Categorized | Desserts
How To Make Caribbean Black Cake Part 2.
Posted on 24 December 2011
In part one of this black cake making recipe we focused on preparing the aromatic fruits we’ll be using to give the cake it truly unique Caribbean flavor. Black cake is one of those desserts you’ll find in just about every Caribbean home during the Christmas holidays and as we’ve discussed in part 1, just about everyone does things a bit different. This black cake recipe is one which takes me back to my childhood in Trinidad and Tobago as we all (brothers and sisters) assisted my mom in making these the night before Christmas. Besides the scent of freshly painted walls, varnished floors, new curtains and bed sheets… the tempting fragrance out of the oven leading up to and including Christmas day is one of pure joyful memories for me. Cake, bread, bake pork and the smoked ham.
Let’s get baking…
You’ll Need…
2 sticks unsalted butter (1/2 lb)
1 cup brown sugar
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon mixed essence
4-5 cups dried fruits (puree/soaked)
2 cups allpurpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon browning (see note below)
1 teaspoon lime zest (grated)
dash of angostura bitters (optional) and a pinch of salt
Note: The browning required to give the cake the dark rich color and Caribbean flavor is not your typical gravy browning. It’s a Caribbean style burnt sugar browning. Its consistency will be similar to molasses (thick). You can source this at any West Indian grocery store or you can make your own if you prefer.
* Make sure the eggs are room temperature and the butter is soft.
* if you prefer to use granulated sugar instead of the brown sugar I mentioned, by all means do so. This is just my preference.
We’ll start off by creaming the butter and sugar until you have a fluffy and smooth consistency. You will also notice that the color will become more pale as you cream the butter. This is one of those times you’ll be thankful if you have a standing mixers. we don’t own one (Santa, please bring Chris a Kitchen Aid for Christmas. please boss), so in a large bowl I put the sugar and butter and using my handy hand mixer I went to work. Back in the old days I remember it was my dads job to do this with a large spoon. Mr Man was old school.
After you have a smooth and fluffy batter base, it’s time to start adding the eggs. Remember to have them at room temperature for best results, add one at a time and mix it thoroughly. Tip : Crack each egg into a small bowl first so you can fish out any shell if any pieces fall in.. this way you’re not diving in the batter for it)
After you’ve added and worked in all the eggs, it’s time to add the vanilla, bitters, mixed essence and lime zest and give it a good mix. Seeing that I was using a hand mixer I added the soaked fruits in two batches to make less work for the mixer. I added 3 cups, worked it in with a spatula, then gave it a good mix with the hand mixer.. then repeated with the other 2 cups of fruits. I now had the ‘wet’ batter completely mixed.
By now you’ll start getting that wonderful scent of cake batter, spiced by the wonderful soaked fruits. Now it’s time to work with the dry ingredients, then combine everything. In another bowl I placed the flour, pinch of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg (if you have freshly grated that would work best) allspice and baking powder. Give that a good mix and I would even suggest sifting to really have it mix evenly. We’ll now start adding the dry ingredients to the wet batter, but do so in 1/3 amounts (so three times). To make mixing easier and to allow for even mixing.
With the batter completely mixed, it’s time to add the browning (see note above about type) and time to give the entire batter it’s final mix.
You’ll have enough batter here for 2 round pans (10-12 inches) or as in my case I used 3 disposable rectangle pans. Not only did I grease then, I also lined them with parchment paper to avoid any issues when they were done baking (to remove them). I got the pans in the dollar store and I like the fact that they came with lids, so I could easily seal them when they were cooled. Great for giving as Christmas gifts.
Pour in enough batter to 2/3 up the pan and place in a preheated 250 F oven for 2.5 hours. Since your oven will differ from mine, I suggest you give the cake the toothpick test after the 2.5 hrs to see if it’s fully baked. In the video below I explain this. If it’s not fully cooked, put it back in for another 20-30 minutes. I baked mine on the middle shelf of my oven if you’re wondering and it was completely baked after 2.5 hours.
After you remove the cakes from the oven allow it to cool for a bit, then you can brush a mixture of rum and sherry over it and allow it to soak through the cake. This will give it that added kick! Trust meh!
Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.
35 Responses to “How To Make Caribbean Black Cake Part 2.”
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Thanks you very much,i"ll give this a trial run for my birthday .Then the real time will come next christmas God spear life, can"t wait merry christmas caribbean pot…
hey chris I made the black just the way you have it her, and I must say it came out perfect…thank you so much for the recipe…keep up the good work and merry christmas to and your family…<3
hi is there a eggless black recipe we dont use eggs an i find it difficult to bake cakes
Hi let me put your mind at ease you can bake without eggs .I am vegan and I bake all sorts of cakes and I use no eggs.I am not sure where you live but you can go to a health food store or even in some supermarkets and buy ground flax seed and that can be used as egg substitute. You can also find an egg substitute that`s called Energy egg replacer or substitute.
HI Chris love this black cake i am going to make this for my birthday next month you have an enjoyable one all the blessings from above
Hi Chris. Thanks for the recipe. I know there are different ways to make this cake. Yours sounds great. My grandmother used to set the fruit for a year also. I think with a fan oven, as mine, the baking time may be less as the heat is curculated evenly and may be half hour less. I usually get lazy and buy one ready made, nothing like ours from Barbados; but not bad, and I cut slits in it and pour on some whisky and wine until it is soaked up. Boy oh boy, you only have a small piece at a time. Very nice though. I intend to set up one soon for next Christmas. Cheers ..
Hi Chris,
Our cousin, Anna, has a real "sweet han' fuh so". She learned how to cook, growing up in TnT and is a boss in the kitchen. Since our Mother passed 3 years ago, she's been getting even better and we are fortunate enough to be the recipients. She used fruits that Mom soaked many years ago to make black cake for Christmas and just to be on the safe side, she followed your clip. Boy, dat ting sweet! And she used a special finishing technique Mom had – moist, delicious and infused with a rum, sherry and port. Thanks for being our inspiration. I'm going to try to post a photo on Facebook, Terri
Hi Terri, "And she used a special finishing technique Mom had – moist, delicious and infused with a rum, sherry and port"…can you share the technique?
the fruit cake is real good thank you so much. Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
This sounds like a great recipe and the way my mother made black cake , I am going to get busy right now. Thanks
I have been looking for a recipe for black cake . I will be using this one. Thank you.
Great video Chris, very informative, I know that recipe works!! what can I substitute for rum, cherry brandy so I can make a non-alcholic black fruit cake ?
concord grape juice
Also grape wine
Great recipe. Just a small tip , add a pan of water in the oven under the cake for a really moist cake . The baking time will be a little longer but worth every minute. Enjoy.
Hello Chris, I have always wanted to take a Trini black cake recipe and bake it in muffin tins. Any idea how to do this in terms of oven temperature and cooking time in the muffin tins? Will be using your exact recipe.
Thanks Chris!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so going to make the Black Cake & it's funny because that's how I found you. Love your work please keep up the great work.
my granddaughter and daughter love black cake I have a jar filled with fruits every time I make cake I add some more fruits to the jar its like a chain letter keep it going I remember the days of using the salt butter and putting it to soak for days keep changing the water. best Black cake and sponge cake ever. My Military family love Blk cake the best. I also add cream Liquer
My granmother loves this cake, I'm gonna definately try this for christmas….. Wish me luck!!!!
Hey Chris! Greetings, but I had to do it at least three times before I could get the hang of it. They came out wonderful. My family wants me to do roti every week now. Thanks again! I'm going to try the black cake next. Season greetings to you and yours and best wishes for the coming year.
I never made it myself as i am lucky enough to have family around who make it.But i have to try one christmas.
A very Merry Christmas to you Chris and all the people on this excellent site
Hi Chris, I have been asking everyone for the recipe for Black Cake, and everybody says that someone is baking one for them……well I am sure to try your method and will tell you how it came out.
As a Trini I always had a member of the family do the baking, but here I am in the US and there is no one I can rely on to do it for me.
So here I am……baking a Black Cake for myself!! following your recipe of course:)
May God be with you and your family and please have a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year…2013.
Hey Chris, on your recipe you said 250 C, shouldn't that read 250 F
I burnt my cakes !
Sorry Shirley, but I had to laugh. 250C is almost 500 degrees! I can't believe you did not realize something was up considering most cakes are baked at 325 F.
Too bad though…hope you didn't wait too long for your fruits.
I started my soaked fruits about a month ago(Nov 14) and I really can't wait to try it out. I soaked a lot of fruits though. I think I have almost 5L of the concoction.
I'm going to try a sample batch tonight but half the recipe. Hope it turns out well.
I know RumGal, I guess I followed the recipe to the letter ! Realized too late what I had done,when I came back from walking the dog to a smoky oven!!! Lucky I had another batch of fruit so tomorrow I'll try again.
That's great – I also made a bigger batch of fruit just in case I messed up. Also, if I didn't. I'll have enough fruit for another bake session.
Did you get to try it again?
Hey Chris, I am following your receipe this year 2012 and making Black Cake for Christmas!! Already soaked the friuts as you suggested in Part 1, can't wait to bake it
I am sure it will taste yummy 
Was looking for a Black Cake recipe to try. This one looks good and only one person says it came out good. I already have my fruits soaking since 2009 and I finally found a recipe that i can try..will post the outcome when I'm done
WOW SINCE 09 THATS GOING TO TASTE YUMMY GOOD LUCK!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS
thanks for the info .infact that will be the first fruit cake i will be making ,but reading your method word by word i think i am ready t
Im waiting for mine now!! its in the oven!! 1 month socked fruits, ( i kniw i waited too long) iv tasted the batter it taste so good..!! preying it works!!! wooooohooo THANKS CHRIS!!
The test batch I made was quite good. I almost was not going to make fruit cake, but decided to do it as it really does not take too long to make.
So glad I did because it smells wonderful. I had a lot of fruit and also 3 bottles of booze for mine. I bottle sherry, almost half a bottle dark rum, and a bottle of brandy. LOL
When I opened the oven to take it out, the smell actually knocked me back – it smells wonderful though.
Merry Christmas, everyone!!!
Hi Rumgal, Yes I did try it again & it came out just fine!
THANKS CHRIS, I THINK YOU ARE AN ANGEL, YOU COOK FROM THE HEART, LOVE YOUR RECIPES