Recipe: Caramel and Toasted Coconut Rum Cake with Candied Walnuts {#CaptainsTable}

A delicious rum-infused cake with caramel and coconut that is perfect for the upcoming holiday season.

The Captain Morgan brand, along with Chef Hugh Acheson, recently launched the Captain’s Table Challenge, and during this challenge, a handful of bloggers, including myself, will be sharing recipes that we have created using the Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum and Black Spiced Rum. As a devotee of Bravo’s Top Chef, I am no stranger to Chef Acheson and his culinary accomplishments, and as I worked on tonight’s recipe, which happens to use a boxed cake mix and a box of pudding mix, I wondered if he would approve.

Since he is judging all our recipe submissions, I hope so, and I decided that Chef Acheson would appreciate a little efficiency in the kitchen from a working mom. After all, there are so many of us in that position, an accessible recipe is surely a good thing.

When the box of Captain Morgan arrived, I knew I wanted to work with the Original Spiced Rum first. This bundt cake was originally inspired by an old recipe from Jell-O, believe it or not, but I made some drastic changes along the way.

All in the name of lily-gilding deliciousness.

Because, after all, why just have rum when you can have rum with caramel, coconut, and candied walnuts?

The end result? A slightly sweet cake that is perfect for your upcoming Thanksgiving Day table. Because the glaze and caramel sauce are drizzled over the cake, as opposed to frosting, the sweetness is subtle, but not overbearing. A little soft, sweet bite from the toasted coconut, and a nice crunch from the candied walnuts … a simple but sophisticated cake with a hint of Original Spiced Rum, you’ll find yourself making this one again and again.

I am a big fan of social media, and even more so when we can use it for good. The generous folks at Captain Morgan will donate $1 to WhyHunger every time the hashtag #CaptainsTable is used across social media channels this holiday season. Which means if you tweet, pin, or facebook this post with the hashtag #CaptainsTable, a dollar is donated to fight hunger every time. If there ever was a time for sharing, this would be it.

I will be working on developing more recipes for Captain Morgan throughout the holiday season, so if you like rum, there’s plenty more to come. In the meantime, if you are looking for a perfectly classic cocktail recipe to go along with your turkey, you can’t go wrong with a Rum & Coke, with Captain Morgan, natch.

For all things Captain Morgan, and to see the recipes that the other bloggers are creating during the challenge, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Tomorrow? We talk Thanksgiving, as I share a quick round-up of our holiday favorites.

Caramel and Toasted Coconut Rum Cake with Candied Walnuts
Recipe courtesy of Cate O’Malley

Ingredients

1 cup candied walnuts, chopped
1 package white cake mix
1 package 4-serving vanilla instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
3 teaspoons water
1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted

Directions

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. Sprinkle the chopped candied walnuts evenly in the bottom of the pan. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil, and rum. Blend until well combined. Pour into Bundt pan and bake for 60 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pan for 15 minutes.

While cake is cooling, combine the confectioner’s sugar with the water. Once the cake is cooled, remove the cake from the pan, carefully flipping it onto a plate. Drizzle the confectioner’s glaze over the cake. Follow with the caramel topping, and then the toasted coconut.

*I have been compensated for my participation in the #CaptainsTable Challenge and creating recipes.