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Caribbean Black Cake

Moist Caribbean Black Cake with Soaked Fruit

A festive and deeply flavorful Caribbean Christmas cake made with soaked fruits, warm spices, and a touch of burnt sugar browning.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Course Breads & Bakes, Caribbean Classics, Desserts, Festive & Holiday Recipes, Seasonal Recipes, Winter Recipes
Cuisine Jamaican, Trinidadian

Ingredients
  

Fruit Soak

  • 2 cups dark rum
  • 4 cups sherry or cherry brandy
  • 1 pound prunes pitted
  • 1 pound mixed peel
  • 1/2 pound raisins
  • 1/2 pound maraschino cherries
  • 1/4 pound lemon peel

Cake Batter

  • 1/2 pound unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 6 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon mixed essence
  • 1 tablespoon lime zested
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters optional
  • 4-5 cups soaked dried fruit
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon burnt sugar browning
  • 1 pinch salt

Instructions
 

  • Roughly chop the prunes.
    Roughly chopped prunes on a cutting board
  • Blend the dried fruit with a portion of the rum and sherry to a thick, chunky paste. 
    Ingredients in a food processor
  • Blend until it is a thick but smooth consistency (with a little chunkiness).
    Blending ingredients in a food processor
  • Pour the entire mixture into a large bowl.
    Mixture in a large bowl with a spatula
  • Pour the mixture into a large jar, add the remaining alcohol, seal the jar, and store it for at least 1 month.
    Mixture in a glass jar
  • Preheat the oven to 250°F (120 °C). Grease and line baking pans with parchment.
  • Cream butter and sugar until pale. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla, mixed essence, lime zest, and bitters.
    Mixed butter and sugar in a white bowl with beaters resting on the side
  • Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla, mixed essence, lime zest, and bitters.
    Adding in eggs
  • Fold in half of the soaked fruit, then half of the dry mixture (flour, spices, baking powder, salt). 
    Add in fruit mixture
  • Repeat. 
    Dry ingredients in a bowl
  • Add browning and mix to combine.
    Browning added to cake batter
  • Divide into prepared pans (fill 2/3 full). Bake for 2 1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
    Greased cake tins filled with batter
  • Brush the cake tops with a mix of rum and sherry. 
    Cooked black cake in cake tins on cutting board
  • Cool completely, then brush again before wrapping and storing.
    Caribbean Black Cake
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