Chocolate Rum Cake

Indulge in a decadent and delicious Chocolate Rum Cake this holiday season, where a boozy chocolate rum sauce elevates a fudgy cake made easy with cake and chocolate pudding mixes. Baked in a bundt pan, it’s a simple yet impressive dessert that’s sure to be a hit at any festive gathering.

Welcome to the most luxurious dessert you’ll ever make. This chocolate rum cake recipe is so easy that anyone can make it, even if you don’t have a lot of baking experience. The ingredients work perfectly together to give you a rich chocolate flavor that rivals any restaurant or bakery. 

After one bite, you’ll agree that this is one of the best chocolate cakes you’ve ever made! You could top it with whipping cream, but the chocolate rum drizzle is so perfect that you won’t want to add anything. It’s a rich cake with the perfect amount of spice. Every bite is pure pleasure. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Show off well: This cake looks fantastic on the holiday table. 
• Iconic flavor: The spiced rum complements the cocoa powder and chocolate chips. 
• Perfect for chocoholics: The combination of chocolate and rum is perfection!
• The best thing for parties: This moist cake melts in your mouth. There are never any leftovers.

Ingredients

The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.

Cake 

• Box of Yellow Cake Mix: Using yellow cake mix saves you time from measuring flour and baking soda. 
• Box of Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix: Gives the cake a tasty chocolate flavor. 
• Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract to deepen the flavor. 
• Sour Cream: This makes the cake perfectly moist. 
• Large Eggs: These are the emulsifiers that hold all the ingredients together. 
• Salad Oil: Use vegetable oil for the best flavor. 
• Rum: Any rum will taste perfect with the chocolate. Either dark rum or light rum can be used interchangeably for this recipe.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: These deepen the flavor of the chocolate pudding. 

Drizzle 

• Powdered Sugar: This sweetens the drizzle while thickening it at the same time. 
• Cocoa Powder: This gives the drizzle a rich chocolate flavor. 
• Rum: Use the same kind of rum from the cake. 
• Warm Water: This helps everything mix perfectly. 

Rum Sauce 

• Water: This adjusts how thick or thin the sauce is. 
• Cocoa: This gives the sauce the perfect amount of chocolate flavor. 
• Sugar: White sugar sweetens the sauce and dissolves easily.
• Vanilla Extract: This deepens the flavor of the sauce. 
• Rum: Use dark or white rum for the sauce. 
• Salt: Just a little bit will enhance the flavors of the sauce. 

How to Make Chocolate Rum Cake

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Follow along to learn how to make chocolate rum cake!

This recipe has just three parts – the cake, the drizzle, and the sauce.

• Step One: Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
• Step Two: Combine the dry ingredients (cake mix, pudding, and vanilla) with the wet ingredients (sour cream, eggs, salad oil, and rum) in a mixing bowl.
• Step Three: Beat an electric mixer at high speed for 5 minutes. The batter will be stiff.
• Step Four: Fold in chocolate chips with a spoon or spatula.
• Step Five: Pour batter into a well-greased 10” bundt pan. Make sure it’s greased, not floured.
• Step Six: Bake the cake for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Step Seven: Cool in the pan for 30 minutes before removing from the pan.
• Step Eight: Invert onto a platter, plate, or cooling rack and continue to cool. The cake should be completely cool before frosting.

Make The Chocolate Rum Drizzle 

• Step One:  Using a whisk or a fork, in a medium-sized bowl, mix powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and rum.
• Step Two: Slowly add the warm water until you get a drizzly consistency. It should be a very slow drizzle. If it is too thin, all the drizzle will end up on the plate and not on the top of the cake.

Make The Chocolate Rum Sauce 

• Step One: In a small saucepan, combine cocoa, sugar and water. 
• Step Two: Whisk over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Continue stirring for 3 minutes.
• Step Three: Remove from heat and add vanilla and rum. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.

What to Serve with It

• Vanilla ice cream
• Whipped cream 
• Creamy Fruit Salad
• Peppermint Bark
• Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Variations and Substitutions

• Use a chocolate cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix.
• Sprinkle the cooled cake with powdered sugar instead of drizzle.
• Replace rum with water for the cake, drizzle, and sauce.
• Bake it in a loaf pan to make a chocolate rum bread. Note that the baking time could change.
• Use milk chocolate chips for a slightly sweeter flavor. 
• Add instant coffee to the cake mix to make it taste richer. 

Storage Instructions 

Store the cake in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Warm the chocolate rum sauce before serving.
• Let the cake cool completely to room temperature before adding the rum glaze. 
• Add parchment paper to the bottom of the pan to prevent it from sticking. 

Chocolate Cake Recipes           

Want to make more rich chocolate cakes at home? Here are some of my favorites:

• Chocolate Zucchini Cake 
• Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake 
• Saint Lucian Chocolate Cheesecake
• Chocoholics Chocolate Mousse Cake
• Earthquake Cake

Follow me on Instagram @simplystacieblog, Facebook at Simply Stacie, TikTok @simplystacierecipes or Pinterest at @simplystacie and let me know how you liked this recipe and my other recipes.