Preheat oven to 325°F. Generously grease cake pan and lightly flour. Set aside.

Place all of the cake ingredients except the rum and vanilla in the bowl of a stand

mixer. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl

after one minute.

Add the rum, and vanilla and beat for another minute. Pour the batter into the

prepared pan, filling the molds 3/4 of the way.

Bake cakes for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake test comes clean. Leave the cakes in

the pan to cool slightly while you make the soaking syrup.

In a medium-sized saucepan combine the syrup ingredients, except vanilla. Bring

to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the syrup

thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Spoon a tablespoon of syrup over the cakes while still in the pan. Allow the syrup to

soak in, and then repeat again and again until all the syrup is used.

Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow the cakes to sit out overnight to

cool completely and soak in the syrup. Loosen the edges of the cake and invert on to

a cooling rack over a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Pour apple cider into sauce pan, bring to a boil. Boil until reduced by half. Add

remaining caramel ingredients to sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes,

occasionally swirling the pan. Drizzle over cakes.