Rum ‘n’ Raisins, the spirit of Mexico

The story of Mexican rum cake might be best understood by beginning north of the border. Was American independence fought over tea or over rum? Why would the Colonists throw crates of tea overboard in protest at The Boston Tea Party, when Americans were basically coffee drinkers? That “party” was the culmination of their anger over the British tax on molasses, which threatened their very existence and their most precious commodity: rum. By 1770, 6.5 million gallons of West Indian molasses was purchased by the Colonists, who turned it into five million gallons of rum per year. 80% of the Colonies’ exports were rum. Was the tax devastating? Would they start a war over it? Yes!

Meanwhile, back in Mexico, where they had been making rum for over 200 years, the delicious liquor was banned by Spanish king, Felipe V, around 1700, because it competed with Spain’s brandies. It was a very long time before rum came back to Mexico, but now it’s better than ever!

History says that raisins were discovered by accident when they dried on the vine as early as 1490 BC. The Ancient Romans and the Greeks loved raisins. They ate them, offered them to their gods, and even traded them for slaves.  

Hundreds of years later at the end of the 15th century, Queen Isabella of Spain sent missionaries to Mexico to educate the natives in the ways of Christianity. But the missionaries also passed on the people their knowledge of grapes. Following the Spanish conquest of 1521, seeds and cuttings of the Listán Prieto grape were introduced by Hernán Cortés, conquistador, and de facto ruler of New Spain, where they flourished. He ordered Spanish settlers to plant vineyards. 

Mexicans caught onto dried fruit like grapes, apricots, apples and pears, fast. The Spanish and missionaries produced it in abundance, and eventually a region in Baja (now California) overtook the Valencia region of eastern Spain in raisin production.

Today Mexican raisins (called “pasas”) are two to three times larger than the ones north of the border and are sweeter too (and are mostly available at local markets). They have been used in traditional Mexican recipes since the 16th century, so why not up the ante and combine some Mexican raisins with a little Mexican rum and make a luscious tiramisu. While we’re at it, let’s not forget that classic, iconic rum cake made famous by Bacardi, who opened their first rum distillery in Mexico in 1931.

For the moment, let’s think of rum as edible, rather than drinkable. Can there be anything more decadent than a rich rum cake or an elegant tiramisu?

Mexican Rum Cake (Pastel de ron mexicano):

For The Cake

• 1 cup (250 g) chopped walnuts (la nuez)
• ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter* (mantequilla) *softened at room temperature

• 1 and ½ cup (300 g) granulated sugar (azúcar estándar)

• 4 large eggs (huevos)

• ½ cup (120 mililiters) milk (leche)

• ¾ cup (180 mililiters) Mexican dark rum* (ron oscuro) *Gustoso Aguardiente; Deadhead Cask Aged Rum; Espiritus Pixan; Pa’Lante

• 2 teaspoons (10 g) vanilla extract (extracto de vainilla)

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour* There is NO substitute for American all-purpose flour in Mexico. But you can buy it easily at amazon.com.mx.

• ¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch (maicena)

• 3 teaspoons (14.4g) baking powder (polvo de hornear)

Rum Syrup

• ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter (mantequilla sin sal)

• ½ cup (100 g) white sugar (azúcar estándar)

• ¼ cup (60 mili liters) Mexican dark rum (ron oscuro)

• ¼ cup water (60 mililiters) (agua)

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F (180 Degrees C).
• Grease a 10-inch bundt pan with any neutral oil. Make sure to grease all the crevices in the pan.

TIP: After greasing the pan, coat it with a layer of *breadcrumbs* NOT FLOUR! Flour leads to a splotchy surface & clumps of uncooked flour in the cake. Breadcrumbs create a stronger barrier for easier release and a better-tasting cake.

• Make sure ALL ingredients are at room temperature.

Make The Cake

• Sprinkle walnuts in the base of the pan.
• Whisk butter and sugar until light and fluffy, with a stand- or handheld-mixer, medium speed, for 5-6 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl while whisking. 
• Add eggs, one at a time; mix well after each addition.
• Add milk, Mexican dark rum, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
• Add all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder and mix until combined. Do not overmix. Mix until everything comes together and stop.
• Pour the batter in the pan and spread evenly.
• Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven.

Make The Soaking Syrup

• Heat butter, sugar, Mexican dark rum, and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until syrupy (3-4 minutes).

Soak The Cake

• Pour the hot syrup over the warm cake very slowly. Let the syrup soak in for 5 minutes. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Cut into slices and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

How about sipping a Dark n’ Stormy to go along?

Ingredients:

* 2 ounces Mexican dark rum

* 1/2-ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed

* Ginger beer (cerveza de jengibre) 

* Fresh lime

Steps:

1. Add rum and lime juice to a glass filled with ice
2. Top with ginger beer
3. Garnish with fresh lime… Imbibe!

Or, how about a Rum N’ Raisin (Mexican) Tiramisu?

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup (125g) raisins (pasas, available in local markets)
• 1 cup (250ml) dark rum* (ron oscuro) *Gustoso Aguardiente; Deadhead Cask Aged Rum; Espiritus Pixan; Pa’Lante
• 6 egg yolks (yemas de huevo)

• 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar (azúcar estándar) *To make caster sugar, pulse granulated sugar in a food processor until fine, but not powder.

• • 500g (2 1/3 c) mascarpone
  • 1 tsp (5 g) vanilla extract

• Juice of 2 oranges (naranjas)

• 16 sponge finger biscuits (Savoiardi, Italian, and available in Mexican supermarkets)

• Dark chocolate curls, to serve *Easily make chocolate curls by shaving the edge of a good-quality chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler. Put in refrigerator until ready to use.

• Cocoa Powder (polvo de cacao), to serve.

Directions:

* Place raisins and 2 Tbs. rum in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Cool.

* Beat yolks and sugar, with a mixer on low speed, until pale and thick.

* Gradually add mascarpone, vanilla, 1/4 cup (60ml) orange juice and 1/2 cup (125ml) rum.

* Place remaining orange juice and 1/3 cup (80ml) rum in a shallow dish. 

* Dip half the biscuits in the rum mixture and divide among four 1-cup (250ml) serving glasses. Top with half the raisin mixture, then half the mascarpone mixture. Repeat, finishing with a layer of the mascarpone mixture. 

* Chill for at least 2 hours for flavors to infuse.

* Top with chocolate curls and dust with cocoa and serve.

If you enjoy this delicious Mexican rum cake (and the cocktails!) why not let us know in the comments?

Deborah McCoy is the one-time author of mainstream, bridal-reference books who has turned her attention to food, particularly sweets, desserts and fruits. She is the founder of CakeChatter on Facebook and X (Twitter), and the author of four baking books for “Dough Punchers” (available at Amazon). She is also the president of The American Academy of Wedding Professionals.