Mom’s Chocolate Rum Cake | A Recipe from the Poplar & Prose Kitchen

The Recipe

Some recipes become part of the rhythm of a life.

This chocolate rum cake has been passed down from my mother, and I've probably had a thousand slices over the years. No kidding, each one is just as good as the last.

Rich chocolate cake, a buttery rum glaze, and homemade whip cream. It tastes like good stories, staying up late, laughter, and home.

And best of all, it's easy. 

The rum may surprise you at first, but you ease into it slowly—and before long, it becomes part of what makes the cake unforgettable.

I hope it becomes one of those recipes that earns a permanent place in your kitchen. The kind that gets pulled out for birthdays, late summers, and ordinary Tuesdays that need a little celebration.

• 1 box chocolate cake mix (not Devil’s Food)
• 1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix
• ½ cup dark rum
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 lb. bag milk chocolate chips
• 12-14 extra creamy Hershey chocolate bells, hearts, or eggs (or whatever is in season) cut in half

Butter Rum Glaze

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup dark rum
• ¼ cup water
• 1 stick butter

Bring the glaze ingredients to a boil for one minute, then remove from the heat. Let cool for a minute or two before pouring over the warm cake.

Instructions

1. Mix together the cake mix, pudding mix, rum, water, oil, and eggs until smooth.
2. Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan.
3. Sprinkle the chopped milk chocolate evenly over the batter.
4. Pour the remaining batter over the chocolate. Don’t stir—you want the chocolate to stay concentrated through the middle.
5. Bake at 325°F for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
6. Cool for about 10 minutes while preparing the glaze.
7. Pour the warm glaze slowly over the cake while it’s still in the pan. Let it rest for 30–45 minutes so the glaze soaks in before inverting onto a serving plate.
8. Serve with homemade whip cream.

A few notes

• This cake is even better the next day.
• Homemade whipped cream is our favorite topping.
• It’s rich enough to serve in small slices—but don’t expect people to stop at one.

Enjoy,

—Poplar & Prose

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