Drunken Casserole Cake

Think of this as a rum-soaked tres leches cake’s wilder cousin. A fluffy sponge made with whipped egg whites goes into a casserole dish, bakes for 30 minutes, then gets poked full of holes and drenched in a hot rum-sugar syrup while still warm.

The cake drinks up that boozy syrup like a sponge, turning impossibly moist and sticky-sweet. A scatter of toasted almonds or shredded coconut on top adds crunch and keeps the whole thing from sliding into pure indulgence. Well, almost.

Serve it warm from the oven or let it sit overnight. The flavors meld and deepen as it cools, making the second-day version arguably better than the first.

Kitchen Tips

• Beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks before folding anything in. That airy structure is what makes the cake light enough to absorb all that syrup without turning dense.
• Poke the holes while the cake is still hot and the syrup is still warm. Cold cake and cold syrup don’t play well together.
• Swap the rum for brandy or sherry if that’s what you have on hand. Each gives a different character, but all three work beautifully.
• Don’t skip toasting the almonds or coconut. Raw nuts taste flat here, but toasted ones add a nutty depth that balances the sweetness.