Nee's Hot Buttered Rum Cake

My grandmother always had requests for this recipe and being the "teetotaler" that she was, refused to use rum. We always got a huge kick out of that. She substituted rum flavoring in this recipe. I decided to post the original recipe with rum. Substitute if you like....it's just as good. It does take a while to make and MAKE SURE TO READ THE FULL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE STARTING....I really messed up the first time I made it, believe me.

• Ready In: 3 hrs
• Yields: 1 10 inch cake

Ingredients

• 1  cup butter, softened
• 2 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 4  large eggs
• 3 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  cup buttermilk
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract

• BUTTER SAUCE

• 1  cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 1⁄4 cup light rum (you can use up to 1/2 cup)

Directions

1. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes.
2. Add eggs one at a time.
3. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until blended.
4. Add the dry mixture to the butter, alternating with the cup of buttermilk until well blended.
5. Stir in vanilla.
6. Using a 10-inch tube pan or a 12-cup Bundt pan (greased and floured to prevent sticking), pour batter into pan and bake at 325° for one hour.
7. Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack, then transfer to cake plate and cool completely.
8. THIS IS THE TRICKY PART---once cake has cooled completely, return it to the baking pan and prick holes at 1-inch intervals with a wooden pick or skewer.
9. Pour 2/3 of the sauce mixture over the cake allowing it to soak into the holes.
10. After this has set for about 15 minutes, remove the cake from the pan again and place it on your cake plate and pour the remaining butter sauce over the cake.
11. FOR SAUCE: Combine sugar, butter and water in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves; stirring constantly.
12. Once this thickens, remove from the heat and add the rum.
13. Stir well.