Can Rum Cake Make You Drunk? A Helpful Guide To Rum Cakes

Last Updated on January 26, 2022

Rum cake is a delicious holiday treat that can be made in many ways. One non-changing factor, however, is that it contains alcohol. So, can rum cake make you drunk?

This is one of the most-asked questions regarding this delicious cake. Today, we will be looking at exactly how alcohol works and reacts when it is baked in rum cake, and whether or not it can make you drunk.

What Is Rum Cake?

Rum cake is a traditional Caribbean dessert that is served over the holiday season.

This cake is very similar to the more well-known fruit cake. But, it has a much lighter and less dense texture. Depending on where you are, there are a few variations of this delicious dessert.

More often than not, the rum cake is made with plums and raisins that are soaked in rum. Also, brown sugar is a common addition and is used to make a bittersweet caramel.

In Trinidad, the dried fruits are soaked in cherry brandy. In Puerto Rico, their rum cake is called Bizcocho de Ron. This version is made with a sponge cake that absorbs the rum from the soaked fruit. Usually, they use raisins or golden sultanas to make Bizcocho de Ron.

Does rum cake have alcohol?

Rum cake does contain rum, hence the name. The reason people always ask, “Does rum cake have alcohol?” has to do with how alcohol evaporates when it is heated during cooking.

Alcohol does evaporate from the liquid base while it is heated. Unfortunately, or fortunately, rum cake isn’t heated to such a high temperature where all of the alcohol does evaporate. This means that there is still a significant amount of rum left in the cake once it has been baked.

The dried fruits are soaked in rum for anywhere between a couple of days to a couple of months. Naturally, this ensures that they become fully hydrated with rum.

Some recipes also require the actual cake part (the black cake) to be soaked in rum. So, as you can see, the exact amount of alcohol in a rum cake definitely varies from recipe to recipe. However, no one can question whether or not a rum cake contains alcohol. Now, the real question is, can rum cake make you drunk?

How is it made?

Traditionally, a variety of dried fruit is soaked in some rum a couple of months prior to being needed. This re-hydrates them and adds a rum flavor. Alternatively, you can soak your dried fruits for a couple of days. You can even cook them in rum for a few minutes to re-hydrate them quickly.

These soaked fruits are eventually added to a type of “black cake” which has been made with caramelized sugar.

Now, some modern recipes (that aren’t traditional) make a rum cake entirely without fruit. It is simply a sponge cake that has been soaked in some flavored rum. Now, while this isn’t traditional, these cakes still contain high amounts of alcohol.

Can Rum Cake Make You Drunk?

Finally, the answer to “can rum cake make you drunk?” Rum cake can make you drunk, however, you will need to consume quite a lot to get to an inebriated state. And, when we say a lot, we don’t mean a couple of slices. Rather, a couple of cakes!

As we have mentioned above, the fruits are soaked in rum. And, sometimes rum is added to the cake recipe itself.

However, and here’s the kicker, your average rum cake only contains about 1/2 cup rum total (including what’s been absorbed by the dried fruits). So, even if you eat the entire cake, it is very unlikely that you could get drunk off of it. There simply isn’t enough alcohol to give you a buzz – even a light one at that!

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Does alcohol remain in cake after baking?

As we have mentioned above, when alcohol is heated, some of the alcohol evaporates. However, when the cake contains alcohol and it gets baked, it doesn’t get heated to such a high temperature that all of the alcohol evaporates.

When you, as an example, flambee a steak, the heat in the pan is so extremely high that virtually all of the alcohol evaporates, leaving only a rum-flavored liquid. For cakes, which usually bake between 320-360°F (160-180°C), it cannot heat the alcohol high enough, The internal temperature of the cake doesn’t even reach nearly those temperatures.

If a cake has been baking for about 15 minutes, about 40% of the alcohol content remains. When a cake bakes for about 30 minutes, only 35% of the alcohol remains. And, if you bake a cake for about an hour, roughly 25% of the alcohol remains.

As you can see, the longer a cake is baked, the lower the remaining alcohol content will be. This is because the internal temperature of the cake slowly rises as the cake bakes longer.

Can kids eat rum cake?

While most of the alcohol is cooked off during the baking time, there is still alcohol present in the rum cake. For this reason, we do not recommend that kids have rum cake.

While we have mentioned that rum cake will not get you drunk (and neither will it be a kid), it is more the moral and principle of the thing. Rather give them an alternative cake or make a non-alcoholic kid-friendly rum cake.

Can You Make A Non-alcoholic Rum Cake?

You can definitely make a non-alcoholic rum cake that doesn’t contain any type of alcohol. There are a few methods (or substitutes) you can try. In essence, you want to soak your dried fruit and substitute the rum in the cake recipe with a non-alcoholic liquid.

Always use a flavored liquid. You can try to mimic the rum flavor, or create an entirely new and unique flavor.

We personally love using pineapple juice, apple juice, or orange juice as substitutes. But, you can also just use a light simple syrup instead.

To mimic the rum flavor, combine 2/3 cup boiling water, 1/4 cup raisins, 2 tablespoons butter, 4 teaspoons molasses, and pinch salt in bowl. Submerge 1 black tea bag in water mixture for 4 minutes. Refrigerate for 1 hour to let flavors meld. Strain and use in place of dark rum. This mixture creates a very similar flavor profile to dark rum.

Is Rum Cake Alcoholic? To Summarize

Now that we have answered the question, “Can rum cake make you drunk?” you can make adjustments according to needs. If you need to make a non-alcoholic version, it is super easy too! If you found this article informative, let us know in the comments below and share it with family and friends.