreading the rum glaze on the inverted cake

After the cake is baked, let it cool, then invert it onto a serving plate or wire rack.

Prick the top of the cake, and drizzle or brush the rum glaze all over the top and sides. (Don’t forget the sides of the hole in the middle!) Be sure to allow it plenty of time to absorb the glaze, then repeat until the mixture is all used up.

Decorate or serve your rum cake as-is

The cake is now ready to eat and enjoy, and with its moist texture and delicious taste, any additions you choose should be primarily for decoration.

For instance, you may add whipped cream and halved pecans, or dust lightly with confectioner’s sugar and garnish with frosted or powdered fruit, such as grapes or cherries.

You can use whipped cream in dollops, like those seen in the vintage recipe ad near the top of the page, or make borders of whipped cream or frosting, just like they modeled in the 1970s magazine recipe page below. (We used white frosting, and piped it on with this decorating bag.)

Try a slice! (It’s a classic for a reason.)

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Bacardi rum cake

Yield: 16 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

This exceptional Bacardi rum cake is a pudding cake baked in a ring pan, and flavored with dry rum. You may be surprised at how easy it is to make this elegant cake — one that’s perfect for the holidays! Get the classic recipe from the 70s right here.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• One 14.25 ounce package yellow cake mix*
• One 3.4 ounce package vanilla pudding mix**
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup Wesson oil
• 1/2 cup Bacardi rum (80 proof)
• 1/4 pound butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup Bacardi rum (80 proof)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour 10" tube or 12-cup Bundt pan.
2. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. Mix all cake ingredients together (cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil and 1/2 cup Bacardi). Pour batter over nuts.
3. Bake 1 hour.
4. Cool. Invert on serving plate.
5. Prick top. Spoon and brush glaze evenly over top and sides. Allow cake to absorb glaze. Repeat until glaze is used up.
6. FOR GLAZE: Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in rum.

Notes

* We updated the amounts of cake mix and pudding mix to reflect the sizes available today. (They packed more in a box back in the 70s!)

** If using yellow cake mix with pudding already in the mix: Omit instant pudding, use 3 eggs instead of 4, 1/3 cup oil instead of 1/2.

Optional: Decorate with a border of sugar frosting or whipped cream.

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  Wilton Perfect Results Non-Stick Fluted Bundt/Tube Pan, 9-Inch

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 390Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 373mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 1gSugar: 32gProtein: 3g

Click Americana offers approximate nutrition information as a general reference only, and we make no warranties regarding its accuracy. Please make any necessary calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, and consult with a qualified healthcare professional if you have dietary concerns.

The Bacardi rum cake: When people aren’t eating it, they’re talking about it (1976)

We’ve received so much mail from people all over the country, it seems safe to say that the only one who doesn’t like the Bacardi rum cake is the mailman! Here are some typical comments.

“Elegant flavor and out of this world texture.” – Greenwood, Arkansas

“It was quick to make…” – Austin, Texas

“Great! Moist! Tasty!” – Olean, New York

Fabulous. Have made three.” – Williamsport, Maryland

“Delicious party cake…” – Anaheim, California

“Excellent – gave recipe to friends. Now they’re all making it.” – Darien, Connecticut

The history of Bacardi rum cake

Bacardi rum cake made its debut in the 1970s, becoming an instant hit thanks to a mix of clever marketing and easy-to-follow recipes. Bacardi made sure home bakers everywhere got their hands on the recipe by sharing it in magazines and newspapers. Before long, this dessert became a familiar treat in American kitchens.

The recipe leaned into the era’s love of convenience. Boxed yellow cake mix and instant pudding kept things simple, while Bacardi dark rum gave the cake a rich, grown-up twist. The glaze — made with butter, sugar and a generous splash of rum — was the real game-changer. Pouring it over the warm cake created a moist texture and bold flavor that set it apart from the average bake-sale fare.

While it found fame in the U.S., Bacardi rum cake was likely inspired by traditional Caribbean rum cakes, which have been a holiday favorite in that region for generations. Unlike the fruit-and-spice-packed Caribbean versions, Bacardi’s take was streamlined and approachable — perfect for an American audience.

As hosting at home became more popular, this dessert turned into a crowd-pleaser for parties and special occasions. Its balance of rich flavor and quick preparation made it a go-to recipe, whether served as a showstopper at the end of a meal or just as an excuse to chat about how much rum went into it.

Even decades later, Bacardi rum cake is still around, which just goes to show that simple recipes with big flavors never go out of style. It’s a little slice of baking history that’s just as delicious now as it was back then.

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