Pina Colada Cake

This recipe was inspired by the Bacardi Select rum cake recipe, and the fact that I had several flavored rums in my kitchen, but no dark rums. Unfortunately, I was running on very little sleep and a very busy two weeks when I made the cake, and it completely slipped my mind to take pictures while cooking. Oh well. I'll just have to make it again sometime so that I can add pictures!

It did turn out pretty tasty. My very large family, the members of which usually are pretty picky and don't like trying anything new, all seemed to enjoy it, and my grandmother even said that it was even better than the standard rum cake I usually make (which she always LOVED).

I'll admit, the pineapple flavor is a lot stronger than the coconut flavor, so if you don't like coconut, it would still be worth a try. I'm thinking, the next time I make this cake, instead of using milk in the batter, I should substitute it with coconut milk. And, silly me, I have a can of coconut milk sitting in my pantry right this moment... So, anyway... On to the cake!


Cake Ingredients:
    * 1 18-1/2 ounce yellow cake mix
    * 1 1-3/4 ounce (4-serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix (If you can find coconut flavored pudding mix, BY ALL MEANS, use it. Unfortunately, I checked 4 stores and still couldn't find it.)
    * 4 eggs
    * 1/2 cup cold milk (Or coconut milk, for a more noticeable coconut flavor.)
    * 1/2 cup oil
    * 1/2 cup of your favorite coconut rum
    * 1 tbs coconut extract
Glaze Ingredients:
    * 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
    * 1/4 cup pineapple juice
    * 1 cup brown sugar
    * 1/2 cup of your favorite pineapple rum
Optional Garnish:
    * Shredded coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan.

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in pineapple juice and brown sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. If you prefer a thicker glaze (I do!), cook longer, until glaze reaches desired consistency. Remove from heat and stir in rum. (This is where I usually add in my extra cooking time for the glaze, since the rum tends to thin out the mixture too much.) Allow the glaze to cool for 20 minutes or so, until it thickens a bit, making it more likely to cling to and soak into the cake.

Invert cake on a serving plate. Prick top with fork. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Use brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake. While glaze is still wet, sprinkle the cake with the shredded coconut, if desired.