Caribbean Black Cake - ‘Christmas Cake

Source: Tastes like Home by Cynthia Nelson

Jamaican Black Cake (which is also known as Jamaican rum cake, wedding cake or Christmas cake) is a rich, delicious traditional Caribbean dessert!  A variety of dried fruit is soaked in rum for up to 12 months then added to the cake with spices and wine - making it super-moist. 

Ingredients list

Rum-Cured Mixed Fruit

  • 1 pound raisins

  • 1 ½ pound pitted prunes

  • ¼ pound preserved cherries

  • ¼ pound mixed peel (or replace with more prunes/currants)

  • ½ cup brown sugar

  • 1 x 750 ml of good dark rum

Cake

  • 8 oz unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing pan)

  • 1 cup brown sugar

  • 6 eggs, room temperature

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla essence

  • 4 cups rum-cured mixed fruit

  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting pan)

Image from the Aromatic Essence 
website
Image from the My Forking Life  website

Method:

Rum-Cured Mixed Fruit

Note: This mixture can be stored in an airtight glass jar and does not need to be refrigerated

  1. Mix together all fruits in a large bowl

  2. Add 2 cups of rum and some of the mixed fruits along with ¼ cup sugar to a blender and blend until it is like a paste. Add more rum if paste becomes too thick

  3. Repeat this process until all the fruits are blended

Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with baking rack in the middle of the oven

  2. Grease and flour the cake pan and line the bottom of the pan only with greased parchment paper

  3. Cream butter and sugar until it reaches a pale cream colour

  4. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside

  5. Whisk eggs until frothy in a separate bowl. Add vanilla essence and continue whisking for a few seconds

  6. Add whisked eggs to creamed butter and sugar and stir gently to incorporate (mixture will appear curdled)

  7. Add the rum-cured mixed fruit and mix thoroughly until fully incorporated

  8. Add the flour mixture and mix thoroughly to incorporate, being careful not to over mix or over-beat the batter

  9. Pour batter into baking pan and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes after removing from oven.