Pineapple Rum Cake

This Pineapple Rum Cake has quickly become a family favorite. With pineapple, dark rum, instant pudding mix, and a boxed cake mix, it’s super easy to put together and tastes even better the next day. I discovered it on a cruise with Princess Cruises to the Western Caribbean and knew I had to recreate it!

I am proud to be partnering with Princess Cruises to bring you this Pineapple Rum Cake. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.
*This post contains an affiliate link(s).

Who doesn’t love cake? This tender cake is full of pineapple flavor, mixed with the sweet, woody notes of rum. It’s the perfect dessert to serve to your guests this holiday season or just to enjoy after dinner with your family. 

Tips for making this Pineapple Rum Cake 

Before we get started, review these helpful tips to make sure your rum cake recipe turns out perfect every time!

Make it easier on yourself and use your favorite boxed yellow cake mix. There is nothing wrong with using a boxed mix. If you’re a purist at heart, then, by all means, make the cake from scratch (you can try my yellow cake recipe!)

Use an instant vanilla pudding mix, NOT a cook & serve.

Prepare a 10-inch bundt pan by spraying the sides and bottom of the cake pan generously with a floured baking spray. I like to use Baker’s Joy. The cake is less likely to break apart or adhere to the pan. 

Use pineapple tidbits, NOT crushed pineapple. You’ll toss the pineapple into 2 tablespoons or so of the dry flour/pudding mixture, to suspend the pineapple in the batter and prevent it from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

Drain the pineapple well and reserve the pineapple juice!

You can make pineapple mini rum cakes with a mini Bundt cake pan. Fill them 2/3 of the way and bake for 28-30 minutes or until baked through.

Pineapple Rum Cake Ingredients

Gather together these simple ingredients to make this delicious cake:

1 box yellow cake mix (15.25 ounces)

3.4-ounce box of instant vanilla pudding

20-ounce can of pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve the juice!)

½ cup reserved pineapple juice

4 eggs

½ cup canola oil

½ cup dark rum

Rum Glaze

½ cup unsalted butter

¼ cup reserved pineapple juice

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup dark rum

What rum is best to use for a Pineapple Rum Cake?

Use dark rum for a bolder rum flavor. The first time I made it, I used white rum, while I used dark rum the next time. I prefer the second one much better with the dark rum, as it has a richer flavor without being overwhelming.
I would steer clear of the flavored rums as the sweetness might alter the final taste of this recipe.

How to Make Rum Cake with Pineapple

This rum cake recipe has just a few extra steps than a traditional cake, but it’s still so easy to make!

First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and prepare your bundt pan by spraying it generously with a floured baking spray. You can also butter and flour your pan.

Drain the pineapple tidbits in a colander placed over a medium bowl to reserve the juice. 

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the dry ingredients (cake mix and the vanilla instant pudding mix). 

Place the pineapple in a small bowl and toss with two tablespoons of the cake/pudding mixture, making sure to coat the pineapple completely.

Add the eggs, ½ cup of pineapple juice, canola oil, and ½ cup of rum to the cake mix, and stir to combine completely. Fold in the coated pineapple tidbits with a rubber spatula.

Gently pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake should be just a very light golden brown. Let the cake cool to room temperature before serving.

How do you make the Pineapple Rum Cake Glaze?

The buttery rum syrup is easy to make! Combine the butter, sugar, and pineapple juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat and boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly so that it reduces and thickens slightly. Remove the glaze from heat, add the rum, and mix well.

Glazing the Cake

Before glazing the cake, use a skewer to place holes into the bottom of the cake while it is still in the pan, about 5 minutes after removing it from the oven. This allows more of the glaze to be absorbed into the cake.

To glaze, brush about 1/3 of the glaze over the cake bottom while it’s still in the pan, after putting the holes in it. Let it sit for about 10 minutes so that it absorbs into the cake. Then place it right side up on a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet, remove the cake from the pan, and brush it slowly with the remaining glaze before transferring it to a serving plate.

Can you make Pineapple Rum Cake ahead of time?

You sure can! I found that while delicious the night I made it, it tasted SO much better the next day, so this will be the perfect make-ahead dessert. Make it as directed, then, when completely cooled, insert toothpicks into the top and cover it gently with aluminum foil until you’re ready to serve it the next day.

Can you freeze Pineapple Rum Cake?

That’s a yes, too! We ate one soon after I made it, and I froze the second half to eat a week later. 

To freeze pineapple rum cake, wrap it in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. This cake will last up to a month in the freezer. Be sure to mark the date on it when placing it into the freezer, so you don’t play any guessing games. 

Place it in the refrigerator to thaw overnight or at least 12 hours before you’ll be serving it.

Serving Suggestions

​Serve up a piece of cake with some whipped topping and maraschino cherries.

Top your dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Serve the cake with some fresh pineapple slices for a garnish.

If you enjoy this Pineapple Rum Cake, take a look at more recipes inspired by my cruises with Princess Cruises!

Double Chocolate Malted Milkshake

Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Bites

Blue Ocean

This Pineapple Rum Cake was gently adapted from this recipe at allrecipes.com.

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This post was originally published May 20, 2019. It has been updated in format and with pictures on December 8, 2023.

During the first week in April of this year, I had the incredible opportunity to go on an adventure once again with Princess Cruises. This time, to the Western Caribbean.

I brought our daughter Emma to celebrate her 25th birthday which was on January 21st.
If you’ve been following my blog for some time then you remember that two years ago I brought our oldest daughter, Alex on their Panama Canal cruise when she celebrated her 25th.

Then last May, I was thrilled to share an Alaska cruise with Kurt. 
Each cruise has been pretty spectacular and it’s become one of my preferred ways to travel. You can just see and do so much that you wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.
Not to mention that the food on board is always outstanding!

One of the excursions Emma and I took during this Western Caribbean cruise was Grand Cayman’s Exclusive East Island Exploration. It was absolutely magnificent. We had a private driver, Christine who took us in her taxi to the eastern part of the island. This side of the island is less traveled than the western side. 

She drove us to different sites, one of our favorites being the Tortuga Rum Factory. OMG, it was super delicious! We sampled some rum and a couple of different rum cakes. I’m seriously drooling now just thinking about how incredible it all was. 

Needless to say, I bought some Coconut Rum. The bottle was conveniently delivered to the ship all wrapped and boxed the day before we disembarked which made it super easy to pack. 

I also bought the 6-pack variety of small rum cakes. We were so in love with them that I knew from the first taste I was going to be making it for the blog. 

I was super excited to take this trip, too because we experienced the Medallion Class featuring the OceanMedallion on board the Caribbean Princess. Once you book your Medallion class cruise, you receive a complimentary Ocean Medallion which opens up a whole new cruising world! Take a look to see the Princess Cruises Offers available now!

When you embark and disembark on these particular ships, you’ll experience a faster and smoother process and open up your stateroom door with ease. You can order food and drinks from anywhere on the ship, have them delivered to you, and so much more. It was pretty incredible.

Also, besides having some much-needed one-on-one quality time with Emma, I was also to spend it with some of my closest friends, Sandra from Dash of Sanity and Erin. Cruises are great ways to celebrate the ones you love and we were able to share Sandra’s 40th birthday that week as well!

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