Ponche de Creme Pound Cake: A Caribbean Holiday Delight

This Ponche de Crème Pound Cake brings the flavors of a Caribbean Christmas into a rich, buttery cake. Made with traditional ponche de crème and finished with a creamy glaze, it’s a delicious addition to your holiday dessert table.

In the Caribbean, the holidays are all about connection and celebration. We go from house to house, catching up with neighbors and family, sharing laughter, good conversation, and, of course, festive foods.

Ponche de creme is always a staple on the table, a creamy, spiced drink that signals it’s Christmas time. And now, we’re turning that tradition into dessert with this moist, flavorful pound cake.

For another Christmas dessert using ponche de crème, try my ponche de crème cheesecake or ponche de crème ice cream.

What is Ponche de Creme?

Ponche de crème is a traditional Trinidad and Tobago Christmas drink made with eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, rum, and warm spices like nutmeg. It’s similar to eggnog but has its own distinct Caribbean flavor.

The ponche de crème adds richness and that familiar spiced flavor to this pound cake.

You can use homemade ponche de crème for this recipe. Here’s my ponche de crème recipe if you’d like to make your own.

How to make Ponche De Creme Pound Cake

Ingredients You’ll Need

Cake Batter

• All-purpose flour: Provides the structure for the cake.
• Baking powder: Gives the cake a little lift.
• Allspice: Adds a warm, spiced flavor.
• Butter: Use room-temperature butter for easier creaming.
• Sugar: Sweetens the cake and helps create a tender texture.
• Vanilla extract: Adds flavor.
• Eggs: Use room-temperature eggs for easier mixing.
• Ponche de crème: Gives the cake its signature flavor. Eggnog with a splash of rum can work as a substitute, although the flavor will be different.
• Confectioners’ sugar: Creates the base of the glaze.
• Milk and heavy cream: Help give the glaze a smooth, pourable consistency.
• Ponche de crème: Adds that familiar flavor to the finished cake.

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat and Prep

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease a bundt pan generously and set aside.

Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, allspice, and baking powder.

Step 3: Cream Butter and Sugar

In a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add sugar and cream together until light and fluffy. This gives the cake its soft texture.

Step 4: Add Eggs and Vanilla

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

Step 5: Alternate Wet and Dry Ingredients

On low speed, alternate adding the flour and ponche de creme in this order:

• ⅓ of the flour
• ½ of the ponche de creme
• ⅓ of the flour
• Remaining ponche de creme
• Remaining flour

Mix just until combined.

Step 6: Bake

Pour the batter into the greased pan and smooth the top. Bake for 60–70 minutes, or until the edges pull away slightly and a toothpick comes out clean.

Step 7: Cool

Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then carefully invert onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before glazing.

Making the Ponche De Creme Glaze

1. In a bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and heavy cream until smooth.
2. Stir in ponche de creme. Adjust the consistency with extra milk, ½ tbsp at a time, until it’s pourable but thick.
3. Drizzle the glaze over the completely cooled cake.

Try some more holiday favorites

• Coconut Ponche de Creme Recipe
• Caribbean Black Cake
• Holiday Sorrel Cake
• Coconut Cake

FAQs

If you make this ponche de crème pound cake, I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment and rating below, and let me know if you used homemade ponche de crème or the eggnog substitute.

Recipe