The Jamaican black cake, also called Jamaican fruit cake, is the traditional Christmas cake of Jamaica, made from rum/wine soaked fruits, wine, and love!
A Jamaican Christmas isn't complete without our fruit cake. No one fruit cake is equal and the texture may differ depending on whose making it.
Some people use mixed fruits, while others may just stick to two.
Place all dried fruits in a pot, pour Red Label Wine, covering the fruits, and then boil for 1-2 minutes. Leave it to cool and marinate for 24 hours. The fruits will be soaked as if they were left to marinate for a month in advance.
To achieve a fine, smooth mixture and to avoid chewing fruits while eating the finished product, blend all the fruits together with Red Label Wine/Wray and Nephew Overproof Rum. The choice is yours.
12 eggs
8 oz butter
1 lb dark raisins, ground or chopped
½ lb prunes, ground or chopped
1 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
1 ltr Red Label Wine or Wray and Nephew Overproof Rum
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon mixed spice for baking
½ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups baking flour
2 cups brown sugar
3 tablespoon browning
2 teaspoon vanilla
Ignite and set the clean oven 300 F then set aside an additional cake pan of water to be placed at the bottom of the oven to ensure the cakes do not dry out.
2. Cream butter and sugar in a very large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy.
Beat eggs one at a time with an Egg Beater (5 minutes) or two at a time for 1 minute with an electronic cake mixer until light-yellow in colour.
4. Add to egg mixture: browning, vanilla, salt, mixed spice, and a splash of rum then stir with a large wooden spoon — or mix in the electronic cake mixer.
5. Add baking powder, cinnamon and grated nutmeg then stir with wooden spoon or mix in the electronic cake mixer.
6. Pour egg mixture into the sugary-buttery mixture, fold well with wooden spoon until all are properly mixed.
7. Add 4 cups of soaked fruits to the mixture. Fold soaked -chopped or blended- fruits into this mixture. The balance of fruits can be left to soak until the next time you bake!
8. Gradually fold in the flour to mixture, half-cup at a time. After the third half-cup, ensure that you are not adding too much flour by sticking the wooden spoon at a 90 degree angle into the center of the mixture then allow it to fall freely or lift the wooden spoon full to test its viscosity. Too much flour will yield a tough cake. If the spoon falls slowly, that’s not good, add more fruits! If it immediately falls to a 45 degree angle and then slows, the consistency of the cake mixture is great and is ready to be baked!
Grease baking pans lightly (not too light), line with greased paper then grease and flour lined pans. Pour mixture into tins then place the tins in the oven to bake for about 2 hours at 300F. Place a pan of water in the bottom of the oven to ensure cakes do not dry out.
Check cakes from time to time, as baking times may vary. Stick a clean knife in the middle of each cake. Cakes are ready when the knife comes out clean, or almost clean.
Once out of the oven, pour a little Red Label wine or rum on the top of the cake(s) and cover with an aluminum foil or you can flip the cake and decorate. This is how the bottom of the cake should look.
You determine the moisture by how much Red Label wine you add after the cake cools.
