Back in the early 1800s, when trappers roamed the state, they’d often carry rum for drinking, cooking, or, in some cases, to moisten dry vanilla cake. Rocky Mountain rum cake, a buttery pound cake infused with rum syrup, brings this bit of Colorado history into the present with the most tender, old-fashioned cake to come along since the cupcake.

Today’s version of the pastry, made by Centennial’s Rocky Mountain Rustic Food and sold locally at Fromage to Yours and downtown’s Cook’s Fresh Market, is a notch above what I imagine those rugged pioneers enjoyed. Its golden crumbs and subtle liquor flavor pair perfectly with a dark French-pressed coffee.