Sopa Borracha (Panamanian Rum Cake)

Sopa borracha (drunken soup) from Panama is neither a soup nor a savory recipe. It is a delicious, sweet dessert of sponge cake soaked with brandy and rum, served with raisins, prunes, and sprinkles.

This boozy dessert is present at many Panamanian festivities. Its preparation is quite simple, but like anything good, it takes time to make.

This dessert is found at every Panamanian event, be it small or large. From birthdays to weddings and end of the year parties.

A brief history of rum cake

Rum cake, a common staple at Christmas and New Years parties, is thought to have originated with the British colonists in the Caribbean. When they came to the islands in the 18th century, they would have brought their recipes for steamed puddings, full of dried fruits.

The warmer Caribbean temperatures meant that British chefs needed to find new ways to preserve their food, and sugar and alcohol were the main ways of doing that. Soon, the British Christmas pudding, was infused with Caribbean rum, to make it last longer.

From there, time, sugar, and more rum evolved the British Christmas dessert into what we know of today as Caribbean rum cakes.

This version of rum cake, while slightly different than the more well known Jamaican black cake, traditionally uses a combination of ingredients local to Panama.

You will find similar desserts by the same name in Puerto Rico and Nicaragua.

What goes into a Panamanian rum cake?

The sponge cake, or bizcocho, made for this dessert (although you can use a store-bought or boxed one), tends to be a bit dry and needs some syrup to moisten it.

That’s where the boozy syrup comes to the rescue.

Traditionally, a mixture of Panamanian rum, Moscatel wine, and dry sherry (jerez seco) is used to soak the dried fruits. The fruit is drained and the soaking mixture used along with water, sugar, and spices to make a syrup.

The syrup is then poured over the cake and it is left to rest overnight.

Making the syrup and soaked fruit for rum cake

To make this Panamanian rum cake, you’ll need to plan ahead of time. The whole process takes about 2 nights for the best results.

For the boozy syrup, you have a few options. Rum is an ingredient that can’t be omitted, but the two others (Moscatel and dry sherry) can be replaced with Brandy, Cognac, or Port wine.

I chose to use Brandy for this recipe, but feel free to use what you have on hand and your tastes prefer.

The first night is very simple. Just add raisins and prunes to a jar or bowl, and pour the rum and Brandy over them. Close the lid and let it rest overnight for the fruit to soak up the liquor.

The next day, strain the fruit, pour the liquid into a measuring glass, and add enough water to get 2 cups of liquid. Now, this is ready to use, along with sugar and spices, to simmer into a light syrup.

Once the syrup is done, add the fruit back into it, and you can keep it in the fridge for up to a week.

Another option for this syrup is to make it completely with water, and once it is done, add the rum and Brandy. This way the alcohol will not cook out of the liquor, and the resulting syrup will be stronger all around.

What cake do I use for rum cake?

The cake for this dessert is a sponge cake. It has the perfect structure to absorb all that delicious syrup without breaking apart.

To prepare for making the cake, the egg whites need to be separated from the egg yolks while the eggs are cold (it just makes separating easier), and then let them come to room temperature before beating for the cake batter.

While beating, sugar is add a tablespoon at a time to the egg whites. Adding the sugar slowly makes the structure of the batter strong and helps the cake (the sponge) not to deflate after baking.

Once the egg whites and sugar are beaten, the egg yolks and milk can be added.

At this point, you’ll need to sprinkle the flour in little by little and fold it into the batter with a spatula and a gentle hand. The goal is to keep as much of the air you just beat into the eggs while getting the flour incorporated.

Once the batter is ready, it goes into a prepared pan and into the oven for 12 to 15 minutes. I recommend you check the oven after 12 minutes, because you don’t want to over bake this cake, as it will dry out quickly.

Once baked and cooled, cut the cake into bite-size squares, pour syrup on top and let it rest overnight in the refrigerator, or if you can’t wait any longer, at least 4 hours.

How to serve sopa borracha

To serve sopa borracha, add a few pieces of the rum syrup soaked cake to a glass with a couple of tablespoons of the soaked raisins and prunes. Drizzle some more syrup over the top for good measure, and finish it up with sprinkles.