Happy thanksgiving!

This thanksgiving I am thankful for a little Italian woman I met at the farmers market by my old house in Costa Mesa. I went to the same market every Thursday and always bought her tiny bundt cakes. One day I was talking to her about how badly I wished I knew how to make her butter rum cake, so she gave me her recipe. Although I am sworn to secrecy to protect her homemade Butter Rum Cake recipe, I've adapted a slightly different version of the recipe (that tastes almost as good) for your enjoyment. I've made it for the past two Thanksgivings and Christmases and it has yet to disappoint. Happy Holiday baking!

Ingredients:

Batter:

• 1 box Butter recipe cake mix
• 1 small box french vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup light rum
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable cooking oil
• pecans, chopped

Rum Glaze:

• 1/2 cup light rum
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 1 stick of butter

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all batter ingredients together in a large bowl and beat on medium speed until very smooth. Grease and flour and bundt pan and then add your crushed pecans into the bottom of the pan. Once well blended pour batter evenly into bundt pan. Cook for 50-60 minutes, until its a pretty bright golden and brown color.

When the cake is about 5 minutes away from being done, start making the rum glaze. In a large saucepan melt all ingredients together at a simmer, don't boil it! Keep it at a medium to medium low heat. Pour glaze over the cake (while its in the bundt pan) as soon as you take it out of the oven. This will make the cake more spongey and it will more readily absorb the sugary glaze. Let settle for about 40 minutes to an hour then flip over onto a plate and enjoy!!


Your ingredients

The rum glaze

 The finished product!