Name: Hurricane Rum Cake
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 700 min
Ingredients: 2 Cups All Purpouse Flour; 1 1/2 Cups Sugar; 3.4 Oz Box Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix; 2 Tsp Baking Powder; 1 Tsp Salt; 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (Softened); 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil; 1/2 Cup Milk (Room Temperature); 4 Large Eggs (Room Temperature); 1/2 Cup Rum; 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract; 2 Tbsp Grenadine; 8 Tbsp Unsalted Butter; 1/4 Cup Water; 1 Cup Sugar; 1/4 Tsp Salt; 1/2 Cup Rum; 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract; 1/2 Cup Passion Fruit Syrup; 1/3 Cup Orange Juice; 2 Tsp Passion Fruit Rum; 1 Tbsp Grenadine; 1 1/4 Cups Sugar; 1 Tbsp Butter

Hurricane Rum Cake Recipe

This boozy, fruity, celebratory cake is a labor of love, but totally worth your effort. Take it step by step, and in no time you will be in Hurricane Rum Cake heaven.

Mardi Gras

Every year, Sarah and I make something new for Fat Tuesday; King Cake, King Cake Bread Pudding, King Cake Cinnamon Rolls…you get the picture. After exhausting King Cake ideas, I thought I would try something a little different. When I think of Mardi Gras, I think of King Cakes, Beads and Hurricanes. Hurricanes are made with Rum, Passion Fruit, Orange and Grenadine, and they are quintencential Bourbon Street cocktails. A couple of years ago, Sarah and I cooked a collection of Cocktail Cakes from King Arthur Flour’s Flourish Blog (Manhattan, Banana Daquiri, Cosmo, Dark & Stormy, White Russian) I knew I could turn this cocktail into a cake, too.

King Arthur Flour Rum Cake Recipe

The base of the Hurricane Rum Cake Recipe is King Arthur Flour’s Rum Cake. I first tried this recipe over Christamas when I was dying to use my new Nordic Ware pan, and it was fabulous. One thing to remember is that Rum Cake is made from Rum! Lots of rum. More rum than any other ingredient. This means that you better pick a rum you like to put in your cake! If you don’t like the rum, you’re not going to be pleased with the results.

Hurricane Rum Cake Ingredients

The Hurricane Rum Cake Recipe is a pretty typical cake recipe with a couple of unique additions. Along with the 1/2 cup of rum, the Instant Pudding helps make this cake moist. There is also a couple of tablespoons of grenadine to help achieve the Hurricane Cocktail Flavor.

Step 1: Bake the Cake

The first step in the Hurricane Rum Cake Recipe is to bake the cake. Mix the batter; dry ingredients first, then slowly adding your room temperature wet ingredients, and pour into your prepared bundt pan. When I say prepared bundt pan, I mean make sure you spray that pan down! The last thing you want to see is all of your effort ruined with a bundt cake that sticks to your pan.

Step 2: Hurricane Rum Cake Soak

After you have baked your Hurricane Rum Cake for about an hour, and a toothpick comes out clean, it is time to make the Passion Fruit Rum Soak. What makes any rum cake special is the day long soaking of buttered rum that makes the boozy cake so moist. To make this a Hurricane Rum Cake, you add Passion Fruit Syrup to the buttered rum. I used Torani Passion Fruit Syrup, but feel free to use any brand, or make your own!

As soon as your Hurricane Rum Cake comes out of the oven, combine all of the butter rum soak ingredients into a small pot, bring to a boil, and then let simmer without stirring for several minutes. Then add about half a cup of Passion Fruit Syrup. While the soak is simmering, poke several holes all over the cake with a skewer.

Leaving the cake in the pan, pour the syrup all over it. Give it as much as it can take, then give it some more. Above you will see some of the syrup pooling on top of the cake – that is exactly what you want to see. Cover the cake with plastic wrap an let it completely cool in the pan. Letting it sit overnight is best.

Step 3: Orange Grenadine Glaze

The final step in turning your traditional rum cake into a Hurricane Rum Cake is the Orange Grenadine Glaze. When your cake is cool, turn it out onto a plate and and cross your fingers that it comes out easily. If it doesn’t come out right away, heat your oven to 350 degrees and put the cake in for a few minutes to warm it up and loosen the syrup.

Now you are ready to glaze. Combine Orange Juice, sugar, butter and grenadine into a small pot. I also added a couple of tablespoons of Passion Fruit Rum, because I am extra! Bring the glaze to a boil, then let simmer for about ten minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat and let the glaze cool. If it becomes too thick after cooling, warm it back up slightly.

Place the cake on a wire rack and drizzle your syrup all over, and viola! The Hurricane Rum Cake is finally finished!

The Verdict

This Hurricane Rum Cake Recipe is one of my favorite bakes ever. The moist cake, the beautiful bundt, and the fruity, boozy flavor that perfectly embodies the Hurricane Cocktail, make this a triumph. It is also a completely fun way to celebrate Mardi Gras! Laissez les bon temps rouler!

5 from 1 vote