Elegantly Drunken Cake

When I lived in Guatemala, some 17 years ago now, one of my most favorite desserts was Borracho Cake. Funny, but no one I knew EVER made it. The only place I ate it was when my husband (at that time) took me to a bakery.

While I was down there, I learned everything I could about cooking and baking. I watched people prepare a thing, then went about recreating it on my own. Or I tried a recipe (of which there were very few) and then tweaked it to be as I wanted the flavors to taste. When there were no recipes and I loved something, such as Enchiladas, or this Borracho Cake, I set about finding a way to make it. 

Borracho Cake

What I knew about this cake, from eating it at the pastry shop, was that it had a sponge cake type base, this sponge cake was perfectly saturated with a syrup flavored with cinnamon and rum, and the topping was a cornstarch pudding decorated with raisins. I needed three recipes, then:

• Sponge cake
• Syrup
• Cornstarch pudding

Borracho

If you know nothing about Spanish, you might not know that "borracho" means drunk, or "drunkard," depending on how it is used in a sentence. The fact that there is a fair amount of rum in the syrup is the reason for its name. And it is soooo good.

Older Style Borracho Cake

I had only 7 cookbooks when I got married that first time, so my sum total of cooking instruction came from those 7 books. My 1966 copy of The Joy of Cooking had the most information, so I went there for ideas. I was no cook at all, when I first got married at just barely age 20. I watched my Mom at home, but never ventured into trying things on my own, outside of a box cake. So, on my own in a foreign country with no one to ask - well, this was long, long before cell phones, internet, or easy long distance calling, I had no place but my books to turn to for advice. In Guatemala, over the course of 12 years and 4 houses, we had a phone in only one of those houses. Phones were not terribly common. Calling my Mom for a quick consult was out of the question, even if we'd had a phone, as it was so costly.  So back to the Borracho...

The Joy of Cooking has a recipe for "sponge cake" that is a flexible recipe. There is a choice of 3 to 6 eggs, choice of flavorings, and so on. Over the years, I tried the recipe with 3, 4 5 or 6 eggs, and my favorite, hands down, was with just the three eggs. More and it just tastes "eggy."  

A Note on Sponge Cake

When watching "The Great British Baking Show," I saw them making a "Victoria Sponge." Watching this intrigued me, because it looked like a regular batter cake, to me. What's the difference, you say?

Well, what I have always known as a "sponge" cake is that is should be like a sponge; lots of nice little holes, light and fluffy. A sponge cake is leavened by beating air into eggs - first the yolks and the whites at the end before folding in. A true sponge cake uses no other leavening like baking powder. (My cake does cheat and uses a little baking powder, just to give it a boost.)

British type Sponge (aka Pound cake)           vs           American type Sponge

Watching The Great British Baking Show, they used both butter and leavening in their "sponge" cake. What???

Come to find out, the British call sponge cake "foam cake." Their "sponge" cake is more like a pound cake. I recently ran into all this when I wanted to make a sponge cake type base for an American shortcake type application with fresh fruit on top. The cake I made, cobbling what I wanted from various (apparently British) "sponge cake" recipes and using the method used by Mary Berry, where she adds some flour along with the eggs as they are added, so the mixture does not look "curdled." This supposedly allows the cake to rise higher. I have no direct experience of this...

What resulted was a beautiful cake - don't get me wrong. It's just that it was in no way the kind of sponge cake I had wanted for my recipe. However, the cake was made, and that was that. And so I continued.

This is when I thought I just had to give my old Joy of Cooking tried and true sponge cake a go. The thing I was doing is using a new pan I had yet to use. I'd had it for years without even giving it a test drive. (So to speak). That first "sponge cake" (read: "pound cake") came out just beautifully in that pan. So now, would the real sponge cake do the same? It did.

A New Cake Pan

Since I was testing cakes in the pan, and now had one pound cake made in it, with absolutely beautiful results, true, and now this lovely sponge cake that was also beautiful, I opted to use it for a new Borracho cake look. 

In Guatemala, at that pastry shop, the Borracho was served in lovely squares, resting in a muffin type paper, but sopping with syrup. This new idea of mine was made in a lovely round pan with fluted edge, that creates an indented top when turned out. It's not very deep, but it does the trick, and it was perfect to hold the Cornstarch Pudding.

Here is what I do to make Borracho Cake:

Borracho Cake

Borracho Cake

Serves 10 to 12

CAKE:
3 large egg yolks
1 cup (6.95 ounces / 197 grams) superfine sugar
¼ cup (60 ml) boiling water
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) almond extract
2 tablespoons (0.6 ounces / 17 grams) cornstarch
1 cup (4.35 ounces / 124 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons (0.2 ounces / 6 grams) baking powder
½ teaspoon (0.1 ounces / 2 grams) sale
3 large egg whites

SYRUP:
1 cup (235 ml) water
½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 (4-inch) stick true cinnamon
½ cup  (118 ml) white rum

CORNSTARCH PUDDING:
1½ cups (353 ml) milk
1 (4-inch) stick true cinnamon
2 tablespoons (17 grams) cornstarch
6 tablespoons (83 grams) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Raisins, to decorate

Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment. Grease the parchment. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder and salt  and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks until very light in color, using a hand mixer or whisk. Beat in the sugar gradually; the mixture will become very thick. Beat in the hot water and continue beating until it cools slightly. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Spoon about a third of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and fold in. Repeat until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Separately, in a squeaky-clean bowl, with super clean whisk or beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry-looking. Fold a third of the whites into the batter to loosen slightly, then add the remaining whites and gently fold in. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cake tests done in the center. Remove from oven and let set for about 10 minutes, then turn the cake onto a rack to cool slightly.

Make the syrup: While the cake is baking, place the water, sugar and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes to allow the flavor of cinnamon to permeate the water. Remove from heat, remove and discard the cinnamon stick and add the rum. Once the cake has cooled slightly, set it onto a dish with a rim and begin ladling the syrup over the cake. Use all the syrup. Allow the cake to completely cool.

Make the Cornstarch Pudding: In a saucepan, combine the cornstarch and sugar, then pour in the milk, whisking to combine. Add the cinnamon stick and place over medium heat and whisk until the mixture boils and thickens, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking constantly, for about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Remove the cinnamon stick and discard. Pour the pudding over the cake. If the cake has a well, as mine does, this can be done at once. If the cake has a flat top, cool the pudding slightly, placing a piece of plastic film directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin forming, then spread the pudding on top. Decorate with raisins, as desired.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Guatemalan Empanadas are a Delightful Dessert

Maya Woman selling lunch from doorstep

Antojitos! That is what little snacks are called in Guatemala. And, boy, they really specialized in Antojitos (ahn-toe-HEE-toes) down there. On any street corner one could find little carts selling something. From the wonderful typical candies, to glaceed fruits or vegetables (They made sweet potatoes and squash into a crystallized candy that was to-die-for!), pan dulce, and lots of other things on that order, to just a Maya woman selling pots of a lunch stew with fresh, hand-made tortillas from her doorstep. While I do not recall ever seeing these empanadas in a cart, there were also pastelerias (pastry shops) or panaderias (bread shops) also found easily. Someplace online I read that these empanadas were mostly seen during Holy Week (Semana Santa). This is not my recollection, and I recall buying them any time I saw them. 

Annatto Seeds, called Achiote in Spanish

Most empanadas seen either in recipes online, or in books, are of the savory variety. These Guatemalan empanadas I am going to describe are actually a dessert pastry, filled with a cornstarch pudding called Manjar Blanco, strongly flavored with true cinnamon). The pastry dough is quite orange in color due to the addition of annatto coloring. I don't recall when the first time was that I made these myself, but I had made them at least twice in past. I have not, however, made them for over 20 years! And I was having a snack-attack; a real craving; an "antojito"! So I got out my trusty recipe, copied out in Spanish in a little notebook. 

The first thing I realized is that it called for "harina de Salpor" as part of the dry ingredients. What the heck is THAT, I wondered? And if I don't know what that is, what in the world did I use when I made them before? Thus ensued an exhaustive search on the internet, only to find that apparently, while "harina de Salpor" is called for in more than one version of these empanadas, no one really appears to know what, exactly, it is. More than one site had someone speculating that it was a corn flour, but that it had more "fecula." Great! Another word I didn't know! I found that fecula translates to "starch". Could harina de salpor be cornstarch? I didn't think so, as cornstarch was called "maizena". Still, it seemed I was finally getting somewhere. 

Guatemalan Empanadas de Manjar

My recollection, such as it is, after more than 20 years, is that I used masa harina, the corn flour used for making corn tortillas. I can remember this flavor in the finished empanadas. In making these again a couple of days ago, I decided on splitting the difference and using half masa harina and half cornstarch for that portion of the recipe, thus upping the starch (fecula) factor. It seemed to work fine, though these have always been really good when I made them. If you would like to try something different for a nice little sweet treat, do give these a try - they are most delightful.

I used the combination of masa harina and cornstarch for my empanadas. I also combined butter and lard as the "manteca" component. Margarine could be used also, and any one of these things (butter, margarine, lard, shortening) could be used on their own. The amount of water needed for the dough will depend on how dry your climate. Start with 3/4 cup and add more to bind, if needed. My method of mixing the dough may not be "typical", but it works just fine. ;-)

Guatemalan Empanadas de Manjar

Empanadas de Manjar

Makes 26 to 30 empanadas

CORNSTARCH FILLING / MANJAR:
2 cups milk
1 (3-inch) stick true (soft-stick) cinnamon
3 tablespoons (1 ounce / 30 g.) cornstarch
½ cup (3.8 ounces / 108 g.) granulated sugar 
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

EMPANADA DOUGH:
1 pound (3 1/2 cups / 453 g.) all-purpose flour
¼ pound (scant 1 cup / 112 g.) Masa Harina
¼ pound (3/4 cup / 112 g.) cornstarch
7.3 ounces (1 cup / 207 g.) granulated sugar
5 ounces (9 tablespoons / 142 g.) unsalted butter
5 ounces (3/4 cup / 142 g.) shortening or lard
1½ teaspoons ground annato powder
2 large eggs, whisked lightly
¾ - 1 cup water

Manjar ingredients mixed, cook & stir until thickened, then strain and cover with plastic film 

MAKE THE MANJAR: In a saucepan combine the milk, cornstarch and sugar until combined. Add in the cinnamon, separated into pieces. Set the pan on medium heat and whisk almost constantly until the mixture comes to a boil and is thickened. Once thick, continue to whisk and cook for about 5 minutes longer, to remove any raw cornstarch taste. Remove from heat, add the vanilla and then strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl (to remove the cinnamon bits). Immediately set a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding. This eliminates a skin forming on top of the pudding while it cools. Let cool completely to room temperature before proceeding.

MAKE THE DOUGH: First take a small portion (2 - 3 tablespoons) of lard, shortening or butter and melt it in a small pan, adding in the annatto powder. Once melted, set aside.

Dry ingredients mixed with lard & butter, lard with annatto powder,
eggs & water added and dough is finished

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, masa harina, cornstarch and sugar. Add the "manteca" of choice: I used butter and lard. Cut in the butter and lard with a pastry cutter, with a fork, or fingers as for pie dough, until the mixture is in crumbs. Whisk the eggs with 3/4 cup of the water, then add to the bowl, moving around gently and quickly with a fork, again, as for pie dough. Add in the melted fat with the annatto powder and stir well. Begin to bring the dough together into one mass. If it will not cooperate, add in a few drops of water at a time, as needed to make the dough come together.

cut rounds with bowl  |  top with pudding  |  moisten edges and fold to seal  |  crimp with fork  | on sheet

Divide the dough into two parts, working with one at a time. Roll out one section of the dough, slightly thicker than for a pie. Use something round to cut approximately 5-inch circles. I used a dessert bowl. Use a 1 tablespoon measure to portion out the Manjar pudding onto the center of each round piece of dough. Have a cup with water handy and moisten the edges of the circle with a pastry brush or fingers. Fold the dough over and press the edges to seal into half moons. Use the tines of a fork to press the edges, crimping to seal well. With cooking spray, lightly grease a cookie sheet and place the empanadas onto the sheet as they are finished. Poke small vent holes in the top of the pastry using the tip of a knife and bake the empanadas for about 30 minutes, until slightly golden and set. Repeat with the second piece of the dough.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.