Rum-Soaked Honey Pound Cake is a delicious harmony of rich honey, vanilla, and rum flavors that looks really fancy but is super easy to make!
Why We Love Pound Cake Made with Honey
- If you’ve been waiting for the right recipe to come along to use that amazing Bundt pan hiding away in the cabinet, then your wait is over! Rum-Soaked Honey Pound Cake is the perfect cake to make!
- Honey pound cake is the perfect balance of sweetness. So it fills that sweet tooth craving without giving you a sugar knock-out.
- Delightfully boozy, this pound cake with rum is wonderful to serve at any grown-up get-together! If you’re trying to keep things family-friendly, leave off the rum glaze and let the adult drizzle it over their own slice of cake.
- Like all good pound cakes, this toothsome, buttery cake should not be missed. If you don’t have a Bundt pan, don’t let that stop you from making it! Check out the tips section below for how to make a loaf version of this Rum Soaked Honey Pound Cake.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Pound Cake with Rum
HONEY POUND CAKE
WET INGREDIENTS: You will need softened unsalted butter, honey, eggs, and vanilla extract.
DRY INGREDIENTS: For this recipe, you will also need all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
RUM GLAZE FOR POUND CAKE
WET INGREDIENTS: For the glaze, you will need silver rum, such as Bacardi Superior, vanilla extract, water, and unsalted butter.
DRY INGREDIENTS: Granulated sugar will also be used to make the glaze.
How to Make Honey Pound Cake
Jump to RecipeSTEP 1 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and grease a Bundt pan well. Using a large bowl or a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, and then add the honey and beat for another minute. Add the eggs one at a time to the mixing bowl and combine, followed by the vanilla extract.
STEP 2 In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half of the flour mix to the wet ingredients and beat, followed by the last half of the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
STEP 3 Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool.
STEP 4 To make the rum glaze for the pound cake, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, water, rum, and vanilla extract and mix well. Continue stirring the glaze and cook until the sugar has dissolved and then reduce the heat to medium-low.
STEP 5 When the pound cake comes out of the oven, pour half of the glaze over the cake and allow the cake to cool completely.
STEP 6 Place a serving plate over the top of the Bundt pan and turn the pan over to release the cake onto the plate. Reheat the glaze for a bit to make it smooth again and then pour the glaze over the top of the cake. Serve the honey pound cake immediately.
Tips & Tricks
- No Bundt pan? No problem! Prepare the batter as written and pour it into a greased loaf pan. Bake the cake at 325 degrees F for 45-60 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Halve the glaze ingredients and prepare the rum glaze as written. Soak the loaf with the rum glaze and then serve.
- To make your own miracle pan release so that your pound cake comes out beautifully, combine equal amounts of vegetable shortening, flour, and vegetable oil. (I usually use 1 tablespoon of each.) Brush a generous amount in the Bundt pan to ensure your cake releases easily.
- After you pour the glaze over the cake, allow it to soak up the glaze before turning it over onto a serving plate. This will give the cake tons more sweet rum flavor! Also, save some of the rum glaze to serve on the side or drizzle over the cut pieces of cake.
- Store any leftover rum pound cake in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Rum Pound Cake Recipe FAQ
What is the secret to a good pound cake?
To make the best possible pound cake, check your ingredients, make sure the ingredients are at room temperature, and don’t overmix. First, check your ingredients to make sure nothing, even your flour and baking soda, is expired so that your cake turns out delicious and fully risen. Using ingredients that are at room temperature means that less stirring is needed to mix everything, which means less chance of overmixing and creating a dense cake. Lastly, baking pound cakes at a lower temperature will help the cake to cook without drying out.
What’s the difference between bundt cake and pound cake?
The only real difference between any cake and a Bundt cake is that Bundt cakes are made in a Bundt pan! You can put just about any kind of batter into a Bundt pan and the result will be a Bundt cake. However, to make a pound cake, which can be turned into a Bundt cake or made in a loaf pan, you need equal amounts of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter.
What makes a pound cake dry?
There are a few reasons why a pound cake can come out dry, the first being that too much flour was used. Scooping the flour into a measuring cup and scraping away the excess is a great way to make sure you don’t use too much flour or you could use a food scale to measure out the correct amount of flour. Check your oven temperature as well. An oven that runs too hot can cause a dry pound cake or simply baking the cake higher than 325 degrees F. If you know your oven runs hot or you are worried about overbaking the cake, be sure to test for doneness around 10 minutes earlier than the recipe calls for.
Other Recipes You May Like
- Angel Food Cake From Scratch
- RumChata Poke Cake
- Lemon Bundt Cake with Strawberry Frosting
- Almond Poppy Seed Pound Cake
- S’mores Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
Rum-Soaked Honey Pound Cake
Ingredients
Honey Pound Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 5 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Rum Glaze
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup silver rum (I used Bacardi Superior)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Honey Pound Cake
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease the inside of a bundt pan. (see note) Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the honey and mix for 1 more minute.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two additions, mixing until just combined after each addition.
- Pour the batter evenly around your prepared bundt pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (The center is halfway between the outer edge of the pan and the flute in the middle.)
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Rum Glaze
- When the cake is about 10 minutes from being done, start the glaze. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, and then add the sugar, water, rum, and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
- Cook, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and all the ingredients have melted together. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir occasionally to prevent the glaze from forming a skin.
- Once the cake is out of the oven, pour half of the glaze over the top of the cake (This will become the bottom of your cake later.)
- Allow the cake to cool to room temperature. (Turn off the heat for your glaze while the cake cools.) Once the cake has cooled completely, place a serving plate over the pan (bottom of the plate facing up). Invert the whole thing so the cake comes out of the pan right onto the plate.
- Once the cake is out of the pan, reheat the glaze until it is smooth again. Pour the remaining glaze all over the top of the cake and allow it to soak in. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Make this cake in a loaf pan: Prepare the cake as directed. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 325 degrees F for 45 mins to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Make a half batch of the rum glaze and soak the cake as directed.
- I like to use “miracle pan release” to grease the bundt pan. Mix together equal parts flour, vegetable oil & shortening until smooth. I usually use about 1 tablespoon of each.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
Jenni says
Stuck or not, that is one gorgeous cake! Beautiful flavors, too–I am so glad you enjoyed your time with Dorothy and Toto, and I’m thrilled you chose such a special cake to make! xo
Julie says
Thank you, Jenni! After having Dorothy, I totally want to buy that cake pan so I have my own. I can’t wait for the recipe book!!
Karin says
That looks like heaven. My mind has already started to wander to lime zest and maybe even toasted coconut on top. Oh the possibilities!
Talithia says
Ok maybe it’s just me but, when do I add the honey ? I’m making thus for Mother’s Day. Sounds delish!
Julie says
The honey goes in after you beat the butter and sugar together, and before the eggs. I’ve updated the recipe card as well. So sorry about that!
Kelly says
Looks delicious. Loving that fancy bundt pan!
Helenita Galera says
Ohhh, how i wish we had a “traveling pan club” here in Brazil !!!!!!! what a wonderful idea, girls…and i’m going to make this recipe for the holidays !!!! TY
Julie says
I hope you love it! It’s one of my favorites to serve for Christmas.
Tammy Glasgow says
Julie,
I am making this cake this weekend for my family get together. I have one question. Exactly when do I flip the cake over? I see in the instructions for the glaze on step 4, you state this will be the bottom of your cake later but I didn’t see the step where it became the bottom. I just want to make sure I do this exactly as you did so it will turn out fantastic.
Julie Espy says
Hi Tammy! Sorry for the delayed reply!! I’ve been traveling for the past two weeks. You want to turn the cake out after it cools completely, and then top with the reserved glaze. Thank you so much for pointing this out. I’ve updated the recipe card so everyone will know what’s up. I appreciate you!
Marilyn Coughlin says
Delicious cake, very potent as well. I was careful to keep the glaze from boiling, so as not to evaporate the alcohol. I also added a spoon of honey to the glaze because I love honey so much!
Robert says
I like cooking the alcohol I would like Moore of the same Recipes