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Caribbean Coconut Rum Cake: A Vacation For Your Mouth
Coconut rum cake minis–the infamous Caribbean delight packed with coconut and booze and made into portable portions. Think dense, tender cake soaked in the syrup of dreams. Best of all, anyone can make them!
Rum cakes are an iconic Caribbean treat that came from a mix of European and indigenous cultures. And while I’ve had my fair share of rum cakes, this recipe is inspired by one of my favorite rum cake bakeries in New York. It’s the perfect combination of dense, buttery crumb and boozy, coconutty rum.
What makes this recipe different from other recipes floating around the internet is the use of coconut milk. Infusing the cake with rich coconut milk gives you a moist cake that’s packed with fruity flavor. But the journey doesn’t stop there! This cake gets super-soaked in a sugary-sweet syrup made with rum. Because too much of a good thing is… even better.
Prepare to embark on a culinary journey that will transport your taste buds to the sun-kissed shores of the Caribbean!
Table of Contents
INSPIRED BY AN AUTHENTIC CARIBBEAN COCONUT RUM CAKE BAKERY
This recipe is inspired by one rum cake from the Goodway Gourmet Bakery in Troy, NY. I had their coconut rum cake at a festival a few years ago and it’s still one of the best cakes I’ve ever had in my life. And that says a lot because I eat a lot of cake. The cakes come in an assortment of flavors, but my favorite is the coconut rum. It’s a dense, buttery cake soaked in a boozy glaze. The stuff of dreams, really.
If I remember correctly–and mind you it’s been a few years–the owners are from Jamaica. You have to go to the source if you want an authentic rum cake. This place is the real deal!
Caribbean rum cakes can be traced back to the colonial era when European settlers made their way across the pond. They brought with them the art of distilling rum and mixed it with local sugar cane. As a result, Caribbean rum became a big industry. The sweet, golden elixir quickly found its way into the local culinary traditions.
Originally, rum cakes were made by soaking dried fruits in rum to preserve them during long voyages. These early versions were rustic and simple. They had the usual suspects like flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and of course, copious amounts of rum. Over time, the cakes gained popularity and different parts of the Caribbean created different versions.
Cue the coconut version.
Although there’s not a rum cake I haven’t loved, the coconut rum cake tops the charts. The addition of coconut brings out its sweetness while making the cake itself moist. And while the coconut rum cake I had didn’t have coconut in it, I put it in my recipe because I like the texture. Top it off with a coconut glaze to carry the flavors through for a coconutty experience top to bottom.
IS COCONUT RUM CAKE A BUNDT, POUND CAKE, OR FRUITCAKE?
Technically speaking, coconut rum cake is a bundt, pound cake, and fruit cake. To some extent, that is. It doesn’t have candied dried fruits in it that constitute a traditional fruit cake. It does, however, have the characteristics of a pound cake and bundt cake.
What’s a Rum Cake?
Rum cakes are typically categorized as cakes that include dried fruits soaked in rum. This was partly done to preserve the cake as much as it was for flavor. Some recipes for rum cake use a dense, bready textured cake. This cake soaks up more rum and keeps its form when soaked. While some recipes include dried fruits like raisins, cherries, or citrus peels, this recipe just uses coconut.
There’s two main versions of the rum cake. The first is a blond cake that can have dried fruits in it. Sometimes it’s just soaked in rum. The other version is the Jamaican black cake. This cake features a whole lotta everything in it. Booze, nuts, extracts, sugar, more booze, spices, and everything else nice! If you’ve never had one, try it. It’s good.
What is Pound Cake?
Pound cakes refer to recipes that use pounds as the ratio for its ingredients. Things like a pound of flour, pound of sugar, and pound of butter. The result is a dense, tender crumb that’s packed with butter flavor. You’ll often find pound cakes baked in a loaf pan and served as slices.
So What’s Bundt Cake?!
What makes a recipe a bundt cake versus a pound cake is actually really simple: the pan it’s baked in! Bundt cakes are also a dense loaf cake. They tend to have a drier texture than a true pound cake, but both will have a tender crumb. It can also describe a recipe for a loaf cake that doesn’t follow the pound-to-pound ratio.
For this recipe, I recommend using a bundt cake pan only because they’re prettier. Feel free to use any type of pan that you have and adjust the cooking time accordingly. It really doesn’t matter.
USING COCONUT MILK IN COCONUT RUM CAKE
Coconut milk is an important part of this recipe, so please don’t swap it out for a substitute. Using coconut milk helps make this coconut rum cake taste extra coconutty. It adds a subtle sweetness and a very light and delicate coconut flavor.
If you follow my blog or watch my videos, you might hear me say a lot that I like flavor. I always add double the amount of extracts and spices than what’s listed on my recipes. In the case of coconut rum cake, I always add coconut extract, too. Not everyone likes the taste of it. If you like a more delicate flavor, leave it out.
Coconut milk also helps with the texture and moisture of the cake. I wanted my coconut rum cake to mimic the one I had in New York, and that one was so moist and had the softest crumb. Coconut milk contains a higher fat content than regular milk, which makes for a moister cake. It also helps with that soft and dense crumb I was going for. Coconut milk was the solution!
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST COCONUT RUM CAKE
I’ve taken the liberty of making all the coconut rum recipes and tasting them all so you didn’t have to. It was a valiant effort, and I’m pleased to report my findings.
1. Don’t substitute the rum. Rum is a big part of the flavor profile for coconut rum cake. Because of that, I would not recommend swapping it out for anything else. I also would not recommend substituting or using rum extract, which has a different taste. If you absolutely need to swap out booze for this cake, use a non-alcoholic wine. But you probably should just pick a different recipe at that point.
2. Cream the butter and sugar. Creaming the butter and sugar for an extended amount of time affects the texture of the cake. One of the biggest mistakes bakers make is not creaming the butter and sugar when a recipe calls for it. Creaming means to whip the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. The color of the batter will get lighter when creamed properly.
3. Use more glaze (and rum) than you think you need. The recipe makes a lot of syrup, and I know it looks like a lot of syrup, but use as much of it as you can. After all, this is coconut rum cake and not “cake with an essence of rum.” For the minis, I use all of the glaze that I make in this recipe. If I make them ahead of time, I will make a second batch of the glaze and tumble them in it again before serving.
4. Give these rum cakes time to rest. When I owned a bakery, so many customers would tell me how surprised they were that cakes tasted better the second day. Most cakes and cookies taste better after a day or two. This is because the flavors have had time to cure and marinate and do all kinds of nice things. Coconut rum cake is one of those recipes that needs at least a day or two to fully cure.
5. Use high quality ingredients. This is one recipe where you don’t want to skimp on the rum. Choose a brand that you like to drink because you will taste its flavor in the cake. For my coconut rum cake, I like Malibu coconut rum. It’s also the original rum used in the first coconut rum cake I had in New York. Make sure to use fresh shredded coconut, too. Coconut can go rancid very quickly.
CELEBRATING CARIBBEAN HERITAGE
Rum cakes of all kinds, including coconut rum cakes, are an iconic part of Caribbean culture. They’re often served during festive celebrations and special occasions in the Caribbean. They’re particularly popular during Christmas, weddings, and birthdays. But to be honest, coconut rum cake is good any time of the year!
These cakes are deeply rooted in Caribbean heritage. The region is known for its abundant coconut trees and incredible rum. Coconut rum cake is often seen as a symbol of hospitality and generosity in the Caribbean. It’s one of those desserts that locals will have on hand to offer to guests.
While there are a lot of major brands that make coconut rum cake, the best ones are the ones made from scratch. The time it takes to craft something and share it with others is the best way to honor the Caribbean culture. When you share a cake, or any dessert really, you’re sharing a part of yourself with others. And that is the best gift one can give!
CARIBBEAN COCONUT RUM CAKE RECIPE
Yield: 12-16 Minis
CARIBBEAN COCONUT RUM CAKE
Coconut rum cake minis–the infamous Caribbean delight packed with coconut and booze and made into portable portions. Think dense, tender cake soaked in the syrup of dreams. Best of all, anyone can make them!
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
- Cake
- 3 ¼ Cups AP Flour
- 2 ½ Tsp Cornstarch
- 2 ½ Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Cup Salted Butter, Softened
- ⅓ Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 4 Eggs
- 1 ½ Cup Coconut Milk
- 1 Tsp Coconut Extract
- ½ Cup Dessicated Coconut
- Glaze
- ½ Cup Coconut Rum
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Cup Water
- Topping
- ½ Cup Powdered Sugar, for Dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Generously spray a silicone mini bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly before each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, making sure to mix everything in evenly.
- Add in the oil, coconut milk, and coconut extract. Mix everything until combined.
- Add in the flour mixture and desiccated coconut. Mix on low until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix again on medium high for 30 seconds, just to make sure everything is cohesive.
- Spoon the batter into the bundt pan molds. Fill them up almost entirely full. Spread the batter evenly.
- Bake the minis in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- While the cakes are baking, make the syrup. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Heat the mixture until the sugar fully dissolves. When it’s done, pull it off the heat and let it cool slightly. Add in the rum and give everything a mix.
- When the cakes come out of the oven, prick them with holes. Spoon a generous amount of syrup onto the cakes and allow it to soak in. Keep adding syrup until it won’t soak up any more.
- When the cakes are cool enough to handle, carefully remove them from the molds and let cool completely.
- For best results, let sit overnight to marinate before enjoying. I like to give them another soak and a light dusting of powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
These cakes can be left at room temperature for up to 1 week or frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
IF YOU LIKE COCONUT RUM CAKE, CHECK OUT THESE RECIPES:
HOW YOU CAN CELEBRATE CARIBBEAN STYLE
At Olivia Goes Global, we believe every day has something wonderful to celebrate! We love to make at least one coconut rum cake a year. Partly because we don’t live in New York anymore, partly because we don’t live in the Caribbean yet, and partly because the cravings are strong. Add these traditional bakes to your confectionary routine in honor of Caribbean culture!