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.
Hi Chris i have been using you black cake recipe for years and always have the best cake ever
It’s a hit each time
Thank you very much
Keep up the good work
Thank you so much for this recipe,i’d never thought I would taste my Granny’s cake again made by me thus time,I made it the other day for my 27th wedding Anniversary for the 1st time. I had fruit soaking from August 2020.
I can’t wait to make it again. Thank you again.
Will make this at Christmas this year and the New year which is my birthday. Will let you know Christ how they turn out.
Hello Chris.
Always looking to you for yummy recipe’s, you make it sound and look so easy.
For you cake,I need to convert to UK measurements and fan oven settings.Help Please.
I also want to bake this in a round 10inch cake tin, would the measurements be the same?
Hi Chis, I was wondering if I could replace the brown sugar with coconut sugar and if so what would the proportions be?
Thank you! I made this for the first time 3 years ago and took it to an holiday gathering. Yesterday the same group of people called and asked me to make it again. Thank you again.
Master Chef Chris,
Seasons Greetings! I studied your recipe and instructions carefully and checked out a few other sites as well. Expensive dish, so didn’t want to make any mistakes. Set my old style oven to 300F; 250F in my oven is for keeping food warm. Lol. Preserves soaked for a year. My friends brought me rum and bitters from Barbados. 90 mins baking time. Brushed with the Sherry, had no more rum, drank the rest during the year. Lol. Inverted the cake and brushed other side as well. Couldnt wait, so snipped a piece off the corner. Dude! You da man!! Perfect on first try!!! Delectable!!! Continued blessings on your head. Im also master roti maker thanks to you. Never to old to learn something new. Your new Bahan food groupie.
Typo…meant…Bajan food groupie!!
Hello Chris! Awesome recipes. Can I substitute molasses for browning?
Thank you Chris for this lovely, tasty cake recipe. I am from Grenada and make your cake frequently. Directions are easy to follow and I enjoy showing off your cake. Great job. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Is it suppose to be refrigerated? If not how is it best stored?
Chris, as a West Indian we were taught to remove the small white membrane from the eggs before cooking, Why are you not removing yours? doesn’t the membrane from the eggs make the baking/cooking smell fresh?
That’s why there is lime zest in the recipe
To correct myself i meant i am soaking 4 pounds of each fruit
Hi chris in the basic recipe its a pound of everything right..so how come you used more than two cups of fruits ?I am just trying to figure out the ratios because i am soaking pouds of each fruits together so i wanted to know if two cups of the final fruits mixture would be correct…thanks
To correct myself i meant i am soaking 4 pounds of each fruit together
This is how my mommy would make around beginning of Nov. We would have it for Thanksgiving!
I made this cake today and the directions were very clear and easy to follow. My cake turned out to be a great success.
My mom and I tried your recipe tonight and we doubled it, except for the eggs, and the batter was delicious, we can’t wait for the cakes to come out of the oven. This is going to be our yearly black cake recipe. Thank you a million.
Your Grenadian followers.
Didnt want to make mistake after soaking fruit for 2 months (expensive cake to make). With the essense, cinnamon, nutmeg, fruit, dont need so much sugar; especially since I’m going to put royal icing on it. See what you meant about brushing with more alcohol after baking. Nice! 250 on my oven is setting for warming, so 275 for 2.5hrs worked perfectly. Gotta know your own oven. A blessed holiday season to all of you. Long life, good health, many, many more. Thnks from the resident Bajan.
Hey Chris, Hope you are doing well and enjoying the holiday season.
Thanks for this receipe.
This is what I found worked for my mother and aunt.
. When you soak the mixed fruits in port wine and rum, for about a year, it will give you the color and you wont’t need as much browning which does change the taste.
Use More port than rum it will give it sweetness and color and with rum the flavors heighten. Too much rum will dry out the cake during baking. So, soaking with rum after it cools give you the carribean high taste. You can soak it cap full at a time every week-if you baked week(s) before season.
If you don’t have a year to soak the fruits, you can put fruits with rum and port wine , on stove in deep pot under low heat, boil them with pot cover on and adding port wine as it evaporates. Test Fruits if soft, with a fork, if soft turn off fire and rest til cool then add more rum and port then add to you mix as Desired.
I learnt this from my busy town cousin, who had no time to soak fruits and needed to add some more to already year soaked ones.
Thanks again as always for your carribean passion cooking. Have a good holiday with your family and friends. May God’s unconditional love continue iin your life. Keep safe.
Hi Chris,
I tried this recipe, great except the appears greasy after cooling but after 3 days perfect. thanks
I made this. I am in black cake heaven.
Tried this recipe tonight. It’s been 2 hours + 45mins at 250 degrees as suggested and my cake is still not baked. It’s 2:00am! I know you mention in your YouTube video that you cannot judge other peoples ovens but after reviewing other websites, everyone else suggests 300 degrees F. I think you really under estimated the suggested temperature.
Hi Natasha
I found that it depends on the depth of the pan. That is something I can never judge, the size of the pan to how much of the mixture should go in one pan. I just baked a cake at 180oC for a 2.5hr recipe and it took only 1 hr!! Nearly burnt my cake. Give it another try sometime. It’s a great recipe.
Will try this recipe this year for a Christmas. Will let you know how it turns out.
Hi Chris,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I used it last year and it was a great hit. So, guess what, I’m using it again this year.
However, I have a few questions…1 tablespoon of browning had the cake a bit light in colour so i added another tablespoon.
My question is, will adding too much browning change the taste of the cake?
Also, even though the cake looks light before baking, will it darken with baking?
Thanks for a speedy response.
it does darken a bit… try not to overdo it with the browning or you’ll end up a a sort of ‘burnt’ flavor. The problem with bottled browning is that it varies (in color and taste) based on manufacturer.
Hi
Thanks for the recipe I have never made this cake before, I am making this cake and whilst mixing in the eggs the mixture looks a little watery. Should I have put in extra flour? I did however put in extra flour and its in the oven now. So fingers crossed.
This was some great info and while i have been successful previously by using the Naparima Girls cookbook in conjunction with other sources this is probably the most definitive recipe for how I want to do by Christmas/Black Cake as my minced fruits have been marinating all year in good Grenadian (River Antoine ) rum. Your methodology looks like my Mum’s and so I feel super confident. Many thanks Chris. Keep doing what you clearly love man!
Hi Chris
Thanks, I will be making this tonight.
Hi Chris wonderful recipe here… couple questions 1. How soon after its out the oven should i add the rum, whine sherry… 2. Should I brush or pour over. 3.. Is there a reason why the cakes go flat after i take them out. 4. For these cakes what icing should I use if using for a wedding..
Hello Chris,
The season is near upon us again.
I have been asking this question to many people but have gotten no answer, so now I ask you.
I would like to take a black cake recipe (I shall be using yours this year) and bake the recipe in standard sized muffin tins.
So: black cake recipe, standard sized muffin tins – (1)at what oven temperature should I bake the muffin tins at and (2) for how long should i bake the muffin tins for?
Thanking you for your reply.
Hi Chris
quick question
Do you ever answer any question posted?
No (kidding).. email and the FB fan page are the best places to get answers. I don’t have support staff, so with 200+ questions/emails/instant messages.. I simply dont have time
This is so great, can’t tell you enough how glad I am with this recipee.
Thank you Chris.
Looks absolutely divine, will be definately making your cake as soon as the fruits have been soaked for another 2 weeks
Hi Chris
I reside in the uk and just wanted to know what size cup i should use in your recipes as i notice you do not use ounces or kg in your recipes.
Regards
Michelle
Michelle, in North America when we say cup, we have what’s called a measuring cup.
How many ounces does the measurement cup take as I would like to follow this recipe.
One cup is 8oz.
I grew up with my stepdad making and selling these every Christmas and in my opinion made the best black cake on the island. He was from Jamaica but lived on St Thomas. After he died 11years ago, I began to regret not learning to bake all the wonderful goodies he made. My fruits have been soaking from early December and this week I am going to do a test run using your recipe. I will omit the lime zest and bitters as he never used those. Will let you know how it turns. Wish me luck!
Excellent step by step instructions I am going to try and bake I will let you know how it turns out
I made this cake for Christmas & it was amazing… The cake went in two days thanks to my mum & sister. So I am making another one today. Hopefully this will last longer lol.
Hi Chris,
Happy new year to you and your family. Had to let you know I made this Christmas Eve and it was enjoyed so much it only lasted 2 days. Currently have new batch of fruits soaking.
Thank you
Thanks! All the best to you and your family for 2015. Glad you had fun with the recipe. Happy Cooking!
How do you store it after you have made it?
cool corner of your kitchen for a few days, then the fridge.
Am a lover of black cake. I tried making it from another recipe but did not like the finished result. Was not here for the Christmas and am having family and friends over on Sunday. About to start my cake in a few minutes and am using this recipe. Am sure its going to come out perfect. Am going to give you a feed back on the completed, baked and tasted product.
Oh my Chris, I followed your recipe to the T…so they r in the oven baking and Voila..can’t wait to eat me some Black cake!!!Thank you!!
Hey Chris I made this last year family loved it .I’m Guyanese so its a bit different from my mom and grandmother.Any how we will enjoy it this year again. Is it OK to bake it 1week before and just add a little sherry and or wine till I’m ready to serve?
Turned out great. Tastes amazing. I know my bro n sis in NY who’s about to receive theirs by mail soon will enjoy it too. BF calls it liquor cake 🙂
Thank you for this recipe
Sheila~Texas
Great job christ
I certainly have learn a lot thank you .I remember those days back home we the younger kids took terns to wash the butter but instead we are using unsalted butter instead the way you showed us to make it as i remember is exactly i was taught .Usually my sister baked my cake but this year she will not be baking so i will ,thanks for the tips, great job
Im about to give your recipe a try. Gotta to try and impress the in laws to be…
will let you know how my cake turns out
Sheila
Texas
Its wonderful to see Trinidad black cake taking a big stand for the best cake for christmas….We are from Madeira island originally ,,but I was only five years old,,when my family moved to Trinidad to make it our new home ,,,and that we did,,and loved every minute of it..My aunt (my mother’s sister was a wiz in the kitchen,,and she saw how the black cake was produced,,and in those days there were no fancy mixers,,the hand was the mixer and we all joined in…I don’t think any one enjoys Christmas as we did…..they were the best………..thank you Querino xx
Hi Chris season greetings to you and your family. Iam going to soak my fruits to make my cake,tonight to make black cake it will be my first time making it ,with your recipe i am sure it will come out great. thanks and have a great Christmas.
I am about to try this cake. I hope it turns out like yours. I have lots of fruit marinating so I am cutting the recipe in half to see how it turns out. Thanks
made black cake last night.tasted lovely
Hello
Do you bake all three pans at the same time? How long would you bake if you did one at a time?
Thank you
I love t’dad black cake,,,the family moved to t’dad from madeira when i was a 5year old boy,,,,my aunt soon learnt how to cook trinidad food including the wonderful…..black cake…she had the dry fruit soaking for months,,,and i love the taste of the soaked fruit even at early age i had a good taste for trinidad food……which i still cook in london…….lovely
Hi Chris. I will be making a black cake for my sons wedding. I figure I will need about 12 cups of batter for the cake. I plan to make a 12″ x2″ and 2x 8″ ball cake. I do not know how much of the recipe I will need to make. How do I increase the recipe? Thanks
Hey Chris, Last Christmas was the first time I made black cake for my wife I always buy because she like it. I took your exact directions in how to make it and it was a blast my Wife enjoyed it she even shared with family in how great it tasted. It’s June now and it’s her birthday she ask me to make it for her. It’s a good thing I soak more fruits like you said for this Christmas so it was a quick make. She wasn’t aware of that I had the fruits and was amazed when I bake the cake she enjoyed the cake very much so I had to THANK YOU for your perfect directions. Who said you can’t have Christmas in June because my house sure smelled like it . God bless you and your family thanks for sharing your reciepts with us.
Hi Chris, Yuh fruit cake recipe sounds like de real ting. I’m going to try it. Will let you know how ah mek out.
I’ve used your recipe/method for black cake last year and my cakes came out better than previous yrs. 🙂 thanks for sharing.
Hi Chris….just want to thank you for another really great recipe
Thanks for sharing!! I’m about to try this recipe. I really prefer the fruits pureed, for I hate to feel chunks of fruit still laying around in my mouth after I’ve finished swallowing the cake.(disgusting) Alchohol over the cake will certainly keep it moist and mellow,opposed to being pudding like…..
I choose this recipe over others because of the ingredients. The cake came out great and it was tasty. Thanks for sharing.
Dear Chris
What is your cup measurement in weight?
For e.g
1 cup brown sugar
4-5 cups dried fruits (puree/soaked)
2 cups allpurpose flour
A happy 2014
kind regards
Jenny
You’re wrong with the browning 1tsp or tbsp is not enough Iunderstand it is not like what you would make for stew chicken but you’ll be getting a brown cake with your mesurement.look at your batter when pouring in the browning the darker the better but dont exceed the color bc you’ll get a bitter cake.& in my opinion fruit cake the ones I know my granny made you dont want to puree your fruits it leaves the cake like trini bread pudding a little care in preping fruits is essential chop with a processor or hand but not puree .
Hi Chris, I’m from Trinidad and I just took my cakes out of the oven, they smell divine. Thank you for this recipe it was quite easy.
I’ll be ‘brushing’ the rum on in a while. O.k maybe a little more pouring than brushing. I can’t wait to try a piece. Thanks again.
Have a good christmas
Hi Chris- I am from Barbados and every year we make black cake for christmas. I love it and now that I am followeing your recipe I know I will do a good job. You as they say are a master and I am learning from the “BEST”. God bless you and your family always.
Hello,
I have been marinating my fruits since October….getting excited to make this for the first time in my life and share with my family and friends.
I’m excited to be making a Caribbean cake since I’m a total white boy from Canada and probably would never have had a chance to taste this cake in my life (gotta love the interwebs).
Just wondering, have you (or anyone reading this) tried making this recipe with Margarine instead of butter?
Has anyone tried making this gluten free and used a different type of flour (rice flour perhaps)? I’d be interested to hear if any of these alterations have been tried and if they have turned out tasting ok.
Thanks so much.
Hi CK, I made this cake with butter and with margarine, and they were both good.
THANKS CHRIS, I THINK YOU ARE AN ANGEL, YOU COOK FROM THE HEART, LOVE YOUR RECIPES
Hi Rumgal, Yes I did try it again & it came out just fine!
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!!!
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!!
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
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
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 🙂
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?
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.
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.
Hey Chris, on your recipe you said 250 C, shouldn't that read 250 F
I burnt my cakes !
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.
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
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.
My granmother loves this cake, I'm gonna definately try this for christmas….. Wish me luck!!!!
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
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.
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.
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.
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
I have been looking for a recipe for black cake . I will be using this one. Thank you.
This sounds like a great recipe and the way my mother made black cake , I am going to get busy right now. Thanks
the fruit cake is real good thank you so much. Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
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?
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 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 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.
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
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…