It helps a lot. I believe you are a victim of
baba au rhum the classic rum cake invented in France in the early 19th Century. Like a pound cake, but lighter -- yes. It's a yeast raised cake with egg. The yeast dough gives the cake enough structure to hold up to a good soaking without falling apart. In fact, it's the same type of dough used for
savarin, another booze soaked cake traditionally made with dried fruit -- but different booze, different fruit.
Back to baba: They're traditionally made with dried currants mixed in -- remember Hagen Daz Rum Raisin? More or less traditional for restaurant serving and event catering is using miniature bundt pans to make single-serving cakes. Is that how you had it? The rum is usually added in the form of a syrup that is alcoholic enough to be adult, and sweet-spicy enough to enchant our inner child. Our drunken inner child. The traditional garnish is whipped cream, but ice cream will do. Oh yes, it will do.
I'll link you to a recipe by Ina Garten, the "Barefoot Contessa" which looks classic, well written, and easy. I have two recipes, one for a huge quantity and the other has an incredibly over-complicated spiced syrup which is supposedly "original," but is mostly complicated and expensive -- so let's use hers.
Baba au Rhum by Ina Garten
A few last notes:
In the Garten recipe, above the picture, is a link to the recipe as pdf. That should make it easier to print out if you like to read the recipe while you cook.
Baba has an apocryphal history you may enjoy googling.
The currants (raisins) are optional. You can use any dried fruit or none. You're not a prisoner to tradition.
Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum, or another inexpensive spiced rum make very good baking rums. Spiced rum actually is traditional, and Morgan's is as good as any without the complications of aging spices into booze, zesting various fruits, or the expense of buying Stroh's.
While we're cadging recipes from Food Network hosts, Emeril's looked pretty good too. With zesting, yet.
BDL