So many things to be ashamed of this Christmas eve: didn’t blog last week. Am not baking this week. Haven’t thought about math at all for a week and a half. But the worst, most guilt-inducing thing of all: the rum cake I made last week.
Definitely not fit to give the king… pa rum pa pum pum pum.
I also ran out of battery on my phone and didn’t think to take a picture of the cake, so this is boyfriend’s picture of the last bite. So far so good, and the cake was delicious, but… here’s the shameful secret: the ingredients.
This is me trying to mix things up a little bit from all homemade baked goods
Ingredients for the cake:
1 c pecans
1 can pumpkin (pie mix)
1 box cake mix
1/2 c rum
1 hefty scoop of guilt and sadness
“Semihomemade” food drives me nuts!
This step isn’t totally necessary, but you can toss the pecans in a pan over medium heat (no oil or anything else) until it smells nice and cozy like a Christmas fire. I prefer toasted pecans myself, but you run the risk of burning them and having a bitter topping on your cake. I think it’d also be good to toss these guys with a little brown sugar and cinnamon for this step.
Next: mix the cake mix, the pumpkin, and the rum. No eggs, no oil, no spices, no work, no pride, no joy, no nothing. Put into a cake pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or however long the cake box says.
Orange you glad I didn’t make a knock knock joke earlier?
When you take the cake out, melt a stick of butter in a pot with 2 TB water and 1/2 c sugar. Bring it to a boil, then turn off the heat. There’s no photos of this part because it was too exciting: stir in 1/2 c rum. The rum will sizzle and makes LOTS of noise, then bubble up (so use a big pot!). Then it’ll calm down, and you can drizzle the glaze all over your cake.
Voila, semi-homemade and delicious. I didn’t take a picture with the cake because I was so ashamed. But it’s still delicious!
Baking and Math 
What’s up, I check your blog like every week.
Your writing style is witty, keep doing what you’re doing!