I’m all about old-school and being nostalgic…like say for instance, rum cake. Rum cake is a dessert classic, one of those blasts from the past kind of things? Your grandma probably made rum cake, didn’t she? You remember, it was a divine, scrumptious Sunday dessert. Well, I’m here to tell ya why we must bring back rum cake! This is a super moist cake, I laced the batter with chunks of sweet pears and drizzled  the whole thing with rum.  In case you are not on board yet, let’s talk about the 3P’s. Have you ever seen Mr. Popper’s Penguins?…so funny!! But okay, getting back to the 3P’s:

  1. Poking — You get to poke holes all over this cake. The more the merrier. I’m talking, really go for it. Don’t be shy! We want the rum syrup to seep evenly into every hole. 
  2. Presentation — This is a throw-back recipe. But this is not your grandma’s cake, NO, this is a beautiful, Bundt cake, so appealing!
  3. Perfection — Most importantly, I got the thumbs up 👍 on this one.  Definitely no “meh” here!  If a recipe is blog-worthy, it has to pass the family’s code of approval.   Family feedback: “This is the best cake ever!”

So should we kick it out OR bring it back??  That’s right! Glad we all agree. We’re bringing it back, Good Ole Fashioned Rum Cake, with a modern spin…Let’s dig in!!

5 from 1 vote
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Pear Rum Dum Cake

A moist Bundt cake with chunks of sweet pear, cinnamon and a touch of rum flavor. Topped with a delicious caramel rum glaze . Autumn at its finest!

Course Dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3 large eggs
  • 5 cups peeled pears chopped
  • 2 tablespoons rum (or 2 teaspoons rum extract)

Rum Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 1 tablespoon rum (or 1 teaspoon rum extract )

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a Bundt pan with non-stick spray and flour lightly.

  2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

  3. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until fluffy with an electric mixer (about 2 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time and gently beat after each addition.  Add flour mixture; beat just until blended.  Mixture will be thick. (See Picture of Batter.) Stir in chopped pears and rum or rum extract. After all ingredients are combined, transfer batter to prepared pan.

  4. Bake cake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack.

  5. As cake cools prepare rum glaze. Combine sugar, brown sugar, butter and half and half in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the rum extract. Let cool for about 5 minutes.  

  6. Invert the cake onto a serving platter. Using a fork or a skewer, poke holes all over the cake – the top, sides, and around the inside. Don’t be shy – all of the holes ensure that the rum syrup seeps into the cake evenly. Slowly pour half of the rum glaze over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. You want to do this step very slowly. The glaze should  seep into the cake. You do not want all of this delicious glaze to become a pool on the bottom of the serving dish.(I usually have to tell the guys who are waiting with plates and forks to step back, this is going to take a while.) 

  7. Serve the other half of the glaze with the cake. Best served warm.

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