I love rum cakes…I’ve been trying to make my very own version of this flavored butter cake recipe but I can not seem to get the same color and distinct vanilla rum taste. How do I do that? ( Agnes of Bacolod )

Jun Jun: Hi Agnes of Bacolod, the type of rum cake that you tasted is one that is made using a yellow cake mix that is available in your favorite grocery. You use rum instead of water and this will give you the rum cake type you are looking for. The flavor, taste and color can not be done using a recipe from scratch since a cake mix already have such flavorings, color and taste enhancer to make sure to have such appealing character. You must also put a syrup flavored with rum that must be poured into the cake while it is still warm.

Adoree: Agnes, if you want to come up with a very yellow cake and one that has a prominent vanilla taste, you can opt to use an instant yellow cake mix. Using this will not only give you the result mentioned, it will also give you more uniform-sized cake crumbs and the same velvety texture every time you make rum cakes. On the other hand, if you’d rather make rum cakes from scratch and you just want the dense, velvety texture, you can use a butter cake recipe with vanilla pudding. The vanilla pudding will give the desired texture as well as the vanilla taste.

Jun Jun: The syrup in rum cake is very crucial to the taste of the final product. You have to make sure that you never boil the rum with all the other ingredients. Rum will evaporate and its taste will disappear. Boil all the ingredients except the rum, let simmer until all the sugar has melted. Remover from heat, add rum. You must pour hot syrup while cake is still very warm so that it will absorbed very well.

Adoree: If you want the rum flavor to be prominent, you may add more rum into the syrup. Just remember to add the rum off the fire, after the syrup had been made.

I have a very hard time releasing my rum cake from the bundt pan especially after it has cooled down. I usually pour the syrup then I let the cake totally cool while absorbing the syrup overnight. The next day, it’s the fight of the century. Even if I get to remove it, my cake tend to look like a massacred leche flan since most of the top is left on the pan itself, since this happens I stopped selling my rum cake, saying masarap pa naman. ( Celine of Quezon City )

Jun Jun: Since I just told you that you must pour your hot syrup on a hot cake, usually the cake will get stuck on the pan as it cools, your syrup has sugar and fat and as it changes temperature it will solidify and will cause the stickiness of the surface of your cake creating all those manholes. The best solution to this is, after baking, cool your cake for five minute, immediately remove your cake from pan, if you greased and floured it well, this will be an ease. Rest it on a wire rack and this is where you will pour the syrup. This method is more tedious since you will slowly pour the syrup, so that the cake can slowly absorb it, whatever drips from the cake you brush again. Easier diba?

Adoree: This seems to be a common problem with bundt pans. Celine, don’t give up on selling your rum cakes. Follow these guidelines and I’m sure you will not have this problem anymore. First, be sure to generously grease your bundt pan with shortening then dust it with flour. You can check if you have fully greased the pan by looking if there is still any shiny part on the pan after you have coated it with flour. Be sure to double check on the grooves of the pan. This is where we usually missed a spot. After you have baked the cake, make a lot of holes on top using a cake tester. Pour about half of the hot syrup on the holes, careful not to pour on the sides of the bundt pan. Do not wait for the cake to cool completely before unmolding. As soon as you’ve seen that the syrup is already absorbed by the cake, loosen the sides and invert the cake on a cooling rack. Brush the remaining syrup on top of the cake after you have unmolded it.

Jun Jun: If you are using ingredients for commercial use, you try and use products that are cheap, you are bound to sell that cheap too, if it’s too expensive no one will buy it. If it is for your family, go ahead and splurge….I know what type of rum you are talking about, I don’t find that much difference, our country is one of the best producers of rum so support that, we have very cheap and tested ones. Buy products made in our country, be proud!

Adoree: I absolutely agree with Jun Jun. Our local rum is very competitive as compared with most foreign brands in terms of taste. Actually, I have several friends who are now based in the U.S.A. who always take several bottles of our local rum with them back home each time they come here for a visit, to gift their American friends and colleagues. They say their Americans friends love our rum. So Lailani, go ahead and use our local rum for your rum cakes.

Jun Jun: Yes, that was me…..ok ba? That orange cashew cake is to die for…..one of the best I’ve ever made…..for that group, it was worth it…….hehehe.

VERSION RECIPE SARAH’S RUM CAKE