Baba Au Rhum

These rum soaked mini cakes have a rich history that takes them all the way to France! Our easy Baba Au Rhum recipe takes a few shortcuts to make you a star "from scratch" baker, without the hard work!

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 (18-1/2-ounce) package yellow cake mix, batter prepared according to the package directions
• 1 (4-serving) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 1/2 cups cold milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light rum
• 1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 12 maraschino cherries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake batter, without paper liners, according to package directions for 2 dozen cupcakes; let cool. (See note below.)
    
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk pudding mix and milk 1 to 2 minutes, or until thickened. Cover pudding; chill.
    
3. In a small bowl, combine water, sugar, and rum, stirring until sugar is dissolved; set aside.
    
4. When cupcakes are completely cooled, place 12 in a 9" x 13" baking dish. Slowly pour rum mixture over the tops, allowing liquid to soak into cupcakes. Cover and chill 1 to 2 hours. Remove cupcakes from rum mixture and place upside down on a serving platter.
    
5. Using a knife, make 2 cuts halfway through each cupcake, forming an "X." Spoon pudding evenly over cuts in each cupcake, opening up cupcakes a bit. Top each with a dollop of whipped topping and a cherry. Serve, or cover and chill until ready to serve.

Note

Since the batter makes 24 cupcakes, and you'll only need 12 for 1 batch of this recipe, you can freeze the remaining 12 cupcakes for your next batch of Baba Au Rhum.