I decided to start a new series, I will be sharing a few of my favorite holiday baking recipes with you over the next month. All are family recipes, passed down to me. I have been so very blessed over the years to have many, MANY, strong women placed in my life. One of the strongest ones was my Mamie. Before I share her amazing Rum Cake recipe with you, I want to share a bit about her and what made her so amazing to me.
Let me start by saying, Mamie did not start out as my Mamie (i.e. pseudo-grandma). When I was a little kid, I knew her as Janie. She was my Granny's beautician. For years, once or twice a week, I would go with my granny to Janie's Beauty Shop and just sit and look at magazines. Sometimes I would rearrange her perm rollers or clean the bins out. She never minded I did any of that.
Over the years Janie and my Granny became closer and closer, the best of friends. You would not see one without the other it seemed. When Granny passed away, Janie took us all under her wings as we did the same with her. We were forever bonded, knit together by love.
As the years went by I started calling her Mamie instead of Janie, she didn't mind. She always had a kind word to say, but was every bit ornery at times. She had an infectious laugh and her stories were just amazing! She had the biggest heart and would help you in any way that she could. I know I am only scratching at the surface of what made my Mamie so wonderful, there are so many more amazing things about her to share. Mamie was a strong woman, a survivor, a fighter, a friend. She is dearly missed by so many, but her love and the memories we have of her live on in each of us that loved her.
Mamie's Rum Cake
Ingredients
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 3.4 oz pkg Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
1 Cap-full Rum Extract (a little more than 1/2 tsp)
4 Eggs
3/4 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Grease and Flour Bunt Pan.
Sprinkle Nuts evenly in bottom of pan.
Mix remaining ingredients and pour over nuts, in pan.
Bake at 325 for 1 hour.
Remove from oven and cool, in pan, 5-10 minutes. While cake is cooling, prepare glaze.
While cake is still in the pan, poke several holes in the cake.
Pour glaze over the cake, reserving a bit for the top.
Allow cake to sit 5-10 min, remaining in pan, to allow glaze to soak in.
Carefully remove cake from pan and place on platter or cake stand.
Pour remaining glaze over the top of the cake evenly.
Glaze
Ingredients
1 Rounded Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Water
1 Stick (1/2 Cup) Land O Lakes Butter
1 tsp Rum Extract
Directions
In a small saucepan, add Sugar, Water and Butter.
Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in Rum Extract.
Follow glazing directions above to glaze cake.
This cake is so amazingly moist. Even though you are not using much rum extract, the flavor shines through. Yes, you can make this cake using real rum, I am not sure if the amount is the same or not as the extract though.
I hope you enjoyed my first recipe in the new Holiday Baking series, I can't wait to share the others with you!
You can find Land O Lakes Butter, as well as the remaining ingredients at your local Walmart.
