Jamaican Black Cake
Jamaican Black Cake is a traditional Caribbean dessert often enjoyed during holidays and special celebrations.
It involves dried fruits soaked in rum and wine, creating a rich and cherished cake that represents community and family traditions.
Ingredients
Fruit Blend:
- 8 oz dried prunes
- 5 oz golden raisins
- 5 oz raisins
- 5 oz dried cherries
- 2½ cups sweet red wine (plus more if needed)
- ¼ cup white rum (added before blending)
Cake:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1¼ cups dark brown sugar
- 5 tbsp eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp lime and lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tbsp blended fruit mixture
- 2 tbsp browning
- 2 tbsp burnt sugar
Instructions
For the Fruit Blend:
- Combine dried fruits and sweet red wine in an airtight container. Let sit for at least 1 week, adding wine if needed.
- When ready, blend fruit with rum until smooth.
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 250℉ and line a 10-inch cake tin with parchment.
- Mix flour, breadcrumbs, baking powder, spices, and salt in a bowl.
- In another bowl, cream butter and brown sugar, then add eggs, zest, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Combine with dry ingredients, then fold in blended fruit, browning, and burnt sugar.
- Bake for 2½ hours or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool 20 minutes, remove from pan, pour ¼ cup sweet red wine on top, and let rest overnight.
Storage Instructions
Wrap the cooled cake and store it airtight. It keeps for weeks. For added depth, occasionally brush on more sweet red wine or rum.
What Is Jamaican Black Cake Made Of?
It’s made from a fruit mixture (prunes, raisins, cherries) soaked in wine and rum, combined with a spiced batter and enriched with browning and burnt sugar.
What Is the Significance of the Black Cake?
It symbolizes hospitality, tradition, and family bonds, appearing at Christmas, weddings, and community gatherings.
What Is the History of the Black Cake in the Caribbean?
Its roots trace back to European fruitcakes brought by colonizers, adapted over time with local fruits, rum, and spices, becoming a Caribbean staple.
What Is the Flavor of Black Cake?
It offers deep sweetness from the fruits, warmth from the spices, and a gentle richness from the rum and wine, resulting in a cake prized for its complexity.
Jamaican Black Cake
Materials
Fruit Blend
- 8 oz dried prunes
- 5 oz golden raisins
- 5 oz raisins
- 5 oz dried cherries
- 2½ cups sweet red wine plus more for later
- ¼ cup white rum save for later
Cake
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 1¼ cups dark brown sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 tbsp lime and lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- fruit blend mixture
- 2 tbsp browning
- 2 tbsp burnt sugar
Instructions
For the Fruit Blend
- Combine all of the dried fruits into an airtight container. Add the red wine and stir to combine. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 week. (The longer it sits the better, so letting this sit for months is encouraged. Just occasionally check it and add a little more wine to keep it barely covered).
- When ready to bake, add the mixture to a blender with the rum and blend until smooth.
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 250℉ and line a 10 inch cake tin with parchment paper.
- Mix the flour, breadcrumbs, baking powder, spices, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, cream the butter and dark brown sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Mix in eggs, one at a time. Then add zest, vanilla, and almond extract into the butter mixture until combined. Mix in the flour mixture and fold in the blended fruit, browning, and burnt sugar until fully combined. Pour the mixture into the cake pan.
- Bake for 2½ hours, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool for 20 minutes, remove from pan, and pour ¼ cup sweet red wine over top. Allow the cake to cool overnight, soaking up the wine. Serve and enjoy.
