Let's get drunk!

Hello sweet reader,

I apologize for how long this third posting has taken; I could give you five good excuses for the delay but they will be no more than that: excuses.

Therefore, let’s get right into it; let’s get drunk!

This cake is called “Pastel Borracho” which the English translation is “Drunken Cake”. It is made out of a sponge cake soaked in syrup and covered with pastry cream. Very simple and delicious…

I chose to write about this cake as it brings me a lot of memories, and especially because is one of my dad’s favourite cakes. It is a very simple cake and my mom used to make it often. I am not sure of its origin, but I’m sure that the version that I grew up eating is not the original, as my mother made some changes to make it more cost effective and easier.

I remember that in the late 90's she was delivering about 8 to 10 cakes daily to the cafeteria of a factory. Half of them were strawberries and cream cakes and the other half were “Borrachos” (very popular among the factory’s employees).

She used to bake the sponge cake following the traditional recipe. Once it was cooled, she basted it with syrup. The syrup was made as an infusion of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, all spice, sugar and vodka (the syrup had to be cold before she mixed in the alcohol – you don’t want the good stuff to evaporate!)

She placed the cakes in 1-inch deep trays so the “juice” didn’t spill over. She then prepared the pastry cream: fresh milk, fresh eggs, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and another stick of cinnamon. While it was still hot and runny, she poured over the cake and evened it out with a spatula. Then, she sprinkled it with ground cinnamon and let it cool completely before slicing it.

What I did with the cake in the picture was something very similar. I used my mom’s sponge cake, syrup and pastry cream recipes. However, instead of vodka, I used rum and I reduced the amount because it was a cake for my husband’s colleagues. Although I poured the pastry cream as taught, I also reserved a little for the decoration. I let it cool and beat for a couple of minutes until it was nice and fluffy and then I piped it around the top and bottom edges using a star tip.

To be honest, I am not a big fan of the cake but I would make it any time as it is easy, tasty and a great conversation piece… especially if booze gets you talking!

Sweet wishes,

Regina