Mom's Pineapple Rum Dream Cake

Ingredients

• 1 (18 ounce) box betty crocker French vanilla cake mix

• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 4 ounces apricot preserves
• 4 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix

• 1 (13 1/2 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained

• 1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip

Directions

1. 1

   Utilizing the water, vegetable oil and eggs, prepare cake in 2 eight, or 2 nine inch, cake pans according to package directions. Completely cool on wire racks.

2. 2

   Prepare the rum syrup by placing the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Cool and stir in the rum.

3. 3

   In a bowl, stir dry pudding mix into crushed pineapple and its juice. Gently fold Cool Whip into the pineapple mixture with a rubber spatula.

4. 4

   Use a long serrated knife to cut the cake layer into two horizontal layers and moisten both sides with up to one half of the rum syrup. Spread the layers with a thin layer of the apricot preserves.

5. 5

   Reassemble the two cut layers and place them on a cake plate. Top with 1 cup of the frosting.

6. 6

   Repeat the rum syrup and apricot preserve process with the second cut cake layer and place it on top of the frosted bottom layer. Frost sides of cake lightly then top cake with remaining frosting mixture.

7. 7

   If desired, garnish cake with pineapple slices or chunks and maraschino cherries taking care to drain them and dry them off on paper towels before adding them to the cake.

8. 8

   Chill until serving time and store leftovers in refrigerator.