Cuban Rum Cake

This recipe for Cuban Rum Cake is actually three separate recipes combined. It’s a little bit of work but the results are well worth it! Cuban Rum Cake is similar in texture to tres leches cake. This dessert features a wide range of flavors and textures from the sweet meringue, to a more mild, moist cake, to a creamy custard finish. As the name implies, this dessert is very popular in Cuba but can also be found throughout the Caribbean as its main ingredients of coconut milk, sugar, and rum are readily available throughout the region.

Recommended Equipment:
9 x 2 round cake pan
stand mixer

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tspn baking powder
1 1/2 cups light (winter) flour
1 tspn baking soda
pinch of salt
1/4 cup coconut milk, unsweetened
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tspn pure vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp.
2 eggs, room temp.
2 tbsp light rum (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Butter the round 9 x 2 cake pan and lightly dust with flour.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix the baking powder, flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. In another mixing bowl, combine the coconut milk, butter milk, vanilla, and rum.
5. In a third bowl, using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and creamy.
6. Add the eggs one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture as you mix at low speed.
7. Next, slowly add 1/3 of the dry flour mixture to the egg and butter mixture continuing to mix at low speed.
8. Add 1/3 of the milk mixture while you continue to mix at low speed.
9. Repeat steps #7 and #8 two more times, until all of the ingredients have been mixed into the batter.
10. Pour the batter into the round cake pan and smooth out the top surface so that it is flat.
11. Bake for 40 minutes. The cake should be golden brown and if you insert a fork into the top of the cake it should come out clean.
12. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes. The center of the cake may be slightly lower than the perimeter. This is normal.
13. Then turn the cake out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely.
14. Using a long serrated knife, cut the cake in half horizontally like a hamburger bun.
15. Place the top of the cake (cut side up) on to a cake plate or in a large pie dish. I used a pie dish because this cake will be filled with custard that can run off of a plate when the cake is cut.
16. Remove some of the cake form the center of the cake that you just placed in the dish.
17. Fill the hollow center with a generous portion of Natilla Cuban Custard.
18. Place the other half of the cake on top.
19. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for another hour.
20. Top with meringue.