a summer recipe treat: Cuban rum cake!

As I've noted before, along with music, tradition, and the Catholic faith--food is a major part of Cuban (and all Hispanic) culture.

Today's recipe comes courtesy of my cousin Marina Páez, a fabulous cook! 

What makes this rum cake uniquely Cuban, you ask? Choosing Bacardi rum, of course--whose beginning as a company dates back to the 1860s in Cuba!

Rum Cake

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1 181/2 oz. pkg. yellow cake mix*

1 31/4 oz pkg Jell-O* Vanilla Instant Pudding and Pie Filing

4 eggs

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup Wesson oil

1/2 cup of Bacardi dark rum (80 proof)

*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.

Glaze:

1/4 lb butter

1/4 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum (80 proof)

Preheat oven to 325 degree F. Grease and flour 10" tube or 12-cup Bundt* pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour batter over nuts. Bake 1 hour. 

Cool. Invert on serving plate. Prick top. Spoon and brush glaze evenly over top and sides.  Allow cake to absorb glaze. Repeat till glaze is used up.

Glaze: melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in rum. 

An optional idea is to decorate with a border of sugar frosting or whipped cream. But honestly, there's no need.