Meshach’s Ponche-de-Crème Pound Cake

CNC3’s News Anchor Golda Lee Bruce swears by ramen—it’s the only thing she makes for dinner, because it’s the only thing she knows to cook. (Microwave for 3 minutes and ding ding; food is served. Easy.) For Christmas, though, she wants to impress her loved ones with an incredible spread of local dishes. In our video series Cooking with Golda, Trinidad’s youngest, extraordinary chefs show Golda how to cook and bake their favourite holiday recipes.

Meshach Homer, 18-year-old Arima native, is popular on Instagram (@madebymeshach) for his booze-infused cakes boasting heavenly chocolate drizzles. This ponche-de-crème pound cake features the same gorgeous look with a double hit of alcohol—both in the cake batter and the icing­—to make the holidays a bit more boozy and fun.

PONCHE-DE-CRÈME POUND CAKE

PREP TIME: 30 mins
COOK TIME: 2 hrs
TOTAL TIME: 2 hrs 30 mins

INGREDIENTS

• For the cake:
  •  1 pound butter
  •  1 ½ cups brown sugar 
  • 4 eggs  
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour  
  • 3 teaspoon baking powder  
  • Pinch of salt 
  • 2 cups ponche-de-crème 
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• For the glaze:
  •   2 cups confectioner’s sugar  
  • 6 tablespoons ponche-de-crème 
  • Nutmeg for grating, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven at 350°F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan with spray and set aside.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined. Set aside.
3. Using a hand mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs to the creamed mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Beat the flour and ponche-de-crème into the batter, alternating with each addition.
6. Fold vanilla essence into the mixture. 
7. Pour the batter into a prepared 8-inch cake pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes. 
8. Let the cake cool completely for 1 hour. 
9. To make the glaze, whisk the icing sugar and ponche-de-crème together until it forms a slightly thick syrup. 
10. Pass a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Flip and place it on a plate with a large rim to hold any extra syrup. 
11. Pour the glaze over the cake and grate nutmeg on top for an extra special touch.
12. Serve immediately while the glaze is still dripping along the edges of the cake.