Rum Cake

This microwave rum cake is retro 1980s baking at its most ambitious. Devil’s food cake batter splits between two square pans, cooks in six minutes flat per layer, and comes out tender enough to drink up a generous soak of rum once cooled.

The frosting is what sets it apart. This is Italian meringue territory: hot corn syrup drizzled slowly into whipped egg whites while the mixer runs, cooking the whites to safe-to-eat status and creating a glossy, marshmallowy frosting that holds its shape without butter. Apricot preserves tucked between the layers keep the middle from feeling dry and add a fruity counterpoint to the rum. The result lives somewhere between a boozy birthday cake and a grown-up s’more.

Pro Tips

• Use a heat-safe non-metallic pan. Metal arcs in the microwave and wax paper prevents the bottom from steaming into the cake.
• Let cakes cool completely before soaking with rum. Warm cake absorbs unevenly and turns soggy in spots.
• Pour the hot corn syrup into the whites in a thin, steady stream. Dumping it in cooks the eggs unevenly and deflates the meringue.
• Assemble the cake the same day you frost it. Italian meringue weeps if it sits overnight.

Variations

• Swap apricot preserves for raspberry jam or dulce de leche for a different filling vibe.
• Use dark rum for a deeper molasses note, or spiced rum for warmth.
• Replace devil’s food with yellow cake mix for a tres leches lean.