Rum Cake! Mmmm, rum...

My mom makes a kick ass Rum Cake. It's a little scandalous, really. My parents are basically teetotalers* who don't keep any alcohol in the house EXCEPT the rum for the rum cake. I grew up in a dry city, so it was a big deal when the rum ran out and one my parents, usually my dad, had to go to the store to buy more. He'd walk in after work with the brown paper bag, all solemn about his brief venture into satan's territory. Not surprisingly, this cake was always a big hit at the church socials, where someone was always bound to joke about having "one too many" which is crazy since the alcohol cooks off, but whatever.

*sidenote: my parents will now drink wine occasionally, especially if we are out to dinner and I order a bottle, stating that they can join me, or they can watch me drink the whole damn bottle myself. They usually join in.

Fast forward: So last year when my roommate went to the Caribbean, she came home with at least 5 little rum cakes. Apparently, the only time she ever had rum cake was when her family went to the islands. She gave me one, thinking it was this crazy special treat I'd probably never had, and I was like, "Oh rum cake? That's cool. My mom makes this all the time." This year we were coming back from Aruba and she REALLY wanted to buy a rum cake in the airport, but they were $20 for the little mini-bundt pan ones. TWENTY FREAKIN' DOLLARS!!! I promised her I'd bake her the damn cake myself if she would just PLEASE for the love of God not spend $20 on that tiny little thing.

I got the recipe from my mom, and then played around with it a little bit to make it vegan. My bundt pan is in storage, so I made do with two loaf pans, but it really is prettier if you have a bundt pan to make it that way. I tested it out on my roommate and she gave it her full approval. Even after I told her it had tofu in it. ;)

So, for your enjoyment:

RUM CAKE

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 small pkg. (3 3/4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 light rum
1 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Grease and flour Bundt pan (or two small loaf pans). Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Place cake mix, pudding, oil, water, and rum in a bowl. Mix for a minute. Puree tofu in a blender, pushing down the sides as needed. Add to mixture. Mix well. Pour batter into pan over the nuts. Bake 50-60 minutes @ 325 degrees. Remove from oven. Pierce with toothpick or fork and pour RUM GLAZE over warm cake (while it is in the pan). Let set 30 minutes before removing from pan.

RUM GLAZE:
1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup rum, 1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine (1 stick)

To prepare GLAZE, melt EB in a saucepan. Add sugar, water, and rum. Bring to a boil. (Beware that it may boil over -- be prepared to take it off the stove as needed.) Boil 2-3 minutes. Pour over hot cake.

ENJOY!