Dark Rum Cake

I had the privilege of receiving this WONDERFUL recipe from one of my AMAZING friends. How lucky am I?! I really hope that you enjoy it as much as I. So, plan a date with friends, a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy the best of conversation with laughter and tears.
Sending you big hugs
Dark Bacardi Rum Cake
Cake..
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (or mix of both)
1 pkg moist french vanilla or butter flavor yellow cake mix
1 pkg instant FRENCH vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup Wesson Oil ( Wesson is magic in this.. don't sub.)
1/2 cup Dark Bacardi Rum
Glaze (you will make this recipe twice)
1/8 cup butter
1/8 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark Bacardi rum...
If technique counts for anything.... It goes together (into oven) quickly enough once you have your toys.. The glazing is a ritual (twice)... and the worst part is wrapping it up after that second glazing and only getting to say sweet things to it, to gaze at it longingly, and to otherwise manage to ignore it for 3 more days --KNOWING it's in the house.
Step one... Pick your pan,... Preheat oven to 325 on way back. Butter and flour bottom of your pan of choice. Sprinkle chopped nuts on bottom (eventual top) of bundt, or evenly over sheet pan.
Step two..Rhythm.... I work with a whisk.. it makes this thing sing. In pourable mixing bowl whisk Wesson oil, cold water, and the 4 eggs.. When they seem homogeneous and slightly foamy, add rum and whisk briefly again.
Step 3.. Whisk the cake mix in, adding a bit at a time, so that there aren't great lumps. Takes a minute but is worth it for texture. Last man on board is the instant pudding. Don't add it before the cake mix or the thing will tighten up and defy you. You'll notice that the batter will stiffen as the pudding mix is added. Make it quick, make it a thorough mix... Pour/scrap batter into/over nuts in pan Du Jour.
Bake 1 hour. Cool bake pan on a rack (cools quicker/even).
Step 4.. Turn cooled cake out on to a plate (invert to have nuts up..) which will accommodate the glaze run-off. Prick the cooled cake 2/3 of the way through with some sort of skewer (kabob works...) The more holes, the more the glaze will get in.
Glaze can be made for Orthodox folks or 12 Step friendly.
Booze in batter is baked out and rum in glaze can be added either before or after boiling. If you add it before boil, it cooks out- and makes the boil take a bit longer, but I prefer it that way.
Melt butter in pan,... Stir in water and sugar (and rum)...bring to boil (which will be a few minutes coming..) and stir constantly (smaller whisk at my house) boil for 5 timed minutes. If you have yet to stir in rum... Stir it in once boil is over and you remove pan from heat.
Let glaze rest in saute pan, or pour into pyrex measuring cup. It Will cool/set up a bit faster and be much easier to glaze from. Sheet cake will lay there and allow a bit of pouring and spreading of glaze. Bundt will need a bit of finesse, more time and care, and a spoon to pull glaze back up from center hole and around the cake.. Baste my friend.
Wrap up cake... Visit it the following day (12 hours later at least will be enough time for most excess to be absorbed.)
Make another dose of the glaze and repeat the glazing (re-pricking may/may not be necessary). Wrap up the cake again and try to ignore it for 3 days.
During this time it will marinate. I have forced this cake in 2 days exactly once. It was a good cake, but it wasn't the same cake it could have been.
The absolute best news about this cake is that it freezes well. You can go through this aggravation at your leisure at some point in time and once the penance is over freeze slices (tightly wrapped) separately within a larger freezer bag. Bundt wedges/slices will thaw in a heartbeat and have only ever come out from this process (after a few months) even more moist than they went in.
Bonn Chance.