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!

I remembered the very first time I had my slice of this magical cake at a Caribbean wedding. From then on, I can’t shake it off of my head.

My Belizean friend makes this cake, every Christmas and Easter unfailingly. She’s soooo sweet, saves a cake or two for me. And I indulge every single time until I’m sick of it. No judging, you all can have a slice,  I eat  2-3 slices, maybe even more. Who’s counting?

 It’s become somewhat of a tradition to have this glorious cake during the holidays, despite the fact I didn’t grow up eating it. The holidays wouldn’t be the same without it.

Well, this famous Caribbean cake has lots of variations but it’s pretty straightforward. I can’t claim that this recipe is based on the original recipe, but I might say, it’ll definitely BLOW YOU AWAY.

So what makes this cake so popular among Caribbean households?

• It’s a complex, deep, and rich flavor, with tons of variations. And of course, who can resist the booze? Lots of rum.
• Black Fruitcake has surprising longevity, and a little goes a long way. It can be made weeks in advance and if stored properly can last for months.

This cake closely resembles pudding and fruit cake together. It’s not that crumby and it has a dense texture like that of a fruit cake. The rich deep black color may resemble chocolate cakes, but actually, it comes from the rum and wine-soaked dried fruits that were grounded and mixed into the batter and most notably browning.

Hardcore black cake bakers would swear by soaking the dried fruits for at least a year and some for 3-4 months for a deeper richer flavor.

Seriously, who’s that patient? I can’t even wait until I finished the whole photoshoot to grab a slice of this. 

For this recipe. I  used dried dates, raisins cherries, glaces, and prunes. Throw in some currants, and even candied citrus peels, if available.

Actually, there’s no wrong or right for this 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 and it works. One pound fruits are slightly on the dry and crumbling side which is how I like. 

To drench or not to drench? Well, my friends, that is up to you. I use about a 1/4 -1/2 cup. I have been known to go overboard with the rum- lol. No one complained about it. In fact, everyone was “pretty happy”, if you know what I mean.

Christmas is just around the corner, so I guess this cake recipe here is a MUST on your list. But I guess this should be off-limits to the kids. 😉

You’ll have a room filled with a warm Christmas-y scent once this cake sets the center stage. Indulge happily and savor every forkful of this SUPER tasty Caribbean Black Cake.

I do love chocolate cakes, but this one here takes it above and beyond.

How To Make Caribbean Black Cake

Start by chopping all the fruits into little chunks, then place in a large bowl. Pour rum and wine in the bowl of fruit, add enough alcohol to cover fruits. Cover and leave in a cool place for 2 days so it soaks up the alcohol. If leaving for more than 2 days, you may have to add more alcohol.

Pour the soaked fruit together with any remaining juices into a blender and blend until it’s a paste-like consistency.  Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/325°F. Grease and line the cake tin (pan) with baking parchment. Cream together the butter and sugar at high speed until it’s fluffy and starting 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, baking powder.

Followed by browning, molasses, almond and vanilla extract, mixed spice, and nutmeg. 

Mix the batter and then add the fruit blend and lime zest. Stir well until everything is fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.

Pour batter into a greased 10-inch cake pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 2 hours. If desired, poke the cake with a toothpick, then brush each with about ¼ cup rum or sweet wine while the cake is still hot. Let the cake soak up the rum. Let it cool completely before serving. If desired, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wax or parchment paper. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.

Let it cool completely before serving. If desired, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wax or parchment paper. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.

Watch How To Make It

This blog post was first published in March 2018 and has been updated with a video.

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Caribbean Black Cake

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 palette!

5 from 9 votes

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 2 hrs

Soaking the Fruit: 2 d

Total: 2 d 2 hrs 20 mins

Caribbean

Servings 8 - 10 slices

Ingredients

• ▢ 1-2 pounds dried fruits ( raisins, currants, prunes, cherries )
• ▢ 1 cup strong rum , plus more
• ▢ 1 cup sweet wine , plus more
• ▢ 10 ounce unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 5 large eggs
• ▢ 2 ¼ cup flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 3 tablespoons browning
• ▢ 2 tablespoons molasses
• ▢ 1 teaspoon mixed spice (sub with cinnamon and all spice)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ 2 teaspoons grated Lime
• ▢ 1 teaspoon almond extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Start by chopping all the fruits into little chunks, then place in a large bowl.
  
• Pour rum and wine in the bowl of fruit, add enough alcohol to cover fruits. Cover and leave in a cool place for 2 days so it soaks up the alcohol. If leaving for more than 2 days, you may have to add more alcohol.
• Pour the soaked fruit together with any remaining juices into a blender and blend until it's paste-like consistency.
• Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/325°F. Grease and line the cake tin (pan) with baking parchment.
• Cream together the butter and sugar at high speed until it’s fluffy and starting to look white, about 3- 5 minutes.
• Stir in the eggs, a 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, baking powder, followed by browning, molasses, almond and vanilla extract, mixed spice, and nutmeg. Mix the batter and then add the fruit blend and lime zest.
• Stir well until everything is fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
• Pour batter into a greased 10 inch cake pan.
• Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 2 hours.
• If desired, poke the cake with a toothpick, then brush each with about ¼ cup rum or sweet wine while the cake is still hot. Let the cake soak up the rum.
• Let it cool completely before serving .
  
• If desired, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wax or parchment paper. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.

Tips & Notes:

1. If you want a dark cake you can add more browning and less molasses. Browning can be purchased in most Caribbean and International markets. Some major supermarkets do carry them, even Walmart.
2. 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 and it works. One pound of fruits is slightly on the dry side. 
3. Make sure to buy a good quality of dried fruits as it is a crucial ingredient to this recipe.
4. Pay close attention to the grounded fruit mixture. Make sure it's not watery or lumpy, but that of a paste-like consistency.
5. If you're not comfortable whipping up the burnt sugar, you can always practice a few times OR go with store-bought browning/burning sugar. Make sure to taste it first before adding it to the recipe. Bitter burnt sugar would surely ruin the whole cake.
6. Don't forget to brush the cake with a rum or sweet wine and allow it to soak pretty well to add more flavor. You may cover it with plastic wrap right after brushing to seal in the moisture.
7. The cake must be baked 3-4 days ahead before serving it for the best flavor and texture. Yep, I know! This cake needs a lot of waiting. But you can always cheat and serve it after it cooled down. 😉
8. It's said to have been introduced by the  British colonists in the form of plum pudding. It has been adopted by the locals in the  Caribbean islands, with readily available ingredients.
9. You may try baking it in a bundt pan but 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. A 23cm (9″) cake tin will work too. It would require a few more minutes to bake but it will be alright. 
10. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 780kcal (39%)| Carbohydrates: 94g (31%)| Protein: 8g (16%)| Fat: 32g (49%)| Saturated Fat: 19g (119%)| Cholesterol: 178mg (59%)| Sodium: 61mg (3%)| Potassium: 703mg (20%)| Fiber: 5g (21%)| Sugar: 52g (58%)| Vitamin A: 1475IU (30%)| Vitamin C: 0.5mg (1%)| Calcium: 111mg (11%)| Iron: 3.1mg (17%)

Author: Imma

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Caribbean

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