I love traveling. About two years ago, some dear friends of ours convinced us to give cruising a try. Now, I'm going to admit- I was a little bit apprehensive. As they mentioned spending a week on a boat, all I could think of was Jack and Rose in the end scene of Titanic, and how I HATE cold water. Being the good friends that they are, they assured me that the waters of the Caribbean were much warmer than that, and that if I could survive the sharks, I would make it just fine. Ok. Not really. They actually assured me that it was an amazing way to to travel to a multitude of places I would likely never all see in one trip any other way, and that all it would take was one sailing and I would be hooked. They were right. We liked the first one so much that we immediately booked another, and another... and 3 more anothers after that over the next couple of years. We managed to get two of them in before good 'ole COVID-19 came in and took all of our fun away. On our last sailing before the fun ended, we paid a visit to Grand Cayman, and the rum cake factory. I watched in painful jealousy as all my closest friends sampled the rich, spongy looking cakes laced with rummy deliciousness, wavering between murderous anger and longing, disappointed tears everytime I had to turn the cake sample lady down, or listen to my husband declare "it's ok, she can't eat it- I'll take hers!" Luckily (for him) we were in a tropical paradise, so I was able to keep both emotions in check. When we returned home, I was desperate to figure out a quick and easy way to replicate the flavors I witnessed and smelled in the Caribbean. This recipe is a quick and simple way to have a little tropical snack yourself when the days of returning back to the cruise ship and the islands seem far away. You can play with cake and rum flavors, as I have over the course of time, but this basic recipe made us all happy. On a side note, much love to those in the cruise industry- we can't wait to be back on a ship with you as soon as we can!
Gluten Free Caribbean Dreaming Rum Cake (to be consumed by ages 21 and over!)
1 box of gluten free yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker when making this recipe, but your favorite will do!)
3/4 cup gluten free spiced rum divided
2-3 cups of gluten free confectioner's sugar
Prepare cake according to directions and bake. Allow to cool. Once cool, poke the entire surface of the cake with a fork, creating small holes. Pour 1/2 cup of rum over the top of the cake, covering surface with a coating so that the top of the cake looks transparent, but you can still see it.
Mix together 1/4 cup of rum and confectioner's sugar to make a thin glaze, adding more rum to thin, or more confectioner's sugar to thicken. Pour glaze over entire cake and allow to sink in.
Slice into small chunks or slices. The cake will be very moist. Serve wearing your favorite pirate hat.