Caribbean Black Cake
This decadent and unique Caribbean black cake is deep, dark, rich, and boozy, and packed with dried fruits and warm spices. Do you need a simple but indulgent recipe for a wedding, Christmas, or rum cake? Then here it is!
While this famous Christmas fruit cake has numerous variations, it’s pretty straightforward. I can’t claim that this recipe is the original, but I can say that it will BLOW YOU AWAY. So, if you have to have your traditional fruit cake for Christmas, this will fill the bill.
Plus, you’ll fill the house with warm Christmas cake aromas once this fancy, boozy cake takes center stage. Every forkful of this amazing spiked cake is indulgent bliss. Everyone will be surprised that this deep, rich color doesn’t have a speck of chocolate. You can make the chocolate cake for Valentine’s.
What Makes Caribbean Fruitcake Black?
The rich, deep black color comes mainly from the browning sauce, but molasses helps too. And, of course, rum and wine-soaked dried fruit and proper fermentation all pitch in for a decadently moist holiday fruitcake.
How to Make Caribbean Fruit Cake
- Chop all the fruits into little chunks, then place them in a large bowl. (Photo 1)
- Pour rum and wine into the bowl of fruit, adding enough to cover the fruits. Cover and leave in a cool place for two days, so it soaks up the alcohol. Add more if needed. (Photo 2)
- Blend the soaked fruit with any remaining liquids in a blender until it has a paste-like consistency. (Photos 3-4)
- Cream the butter and sugar at high speed until it’s fluffy and looks white, 3-5 minutes. (Photo 5)
- Whip in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the batter from curdling. (Photo 5)
- Sift in the rest of the flour and baking powder, followed by browning sauce, molasses, almond and vanilla extract, spices, and nutmeg. (Photos 7-8)
- Mix the batter and then add the fruit puree and lime zest. Stirring until thoroughly combined, then dump the batter into a greased cake pan. (Photos 9-12)
- Bake at 325°F (160°C) until a cake tester comes out clean, about 2 hours.
- Glaze. Melt ½ cup (113g) butter and ½ cup (107g) light brown sugar until it bubbles and begins to brown. Pour in a ¼ cup (60ml) of red wine, a ¼ cup (60ml) of rum, and 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract. Light the alcohol with a match if desired. (Photos 13-14)
- Poke holes in the freshly baked black cake, pour the glaze over the top, and let it soak in. Let it cool, and enjoy. (Photos 15-16)
Recipe Notes
- Remember to add alcohol as needed so the fruit remains completely submerged in the liquid.
- Cut the fruit into small chunks, so the rum and wine absorb evenly.
- Poke the cake and brush extra rum and wine when it’s still hot, so the alcohol soaks in better. You can cover it with plastic wrap right after brushing it to seal in the moisture.
- You can purchase browning sauce in most Caribbean and international markets, and even Walmart. Or you can make your own with my browning sauce recipe.
- Feel free to vary the amounts and types of dried fruits and spices depending on your preference. I played around with 1-2 pounds of dried fruits for this recipe. One pound of fruit was slightly on the dry side, so I prefer 1½-2 pounds.
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can soak the fruit in rum and wine for anywhere from a week to a month, letting all the flavors meld. Hardcore Caribbean black cake makers soak the fruit for up to a year!
You can also bake the cake up to three months (or longer) beforehand. After it cools, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Store in a cool, dry place while the flavors continue to develop. Make sure it has enough alcohol to keep it safe. It also freezes well if you want to stop the fermentation.
What to Serve With Caribbean Black Cake
A traditional Caribbean Christmas dinner includes curry goat and rice and peas. You might enjoy a side of boiled or fried dumplings. Of course, other traditions are rubbing off, so a glazed ham finds its place on many Caribbean menus.
More Rum-Spiked Dessert Recipes to Try
- Rum Cake
- Chocolate Rum Marble Cake
- Rum Glazed Pineapple
- Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce
- Rum Raisin Pineapple Ice Cream
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”4CXoThNJ” upload-date=”2020-11-03T13:48:12.000Z” name=”Caribbean Black Cake” description=”Caribbean Black Cake – wedding cake, Christmas cake, fruit cake, rum cake, however, you want to call this cake, this cake is one of those uniquely highly indulgent cakes of all cake. Deep dark, rich, and boozy cake packed with dried fruits and warm spices; enough to melt your heart and please your palate!” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”]
This blog post was originally published in March 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Caribbean Black Cake
Ingredients
The Fruitcake
- 1-2 pounds (½-1kg) dried fruit (raisins, currants, prunes, cherries, orange peel, etc.)
- 1 cup (240ml) rum plus more as needed
- 1 cup (240ml) sweet wine plus more as needed (port is a good choice)
- 10 ounces (285g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 2¼ cups (270g) flour
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) browning sauce
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) molasses
- 1 teaspoon (3g) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon (3g) ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons (4g) grated lime zest
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) almond extract
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
Optional Rum Glaze
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) port or sweet red wine
- ¼ cup (60ml) dark rum
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
Caribbean Fruitcake
- Chop the fruit into small chunks, and place them in a large bowl.
- Pour rum and wine over the fruit, adding enough alcohol to submerge the fruit. Cover and leave in a cool place for two days so it soaks up the alcohol. Check it occasionally and add rum or wine to keep it covered.
- Pour the soaked fruit with the remaining liquid into a blender and puree until it has a paste-like consistency.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and line the cake pan with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar at high speed until it's fluffy and starts to look white, about 3-5 minutes.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the batter from curdling.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder, followed by browning sauce, molasses, almond and vanilla extract, mixed spices, and nutmeg. Mix the batter and then add the fruit blend and lime zest.
- Stir everything well until it's thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as you mix.
- Pour the batter into a greased 10-inch cake pan.
- Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about two hours.
Optional Rum Glaze
- Melt the butter and brown sugar until it bubbles and begins to brown. Pour in the port, rum, and vanilla extract. Light the alcohol with a match if desired, and simmer until slightly thickened.
- Poke the cake several times with a skewer, then brush it with the glaze or about ¼ cup rum or sweet wine while it is still hot. Then let it soak up the liquids.
- Let it cool completely before serving. If desired, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Store in a cool, dry place for up to a month.
Tips & Notes:
- If you want a darker cake, add more browning sauce and use blackstrap molasses.
- Pay close attention to the ground fruit mixture. Make sure it’s not watery or lumpy, but has a paste-like consistency.
- Brush the cake with rum or sweet wine if you don’t want to make the glaze. Then cover it with plastic wrap right after brushing to seal in the moisture.
- Baking this Christmas fruit cake 3-4 days ahead provides the best flavor and texture.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the ingredients used.
Hi Imma, I would Love to make this cake, i live in Aruba thats a caribbean island, but i have a question, how can i make Browning or what is browning im a little confused in that part, please let me know so i can show my family a good caribbean cake. Thank you
Hi Dayelin! Browning is a sauce that is used in Jamaican Cooking- available in some Supermarkets .Also known as burnt sugar . Try asking when you are visiting one.
I tried this recipe with non alcoholic wine and it was my first time making black cake, It was spectacular! great recipe
Thanks so much! Glad to hear it worked out well for you.
I don’t understand the reference to “whipping up the burnt sugar”. I can’t find any mention of burnt sugar, whatever that is.
P.S. I’ll be using port wine.
You have to buy regular sugar and burn it in a pot on your stove until it becomes very dark
Hi would this recipe work using almond flour?
You will have to adjust the ingredients to make it work . sorry! I don’t have any precise instructions on how too.
Hi can you pls tell me how to prepare the cake pan . Do I just need to line the tin with baking paper then put the cake in the oven ? I’ve read some recipes and they cover the cake with foil or baking paper . Pls let me know as this is my first time baking this cake
Just line with baking paper, no need to do more.
This cake was a hit for my picky family ! Question about pan, want to try baking it in a bundt pan, ??? what do you think, is pan shape important. Thanks again
Hi Anne! I am so glad this cake is a hit with your family :).
Yes, you can use a bundt pan to bake this cake. Just keep in mind that the cake will need to bake for considerably longer and the resulting texture will be a bit denser than the original, but still delicious. Do let me know how this works out for you.
So looking forward to trying this as I’ve had a request to try it though I’m wondering if I can get away with using a 23cm spring form cake tin And I’m wondering if I need to use plain flour or self raising flour?
Again thankyou so much for this simple recipe, the comments have me feeling confident.
Hi Scarlet. Don’t worry, either type of flour would work. As for your cake pan, a 23cm (9″)will work too. It would require a few more minutes to bake but it will be alright. Do let me know how it works out for you!
Please send us the receipt in cups .
We the north measure by cups
Thank you.
Hi Cheryl,
It’s best to measure your fruits based on weight . With that said, here the measurement 2 1/4 cup- 4 1/2 cups of dried fruits .
Butter – 1 1/4 cups .
Hope this helps .
Hi…I’m a bit confused…the rum that is added into the cake is the 1 cup rum? I’m asking because earlier up it was noted to pour the rum and wine over the fruits. it’ll be my first time making it so I want it to be perfect so to speak
Hi Denecia,
If you have any alcohol leftover from the fruits, you may use it . For the most part though, the fruit absorbs all of it. Make sure you have extra alcohol , if needed . Hope this helps
I just made this today. The first bite took me back 20 years!!!
Thank you for this recipe!
Yay! Love hearing this,Rudy
Hello! I made this recipe but had to change it up a little. I was out of molasses so I added an extra tbs of browning and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. I only added 1/2 cup of rum to the batter as my fruit purée was pretty wet. Cooked in a 9 inch cake pan at 275 degrees for 2 hours. Poured a cap full of rum on top about 15 minutes after it came out of the oven and two cap fulls a day for the next two days. I never got to taste it as it was a birthday present for a friend from Jamaica but he did tell me it was absolutely perfect and that I should make them and sell them for $60 a cake! Thank you so much for this recipe I searched the internet for a recipe for weeks before deciding on this one and it was perfect!
Hi Sara,
Oh my! $60 They must have really enjoyed it. Glad you took a chance on this recipe . So happy to hear it worked out well for you.
Thank you so much!!!
My mother makes these every Thanksgiving and Christmas! She usually is shipping them all over for people!
They’re such a Caribbean tradition! I hope you enjoy, Donna. 🙂
After soaked and blended, approximately how many cups of fruit blend is there please?
Sorry, I really haven’t thought of measuring it . Will do so cause am making a video of this for the holidays
Hello, the instructions say to add rum with the lime zest, how much rum is added to the cake batter? Thank you! Can’t wait to make this cake.
Hello! I used 1 cup of strong rum but you can lower that amount to taste 🙂
I made this cake yesterday, it is so good. I used the recipe exactactly and it came out perfect. Thank you for posting
You’re welcome. And thank you for taking the time to inform me how it went for you. Glad you like it. 🙂
Hi, how long do i need to soak the dried fruit?
At least 2 hours in warm water- you can let it soak up for weeks.
Thanks. I followed your recipe and the cake came out perfect. My husband loved it and was so proud because his St. Vincent and am Nigerian…..he also took some to work for his co-workers.
I made this cake and it turned out AMAZING. I highly recommend it! My boyfriend is from Jamaica and he said it was CORRECT!!!! Funny story: his family doesn’t use lime zest. His aunt emailed me her recipe but Her recipe didn’t have dried cherries or currants. My boyfriend said his mom used dried cherries and currants. So i went online to see some different variations to see if i could use his aunt’s recipe but also include his mother’s touches. Hence, I found your recipe. Your recipe had lime zest, so I added it. I had a bunch of leftover lime zest so When the cake was done, I sprinkled it all over the top of the cake for presentation purposes. My boyfriend posted it on facebook and everyone in the family is commenting that they are not sure about my decision to use lime zest. I am delighted by the passion and love of tradition! I think it is hilarious that my whim is causing so much conversation! My boyfriend’s brother came over to try the cake and he ate 3 pieces of it in one sitting! He said he doesn’t know how he feels about my lime zest but my work is legit. He gave my cake a 9 out of 10. He said only his wife’s cake gets a 10. That is my story. This recipe is amazing. I used 2 lbs of fruits, equally distributed between dried cherries, prunes, raisins and currants. I used port wine and Wray and Nephew’s overproof rum in the cooking. I poured 1/4th cup Meyers dark rum on top after the finished cake cooled. I threw the lume zest on top right before serving. It was pretty and delicious.
Wohooo! I’m so delighted while reading your story. 🙂 Glad your boyfriend approves it and his brother as well (I’ll take that 9 out of 10 score 😉 ). Thank you for dropping by and enjoy your holidays!
GM I am hoping and praying for similar results. However I soaked my cake in the Dark rum. I bought Wray n Nephew for the finishing touches because its really strong. Nonetheless was given no recipe when I found this one and already my Jamaican fiance is calling me, drilling me with questions…why this, why that? I tried baking fruit cakes 2-3 years ago and said I would not again, but guess I drew a blank. Fruits are soaking so I pray the results are “Immaculate” so he can eat his words. RAH
Hi, Roberta. I hope they turned out “immaculate”. This is a fantastic cake indeed for the holidays. Happy new year!
I made this cake and it was moist and delicious and I will definitely make it again.
Hi Gem,
So happy to hear it worked out well. Am SO THRILLED!!!!
You do not specify a wine and as I am not a drinker I went off to the supermarket and picked up a desert wine, I now have my fruit soaking in rum and white desert wine. Will this work or should I drain out the liquid as soon as and start again with red wine (as I saw on a YouTube tutorial)?
Sweet wine works just fine. I used Manischewitz Concorde grape for this black cake.
If you’re looking to make it a more authentic Jamaican version of this cake, you’re looking for J. Wray & Nephew Red Label wine (it’s a sweet fortified wine from Jamaica) and you’ll also want J. Wray & Nephew overproofed white rum (it’s about 63% alcohol by volume and made in Jamaica)
I had quite a search for the red label wine. I finally found it after looking in about 8 stores. If you have a store that specializes in Caribbean food, that’s a good place to start.
If you can’t find the wine and rum I mentioned, no biggie, use what you can find.
I am making this for the first time soon, so I have been researching it a bit and can tell you that it seems to have a lot of leeway in what goes in it and how it’s made.
Good luck with yours!
I made this cake over thirty years ago. It was the best ever. To find the recipe again is great. Plan to make it when Autumn arrives. Oh, my. All these recipes read so well and look fine. I like to eat across cultures.
Oh my goodness….I’m salivating at this came description. Looking forward to trying this and so many other wonderful recipes ✨
Can’t wait for you to try this one out, Kat. This cake is one of my ultimate fave celebratory cake. You’ll love the medley of flavors. Please let me know how this one turns out for you.
Do you have to blend the fruits?
Yes you do.
Hi, I am planning on baking this cake for Christmas.
I cannot find molasses and browning in the market (I live in India). What is the difference between the two? I Googled recipes to make them, but they are both the same (brown sugar and water, that is reduced to make a slightly thick syrup).
Can I just make that syrup and substitute both molasses and browning for that home-made syrup? If so, how much of it can I add (3 tbsp+ 2 tbsp)?
Hello! Molasses has a distinct flavor to it .It is slightly sweeter than browning sauce . If you are making the sauce from scratch use dark brown instead.I would use about 3 Tablespoons ,and adjust according . Taste test so it doesn’t overwhelm the cake, add to suit taste buds.
Hi
I am from the Caribbean (Trinidad) and this is our standard traditional Christmas cake. Every household have their twist to making this cake and it could range from when you add the browning to when the flour is folded, or how long your fruits is soaking in wine , dry cherry or rum from months to weeks or days before making the cake. It is standard in our household to have fruits soaking up to 6 months.
For me, this cake baked on a low temp as low as 225F for the first hour and then increase it to 250F for the next hour, this prevents the cake from drying out and getting cracks at the top. When the cake is out of the oven about 5 minutes later rum is then pour onto the cake the amount is based on your preference, usually about 1/4 cup.
When the cake is completely cooled, more rum is added (again based on one’s taste and or preference, it is wrapped in plastic cling and then wrapped in foil. The plastic cling will keep this cake moist for months. Ever so often I will open the wrapping apply a little more rum , close and the wrap again. For Easter, fruit cake(s) that was baked for Christmas is served when friends and family visit.