Coconut Rum Cake

Here's the coconut rum cake I made for Dave's birthday - he loves coconut and I'll usually make him a fluffy whipped cream coconut covered layer cake but this year we were camping on his b-day so I needed something a little sturdier and easier to transport... this bundt cake fit the bill. And it's SO good, super moist (super super moist - he just finished it up yesterday and it wasn't dry at all...cuz not even my coconut loving hubby is eating old dry cake!), coconut-y and not overwhelming on the rum flavor. What's not to like?

For this cake you'll need a doctored up cake mix, rum syrup that soaks into the cake, then a coconut rum caramel-like chunky topping (it reminds me of german chocolate cake filling minus the nuts). It might seem like a lot of steps but it comes together very easily - don't be intimidated, you can do it!

For the cake:

1 boxed yellow cake mix
1 small box coconut cream instant pudding (or vanilla if you can't find coconut)
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup coconut rum

Mix all together and pour into a well-greased (click here for a quick tip for greasing) bundt cake pan. Bake at 325' for about 55 minutes until the cake is done (stick a long skewer in it to check).

Rum Syrup:

3/4 cup coconut milk
6 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup coconut rum

In a small saucepan stir together the coconut milk and sugar, warm over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved - be careful to not let it boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the rum.

Coconut Rum Caramel Topping:

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
6 Tablespoons heavy cream
6 Tablespoons brown sugar
pinch of coarse salt
1 Tablespoon coconut rum
1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes
2 Mounds bars chopped into small pieces

In a small saucepan combine the butter, cream, sugar and salt; bring to a boil and cook for a couple minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in the rum. Let it cool and then stir in the toasted coconut and chopped mounds bars.

To assemble the cake:

When the cake comes out of the oven poke lots of holes in it using a wooden skewer - lots of holes means you'll get lots of the syrup into the cake - then slowly pour 3/4 of the rum syrup over the cake letting it all soak in. Let the cake cool in the pan, then invert onto a serving plate and brush the remainder of the syrup over the top. Spread the coconut rum caramel mixture evenly across the top. I sprinkled a little coconut over top just for looks, but it really didn't need it!