Turkey’s Head Cake*

Ingredients                                                                                    

1      cup                    chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts
1     18-1/2 oz            yellow cake mix
1     4-serving size      instant vanilla pudding mix
4      large                  eggs
1/2   cup                    cold milk*
1/2   cup                    Canola or vegetable oil
1/2   cup                    Bacardi dark rum **

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  For Celsius, you’re on your own.
Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt or tube pan.  Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan.
Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer.
Pour batter into prepared tube pan.

Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan.  Invert on serving plate.

Prick top with long-tined fork or thin skewer.

Glaze
1/2   cup                    butter
1/4   cup                    water
1      cup                    sugar
1/2   cup                    Bacardi dark rum *  I substitute Jack Daniels black label.

In heavy saucepan, melt stick of butter; add water & sugar.  Stir while bringing to a low boil (that cannot be stirred down, but does not ‘climb’ the sides of the pan.  Stir continuously for five minutes.  Remove from heat. Stir in Rum. CAREFUL: it will fizz and roll. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Use brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake.

*   Yep, the milk needs to be cold.  

** Safe for all. Alcohol evaporates in cooking.

Notes: I’ve made this cake for Thanksgiving and Christmas since I was a young mother. Found it in a magazine. In this one, the glaze is the star—makes a sweet crusty top—and the longer one glazes it and keeps it, the better.  More pecans is better, too.

This freezes well—although, how would I know? It is David’s favorite—I’ve heard that it keeps well (the Rum), ships well.

                     One year early on, I rapped on it with my knuckles and proclaimed it was “hard as a turkey’s head” hence, the name. It is, in reality, the Bacardi Rum Cake.