Easy Cinnamon Spiced Rum Cake Recipe

With notes of vanilla and spices, this easy Cinnamon Spiced Rum Cake recipe is moist and delicious!

With a boxed cake mix and some spiced rum, this cake works perfectly as a dessert or a brunch cake. It’s fantastic at the holidays, but we eat this all year long!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Don Q rum. All opinions are 100% mine.

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A favorite holiday dessert

I’m always looking for different cake ideas for the holidays. But with all the other chaos and stress, it has to be simple.

This easy Cinnamon Rum Cake Recipe is perfect. Plus, when you’re done baking, the rum is perfect for sipping!

I love a good bundt cake, don’t you? No icing required and they still look pretty great. This cake is super easy to make and so tasty.

It’s similar to the wine cake that I make but I wanted to switch around the flavors and use rum instead.

It’s a great cake for breakfast or holiday parties or a snack or a hostess gift. Really! 

What type of rum should I use

You can use any rum for this, but with its notes of molasses, and dark caramel plus hints of vanilla, cinnamon and honey, I knew the Don Q Gran Añejo would be perfect in a holiday cake.

It’s a spiced rum that is full of flavor! You can use white rum, but it will have a little bit of a different flavor.

And if you don’t want to use real rum, you can use rum extract. For this recipe, you would substitute the spiced rum with about 4 TBSP of rum extract.

I skipped the traditional rum glaze you usually find on a cake in favor of a cinnamon crumb. A crumb is a perfect way to add more flavor and texture to a cake.

I love to start with a boxed cake mix when baking. I always look for time savers and that really does help cut out some measuring, etc. They’ve also done the work for you so you know what to expect each time.

Boxed cake mixes are also a great base that can be easily modified to become something extraordinary.

I’ve used them to create a bunch of quick and easy desserts with cake mix.

How to make Spiced Rum Cake

Scroll down to the end of the post for a printable recipe card with full measurements and more detailed instructions.

Ingredients

I love to gather all the ingredients before I start to keep things quick. Unlike my dump cake recipes, you will need some ingredients to make the boxed cake mix base. Eggs, water and oil are pretty basic.

But to really make this cake sing, you need the spiced rum and a small box of vanilla cake mix.

The cinnamon crumb is also super easy to make, as it’s just brown and white sugar mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg and a little ginger.

Directions

To make your holiday rum cake, use a stand mixer and add the oil, eggs, and water.

Add the spiced rum then beat until combined.

Add the pudding (unmade, just the powder straight out of the box) and the boxed cake mix and beat for approximately 5 minutes on a medium speed.

The depth of flavors from this aged rum is so perfect for holiday baking. 

To make the cinnamon crumb, add the sugars and spices to a small bowl and mix. Set aside for just a second.

I sprinkled it on the top (or bottom, when inverted) of the cake. But the cinnamon crumb was so crazy good, I decided that this cake will be even better with more crumb!

So while my finished pictures show it just on the top/bottom, trust me, you want more layers! 

Pour the first half of the rum cake batter in to your prepared bundt pan.

“Prepared” just means I spray it with cooking spray. A legit baker would probably butter the pan and coat it in flour, but I’m lazy and willing to take my chances with spray.

Add a layer of the cinnamon crumb, then add the rest of the batter. Finish it off with more crumb. 

Pop it in the oven. 

Let cool for a few minutes and then invert on to a plate. You can see the cinnamon crumb crumbling off.

This is not the cake you’ll enter into a beautiful cake contest. But in a taste test? WINNER! This cake tastes like the holidays.

Want to make it even more festive? Dust the top with a little bit of powdered sugar! 

The notes of vanilla and dark caramel in the spiced rum really come through and compliment all the other flavors so well.

More desserts that are great for the holidays

• Fake a Croquembouche with this easy Donut Hole Tower! This is a fun breakfast idea for holiday mornings.
• Oreo Cookie Balls are delicious and fun treats to share with friends and family.
• We make these Cinnamon Walnuts every year as the perfect sweet snack!

Want to keep things boozy? Try more of these spiked treats!

• Prosecco Cupcakes are a celebratory dessert that are infused with sparkling wine. Yum!
• Guinness Brownies are a tasty treat that are spiked with dark beer and topped with Beer Whipped Cream!
• Explore all my Alcohol Infused Cupcakes to find one that is inspired by your favorite cocktail.

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This quick and easy Cinnamon Spiced Rum Cake is a delicious breakfast or dessert idea that you’ll love!

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