When my sister M and husband (?!) M came back from their honeymoon, they brought me something they knew I would love.  Authentic Jamaican rum.  Well, that was just too nice to drink all by myself, right?!  So, I had to turn it into something that I knew others would be able to enjoy with me.

When John and I went to Puerto Rico in 2013, and when I was in Puerto Rico in college, my dad always enjoyed me bringing home some Bacardi rum cakes!  It was fun to try to recreate the ones we enjoyed together.

I spent 2 whole days bathing the cake in some sugary rum syrup (that I might have put on French Toast too, please don't tell anyone!).  There's something very springlike about a cake like this - light and bursting with alcohol.  Hopefully just like our summer!
Yellow Rum Cake (adapted from Gimme Some Oven)
Serves:  10 (1 bundt cake)
Cake:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup dry vanilla pudding mix
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup rum
2 teaspoons vanilla

Rum Syrup:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup rum

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Liberally grease a bundt pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, butter, vanilla pudding mix, baking powder, vegetable oil, milk, and eggs.  Beat well until fully combined.  Blend rum and vanilla into the batter for 1-2 minutes.  Pour the batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

In a small saucepan, combine the syrup ingredients.  Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce to a simmer cooking 5-8 minutes until the syrup thickens slightly.  Remove from heat.

When the cake is warm and still in the pan, prick with toothpicks all over.  Slowly spread about 1/4 of the syrup over the cake.  Let the syrup soak in and add another 1/4 of the syrup - let the cake sit at least an hour, preferably overnight.

Remove from the bundt pan and prick the other side with toothpicks, including the sides.  Spread another 1/4 of the syrup over the top of the cake.  Using a pastry brush, brush the remaining 1/4 of the syrup on the sides and top of the cake.  Cover with plastic wrap to keep the cake moist until serving.

Keep in an airtight container up to 7 days.