Best Chocolate Rum Cake

Best Chocolate Rum Cake is a devil’s food cake soaked in a sweet milk and rum mixture. Topping it off is homemade whipped cream with, you guessed it, another splash of rum. Garnish with toasted coconut and pecans for an exquisite cake experience.

I can’t think about rum without thinking about pirates, and this cake does pirates proud.

This cake is a play on a tres leches (3 milks) cake with, what I call, “pirate’s milk.” Rum is added to sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, and whipping cream.

Rich and delicious with that hint of Bacardi. You’ll be singing, “Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum…”

Making Best Chocolate Rum Cake

Make a devil’s food cake according to the box in a 13 x 9″ baking dish.

While it’s cooling, make the Pirate’s Milk. Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, and whipping cream. Oh, and don’t forget to add the rum.

Now, pierce the top of the cake with a fork every 1/2 inch or so. Lots and lots of little holes for the Pirate’s Milk to soak into.

Pour the Pirate’s Milk slowly and evenly over the top of the cake. Let it soak in so that every piece is moist and delicious.

Ok, when that’s done, cover the cake with foil and let it sit in the refrigerator for about 3 hours.

This allows full absorption of the Pirate’s Milk, plus time for all those flavors to come together.

Before you turn the oven off, though, it’s a great time to toast the coconut and pecans.

Line a shallow cookie sheet with foil for easy cleanup, because I’m all about NOT washing dishes if I don’t have to.

Spread the coconut and pecans evenly on the sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Stir, and bake another 5 minutes, or until the coconut starts browning.

Don’t do what I do, though, which is to turn away for 1 second too long and everything’s burnt. Keep an eye on it when it starts to brown, because it goes fast at that point.

Let the coconut and pecans cool, then cover for topping the cake later. Oh, and you can turn the oven off now.

Homemade Whipped Cream

Ok, moving on.

Place your large bowl and beaters in the freezer until chilled. Maybe 15 minutes or so? I’ve never timed it, sorry.

Chilling the bowl and beaters makes a big difference, though.

Add the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and rum in the chilled bowl and beat on high. Wait until soft peaks form, then frost the cake.

Sprinkle the toasted coconut and pecans on top and you’re done.

Let There be Cake!

Cake is a great dessert to share, especially when made in a 13 x 9″ baking dish. Check out these links:

• Tropical Carrot Cake
• Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake
• Dark Chocolate Cake
• Mixed Berry Angel Dessert
• Chocolate Lovers Banana Cake (13 x 9″)
• German Apple Cheesecake (13 x9″)

Or, go to the Cakes section on my blog for all the rest.

Best Chocolate Rum Cake

A friend asked me how to make this without using rum. Fair question. It’s not necessarily something you would serve at a kid’s party or an AA meeting.

So, if you’re cRaZy enough to want to make a rum cake without the rum, no problem. Simply leave out the rum in the Pirate’s Milk, and substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for the rum in the whipped cream topping.

By leaving out the rum, it’s a more traditional chocolate tres leches cake, and seriously just as scrumptious. No, really.

Don’t forget to pin one of the pictures to your Pinterest board so you don’t lose the recipe.

Lastly, happy baking and have a super fun day.

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