Pioneer Woman’s Mother-in-Law’s Christmas Rum Cake

I first tried this cake when my friend Leslie baked this for me one christmas. The recipe she had did not use pecans, but when I looked for it on the PW's website she had it with pecan. With pecan or not, this is absolutely decadent and definitely one of those cakes that belongs to a christmas meal

Ingredients

•  FOR THE CAKE:
• 1 box (about 18 Oz.) Yellow Cake Mix
• 1 package (3.5 Oz.) INSTANT Vanilla Pudding Mix
• 4 whole Eggs
• 1/2 cup Cold Water
• 1/2 cup Canola Oil
• 1/2 cup Rum (dark Or Light Is Fine)
• 1 cup Chopped Pecans
•  Brown Sugar (optional)
•  _____
•  GLAZE
• 1-1/2 stick Butter
• 1/4 cup Water
• 1-1/2 cup Sugar
• 3/4 cups Rum

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. If desired, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar over the nuts.

Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour batter into pan over nuts. Smooth out ’til the top is even. Bake for 1 hour, or a little less if the pan is black. Do not overbake!

Glaze:

While cake has ten minutes to go, make the glaze.
Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off flame and pour in rum. Stir to combine and reheat for 30 seconds.

Remove cake from oven. Immediately drizzle 1/3 of the glaze on the bottom (top) of the cake. Allow to sit for five minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Prick surface a hundred times with a fork (gently, please.) Slowly drizzle remaining rum glaze all over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Cool to room temperature before serving to ensure glaze has soaked in.
Eat. Enjoy. And don’t feel guilty. It’s Christmastime!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/12/christmas-rum-cake/