Famous for its uniquely dense texture, dark color, rich and robust taste; this is the cake that takes the cake. This beloved rum soaked fruit cake is highly revered and sought after during Christmas time as well as weddings and celebrations. If you've never had this cake, at first glance it may resemble that of a chocolate cake, but the deep dark color comes from the main ingredient- dried macerated fruits. Prunes, currants, raisins, and glaced cherries are chopped finely then soaked in red wine and dark rum for months and years on end. The fruit mixture is added to cake batter along with aromatic flavorings and warm spices. When baking, my home is fragranced with the cake's citrusy notes. It smells like Christmas is in the air.
Growing up, I remember having black cake at weddings and Christmas time. The black cake made for weddings always had a layer of almond paste and royal icing on top, then adorned with little silver sugar beads. I especially loved the piece of black cake that was right under the almond paste. Mmm! Whenever we baked it during Christmas time, we never iced. Nowadays, I think people make it the way they like.
About The Recipe
Texture is the word to use when discussing black cake. I can't tell you how many times people refer to how the consistency of a black cake makes it a good one or bad. Recipes and techniques for black cake vary according to country and personal preference. Personally, a pudding-like texture is what I prefer. It's smooth and just melts into your mouth. Mmm, again.
I can't say this recipe is solely my mom's or grandmother's or anyone in particular. It is actually a combination of 5 or 6 people and my mom's old 1973 Guyanese cookbook, What's Cooking in Guyana. If you know someone who is a master at making this cake, you better hope they are kind enough to share their tips. It's one of those cakes where no one wants to tell you their recipe, and if they do, they don't tell you all the other crucial steps like how important a low baking temperature is, or how to make the burnt sugar to color the cake.
Mom and I have discovered so many tips over the years from people who were willing to share. When I told her that I want to share the black cake recipe this year on my blog, she said, "gyal, yuh give way all meh recipe dem." I laughed so hard, but she was happy to contribute.
Special thanks to the following people for sharing their tips and strategies with us:
- Marlene - the Bajan woman who made the black cake for my wedding, also my aunty Mala's long-time friend. Her tip was to bake the cake at least 3-5 days before serving for optimum taste.
- Pearly - My husband's grandmother. "Soak the cake with cherry brandy and good (quality) rum."
- Miss Joan - My old co-worker. "Cover the cake with plastic wrap right after brushing with rum."
Do you have any tips for making a good black cake? Feel free to share in the comments below.
About the Fruit Mixture
We use a mixture of prunes, currants, raisins, and glaced or maraschino cherries. I think most dried fruit would work well in this cake. One year we even tried dried figs, but we ended up chewing the seeds throughout the cake. Needless to say we omitted it the following year. My dad usually grinds the fruit for us, he prefers to use a traditional food mill even though there are faster ways. I use a ninja blender. It has the grinding power to get the fruits to a smooth paste texture and it gets it done quickly.
We grind our fruits then soak with rum and wine. An alternative method is to soak the fruits whole and grind when ready to bake the cake. Avid black cake makers will swear by soaking the fruits for at least a year, while 3-4 months is good enough for others. No method is wrong here; just different, and based on preference.
If you did not soak fruits months ahead, you can also simmer the fruits in wine for about 20 minutes. Let it cool then macerate and combine with rum.
You see that colorful stuff in the mixture? That's mixed peel. I do not like the taste or texture of this in fruit cake, but when it is macerated with the other fruits, it really adds a nice flavor to the cake.
Pay close attention to how the fruit mixture is like a paste; not watery or lumpy. I used my Ninja blender to macerate the fruits.
Know Your Oven
This is not a crumb type cake, it resembles more of a pudding so a high temperature is not needed to cook the cake. Some people bake this in a bain marie (water bath) to steam the cake. I have not tried this method, though. We've baked this cake anywhere between 275-300 degrees. My mom's oven heats very fast and can even overheat. Whenever I'm using her oven I have to reduce the temperature slightly because my baked goods seem to brown up faster than I'd like. I bake this cake at 275 in her oven for almost 2 hours, but if baking in my kitchen, it goes in at 300 for 90 minutes.
Mom's old Guyanese cookbook, What's Cooking In Guyana. This book has seen better days, but a little cake splatter here and there gives it character.
Make the coloring for the cake. This step can be very tricky. It is easy to burn the sugar to the point where it is bitter. I recommend practicing this step until you get it right or if you are not as comfortable, store-bought burnt sugar will work just fine. Let sugar cool before adding to cake.
After creaming the butter and sugar, add eggs then fruit mixture. Once fruit is combined, add flour. The batter will lighten in color again after adding flour.
After adding flour, add burnt sugar to the cake. Add as much as you like until desired color is achieved.
I like to bake my cake in parchment paper. It works very well in keeping in the liquid when having to pour rum over the cake.
Bake cake anywhere between 275- 300 degrees for 90 minutes.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pour the cherry brandy + dark rum mixture on top. Brush to distribute.
This cake was photographed an hour after it was baked. As the cake cools the texture and color will change.
How we like our black cake:
- It must have a pudding like texture, not stiff, rubbery, or dry
- It must have just enough rum, not overpowering where you can't enjoy the cake
- The cake must be baked at least 3 days ahead so it has time to dry for best flavor/texture
- It must have a good height, we want a piece of cake, not a sliver
- Royal icing for weddings and birthday parties; no icing for our black cake baked at Christmas
Tips:
- Eggs and butter must be room temperature to help with even mixing.
- 8inch pan is the perfect size for me. The batter will fill 3 tins. 9in pans may be used, but make sure to adjust baking time. Bigger the pan, the less time needed to bake.
- I like to line pans with parchment paper. It keeps the bottom of the cake moist and also ensures the cake absorbs all the alcohol mixture when poured on top.
- When grinding fruits, make sure it is not lumpy. It should resemble a paste texture.
- If using store-bought browning/burnt sugar, make sure to taste it first to ensure it is not salty.
- You will have macerated fruit mixture remaining, this recipe only calls for 3 cups of the mixture and makes two cakes.
- You will use up most, not all, of the port wine when macerating/soaking the fruit.
- If you are not comfortable making your own burnt sugar, practice a few times. It can burn very quickly, so as soon as it gets very dark brown, remove from heat and add wine. Taste when cool to make sure it is not bitter. If too bitter, it will ruin the taste of the cake! Here is a great video on how to make your own burnt sugar - http://bit.ly/2AzGqFC
- After brushing cake with rum/brandy mixture, let it cool a few minutes then cover cake with plastic wrap. Make sure plastic wrap touches cake. This helps to seal in the moisture. Leave plastic wrap on cake and once ever few days, add more rum/brandy mixture.
Non-alcoholic Black Cake
Another blogger friend of mine wrote a great post on non-alcoholic black cake. Check it out here: Halal Trini Black Cake
Black Cake (Caribbean Rum Soaked Fruit Cake)
This beloved rum soaked fruit cake is rich, perfectly spiced, and decadent. You'll find yourself having a little piece each day until it's gone!
Ingredients
Macerated Fruit mixture
- 1 lb prunes, pitted
- 1 lb currants
- 1 lb raisins
- 8oz red glaced cherries
- 4oz mixed peel
Soaking
- 750mL bottle port wine (or another dark red wine)
- 3-4 cups white or dark rum
- Keep one extra small bottle rum on hand
Browning
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 4 tbsp port wine
Cake batter
- 1 lb unsalted butter, softened (4 sticks)
- 1 lb sugar, demerara brown or white granulated (2 cups)
- 12 eggs
- Zest of one lemon
- Zest of one orange
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 tsp mixed essence
- 1 ½lbs macerated fruit mixture (about 3 heaping cups)
- 300g all-purpose flour (2 ½ level cups)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground all spice
- ¼ tsp ground clove
Alcohol mixture to pour on top
- ¼ cup dark rum
- ¼ cup cherry brandy
Instructions
Fruit Mixture
- Wash and dry all fruits. Mix together in a large bowl. Place fruits a little at a time in a food processor, food mill, or ninja blender. Add enough wine to grind fruits to a paste. Repeat process until fruits have been macerated. Fruit mixture should not be too watery. Add 3-4 cups dark rum. Stir and let mixture soak at minimum one week or even one year+. Adding more wine or rum periodically.
Make browning
- If using store-bought burnt sugar, skip this step. Place sugar in a small saucepan. On low heat turn sugar with a spoon until it begins to caramelize. Once dark brown, add wine and remove from heat. Let cool completely.
Make batter
- Preheat oven to 275 or 300 degrees F.
- Line 3-8in or 2-9in baking pans with parchment paper. Trim paper and set aside.
- Bring eggs and butter to room temperature.
- Crack eggs into a separate bowl one at a time, Remove little white membrane from each egg (optional). Beat in zests, vanilla, almond, and mixed essence. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In deep mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale. Add eggs a little at a time. Blend well.
- Of the macerated fruit mixture, add 1 ½ lbs (3 heaping cups) a little at a time, continue blending.
- Add flour mixture a little at a time- fold in with a spatula. Add 1 tbsp burnt sugar at a time until desired color is achieved. If using store bought burnt sugar, 4 tbsp should suffice for a very dark cake. Mix well.
- Pour batter into lined cake pans.
- Bake anywhere from 275-300 degrees F for 80-90 minutes. When cake come out of oven, pour alcohol mixture on top. When cool, cover cake with plastic wrap. Flavor is best after a few days.
Notes
1lb fruit mixture is traditionally used, you can try this recipe with these changes to see if it meets your preference. If you did not soak fruits months ahead, you can also simmer the fruits in wine for about 20 minutes. Let it cool then macerate and combine with rum.
Batter may be split in 3 smaller cake pans.
After removing cake from oven, it may seem it is under cooked. Do not be alarmed as this is how it is supposed to be. After 2-3 days the texture will change.
Kami | Life with Kami
Very detailed recipe. I've always wanted to make my own and now I can. Great tips too. I like my black cake just like you, very soft and moist but not overpowering. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe Alica.
Sherry
Are you planning to post instructions of how to make the Royal icing? Hope so!!
Barbara Lashley
I make my Black cake similar to the way you do. However, for a 1 pound cake, it is: 1lb each of Raisons, Currants, Prunes & 1/2 lb Cherries, 1lb Flour, Sugar & Butter, and 12 eggs. My mom taught me when I was eight years old and I helped her when she make Wedding Cakes etc. in Guyana and in USA, When the 'What's Cooking in Guyana was published, I bought one of the first books out of the box, when they arrived at the Guyana Embassy in Washington, DC. I still have it and it is falling apart, all the pages are loose, food spots and all...... I keep it together with a heavy duty rubber band... ' A Treasure'
Barbara L
sandy seepersaud
i do the exact recipe as Ms Lashley always get great result and complements, I use Guyana Banco Wine and Rum to soak my fruits and cake..
Nas
I make mine the same way too. I myself learned from my mum. I also make homemade almond paste. I put almond paste and royal icing on my black cake. I now make non alcoholic using apple juice. Some people ask if it has alcohol because I soak my fruits well in advance.
Chitra
Great recipe! I do 12 eggs.
Story to share: we lived overseas for several years. Not allowed to transport alcohol. So what I did was pour contents of our bar into jars of dried fruits!!! Months/years later, Best fruit cake ever!
Barbara Lashley
I soak my fruits for a year and as soon as I'm done with Xmas baking, I grind more fruits, add them and some rum and/ or wine to the bin. Then I'm always ready to go, as I have friends all over the world who can always get a taste for black cake, any month or time of the year.
Sweet memories of Christmas!
Stephne Kissun
Im a Trinidadian and when I make black cake i do not brush it with cherry brandy as soon as it comes out of the oven i pour cherry brandy on the steaming hot cake. In doing so the cake absorbs the wine and the flavor of what ever alcohol is poured on it is very delicious. From time to time i pour a little on it to maintain moisture. Black cakes infused with alcohol can last a very very long time in a closed container Yumm
Alica
Hi Stephne, yes, agree with everything you said. I do the same thing. I pour it over the cake but use a brush so all the alcohol doesn't pool in the center. I pour a little more every few days to keep it moist, if it lasts that long, that is :). I kept a piece of the black cake from my wedding for a year, it was so good :). Thanks for your comment!
sandy seepersaud
Hi Alicia,
Thank you for sharing all your Guyanese recipes, so far i have tried Chicken patties, Cheese straws, Pine tarts, Chowmien and Bread. I recommend your site to friends and family, i appreciate your detail and reasoning it very helpful.
Alica
Hi Sandy, that's so wonderful to hear! Thanks for following and trying all those recipes!
Jacqueline
That is right I am Trinidad and Tobago and that's what we do.
chandra
Hi Alica,
I just made the black and it shrunk after I poured the rum on top. The cake rise nicely but didn't stay that way after I based it with rum. What did I do wrong? I would like to bake it again on the weekend and want to correct my mistake. Please help! And thank you very much for all your hard in making it possible for people like me to make traditional dishes. Happy Holidays to you and your family. Chandra
Alica
Hi Chandra, you didn't make a mistake, it's normal for the cake to get a bit smaller after pouring the rum on top. The cake sort of condenses. Hope this helps!
chandra
Thanks so much Alica. I just cut the cake to see the texture and do a little taste test. OMG the texture is the same as the pic you posted and the taste is absolutely delicious! I'll be making it again this weekend and your fruit cake as well. THANKS A MILLION!
Cheryl
Thanks for sharing your recipes. Truly Caribbean style
Ethel
Hello Alicia,
I am delighted to find your website. I am an American who has been married to a Guyanese man for the past 45 years. I have learned to make numerous Guyanese dishes over the years and we all enjoy them. I have never been able to master the black cake though, and most people that I have met are not willing to share their recipes. I have fruit that has been setting for over a year and am anxious to try your recipe. Thank you so much.
Angie
Hi Alica, I'm trying this for the first time and some commenters suggest using 12 eggs. I imagine that this will make the cake much more dense. Have you tried your recipe using more than 6 eggs, and have you had successful results? Thanks in advance for your response.
Jeniffer hunte
I was so happy to find this recipe on line. I followed it almost to a T!! If that's the saying, I would like to share 2 thing that I did that made my black cake come out really good. When I grind the fruits I used grape manichevits and Bacardi. I know this recipe calls for dark rum and I also used this to pour in the batter after mixing in the flour when the mixture seems a little to stiff.
Natalie
Hi Alica, it's very nice of you to share all these flavorful recipes with us . I try to make something new every weekend for my kids, my sister and cousin try to teach me how to bake sponge cake and was successful then I follow your recipe steps and now, I'm Pro at baking my own sponge cake.
Thank you for sharing
Elisa
Hi I did the cake today because I wanted to make it for my mom for mother’s day and it came out great. I have a question though do you have a recipe for royal icing ???
Tasia
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I am Jamaican and I use molasses to give the cake its dark colour. I am going to try your recipe. I like my cake crumsy and not pudding texture.
Sarah
As a newcomer to this amazing sounding confection, could you please tell me how you store the fruit that's marinating before you use it in the cake?
Alica
Hi I store my fruits in a large glass jar away from any light. Some also store in plastic buckets or anything that has a tight seal.
Kelli
Thank you for this detailed recipe. You’re helping me make Guyanese father’s Christmas dreams come true 🙂
Quick question - what dark rum do you recommend? We have Meyer’s but weren’t sure if you actually just meant a light brown rum. Thanks for clarifying!
Sonia Deochand
Hi Alicia,
Can you recommend a brand of cherry brandy as well? And maybe more information about the burnt sugar process? Is it like making caramel? And what brand of port wine would you recommend?
Jem Jem
You can purchase burnt sugar in a jar at the West Indian or Chinese grocer, easy and you can judge how dark you want your cake by adding a little at a time.
M Raeburn
Look for the bottle that says "Browning". Grace out of Jamaica makes a good one! Don't let burnt sugar confuse you it takes a bit to understand the method.....lots of basic Caribbean meat recipes begin with browning ♥️
Joanne
Hi Alicia,
Thank you for the recipe, my question is " can I use a black spiced rum" . Thank you in advance.
Alica
Hi Joanne,
Yes, that will work ?
Helen Stephens
I just made this cake and added a few twits ion the cake, with some extra spices and left out the peel. I also used sherry port and rum, but it was good fun to make and the pictures of stages really helped. We love it and I will be making more.
Jools
Can you make smaller version of th cake like mini ones coooked in a baked bean sized can? I have done this with my normal Christmas cake recipe but fancied this recipe for a change.
Many thanks
Alica
Hi Jools,
I don't see why not. Just make sure to adjust the baking time. It will be less since the pans are smaller. Let us know how it turns out!
Josephine
Hi Alicia!
I'm so excited to make this cake for Christmas. If I use store-bought browning, do I still add the 4 tbsp of port wine?
Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Alica
Hi Josephine, if you use store bought browning, you don't need to add anything to it. However, make sure you get "burnt sugar" because many brownings from the store contains salt. Hope that helps!
Jackie
HI There, I"ve been looking for this cake recipe for years and have only just found out it's called black cake. My godmother used to send us a xmas cake from Jamaica every year and the smell would permeate our pantry to the point where I could climb up to the top shelf where it was stored, just so I could lift the tin lid and breathe in the heady aroma of rum cake. Never forgotten! Will be trying your recipe this xmas. One question, what is 'mixed essence'? Thanks!
Alica
Hi Jackie,
Awesome! Hope you enjoy the cake. Mixed essence is mixture of different extracts, like pear, banana, orange, almond etc. You can make your own or just use a combo of almond and vanilla. Hope this helps!
Chara
Hello Alica,
I've wanted to make this cake for several years now, and your recipe (and photographs) looks especially enticing. Before I have a go at it, though, could you confirm whether the temperature is in Fahrenheit or Celsius? I live in a country that uses Celsius, and I certainly don't want a burnt cake on my first try for using the wrong temperature calibration! Thank you.
Alica
Hi Chara, it's Fahrenheit, I will update the instructions. Thanks for pointing it out. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Chara
Thank you so much, Alica. Now, if I can get my hands on all the ingredients, I can look forward to cutting into a genuine black cake for Christmas – whether it comes out right or not, I'm sure it'll be delicious!
Tina
Hi, I would love to try this. Usually make a traditional uk Christmas cake. Too late this year as the fruit won't be soaking for long enough. When made, how long does the cake keep for? Thanks
Alica
Hi Tina,
Because this cake is soaked with rum, it can keep for months, even more than a year! People keep a slice of their wedding black cake for a year then have a piece on their anniversary, yum! As for soaking the fruits, it's not too late. I learned from a Trinidadian cookbook that you can simmer the fruits for 10 minutes or so in wine instead of having to soak it for months. Hope this all helps!
Sarah
I use El Dorado rum! the only rum from Guyana. We visited the distillery in 2014 and got a look at the original wooden stills - still in use today - made from the densest wood in the world, the Demerara Greenheart, native tree to Guyana. I think they are 3 or 400 years old!
Cakes are in the oven and I can't wait. Although I found myself a little confused by the amount of fruit the recipe calls for? The fruit alone weighs almost 4 lbs - not including the alcohol added afterwards - But the recipe only calls for 1.5 lbs of fruit mixture in the end? It's not a bad thing to have more fruit, but was curious about why it wasn't mentioned.
Thanks!
Alica
Hi Sarah,
That sounds like it was an amazing trip to the Ed Dorado distillery. I hope to visit one day! As for the amount of fruits to amount of cake- when we (mom and I) soak fruits we don't end up with an exact amount because of consistently adding wine to the fruits throughout the year. We always have leftover fruit and keep it soaked until the following year. That being said I think you can probably get about three or four cakes out of this mixture. Hope that helps and hope you enjoyed the cakes!
Amanda
Must the cake be refrigerated?
Alica
No, it is preserved with alcohol so it may be left out on the counter, just wrapped up tightly.
Bunny Harrison
I MADE A RUMPOT IN 2017 AND THE RUM WASN'T 100 PROOF SO THE FRUIT BECAME MASHED INSTEAD OF PRESERVED. ANY CAKE THAT i CAN USE THE RUM INFUSED FRUIT IN ? THX
Ren
Great recipe! Your instructions are clear and concise. This makes it easy for a beginner to make this cake. Thank you! On my very first attempt, I made this cake after 2 weeks of soaking the fruits. It came out great. It tasted exactly like rum cake I grew up eating. Can you please tell me if my sugar is supposed to taste similar to molasses after burning it? I tried this 4 times and each time it came out that way. It tastes sweet first then has a little bitter aftertaste. Thanks
Jeffery Colkmire
Reading this recipe is making hungry.
Three questions
1. Would you please share the royal icing recipe?
2. How far away n advance can you make this cake?
3. Are the fruits dried, fresh, or does it matter?
Thank you.
C Matthews-Harvey
I've been searching for a black fruit cake recipe for ages, all the black ladies in church can do it but measure nothing!!,
I have fruit soaking from my wedding cake 12years ago and they are fine( I just add a little rum now and then).
Looking forward to baking this.
Chris
Flynn Reid Tyler
O I know it's authentic because it says to keep an extra bottle of rum on hand! 😉 I'm excited to make this for my family to mail it to them in NY this year. Thanks for the tips about the Browning as I almost bought the salty kind!
I will try the Bain Marie and tell how it goes.
As children, Grandma said that when we get this cake at a wedding we should put it under our pillows to dream of who we are going to marry.
Akeisha
I wanted to bake my own Christmas cake this year. But I am not sure how May fruits should I soak since I want to bake 3 to 4 cakes?
Becky
We just made this recipe at Thanksgiving. We found that the Fruit/Port/Rum soaked mixture was about 2-3 times more than gets used in the (2) 8" Cake recipe, so you can easily follow the amounts called for in the macerated fruit, and have enough for making double the cake recipe (4 cakes).
Becky
Hi! My husband and I took on this recipe as a creative baking project, looking for something different in the fruitcake genre. I do want to point out to anyone starting the Dried Fruit / Port / Rum mixture that soaks for a week or more, that the actual cake recipe only used up about 1/3 of this and made two 8" rich cakes that feed alot of people. Now we still have a whole glass jar of fruit mixture left in the pantry. If I was starting over, I would make only half of the soaked dried fruit, and save alot of money on dried fruits and alcohol. Making the burnt sugar was a fail for us, it just seized up in the pan when I added the port, so next time I would just use Molasses,or melt the brown sugar alone and not add the port to that part. We did not have Mixed Essence so I substituted the juice from Maraschino cherries with some vanilla, and that sweet cherry flavor seemed fine. Our cakes did come out slightly dry, not a pudding texture. The Port we used was Warre's Warrior Finest Reserve (loved it, great to drink too!), and Cracken Spriced Rum (was ok, but Myers's Dark Rum would probably be better in this). I placed a round of parchment paper in the bottom of the cake pans, then buttered that and butter up the sides, and both cakes easily fell out later. Good luck!
Alica
Hi Becky, thanks for your detailed comment and for trying the recipe! I will change the yield in the recipe as it will make 3-4 cakes. When we soak fruits for this cake we typically add a little more rum and fruits throughout the year so I never could exact and amount. We also tend to make several of these cakes at once which is why there is more fruit than what the recipe yields. However, based on your comment I can see how it may be confusing for some so I will adjust the recipe accordingly. Sorry to hear about the burnt sugar, that part is tricky, but kudos to you for giving it a shot. Store bought burnt sugar is a safe option.
Diane
I had the same issue with the burnt sugar hardening after adding the port, but found if I left on low heat and kept stirring, the seized sugar eventually went back into solution and I ended up with a very nice end product. The key was lots of stirring and low and slow heat.
Mabel
Becky comments were really helpful as I was very confused trying to make sense of the weight of the soaked fruits (about 4lbs ) and whe the recipe instructions to add only 1 1/2 lb of the fruit mixture. I’m hoping to make it tomorrow and was having a detailed look of the recipe just now. Thank you Becky for clarifying.
Thanks Alicia for the recipe. Fingers crossed it turns out well ?
Alica
You're welcome! When I make my batch this year I will measure the fruit ingredients to make only one or two cakes and update.
Kimberley
No. Please leave the option to have enough fruits for the next year.
Judith
Hi Alica , I want to try this but I noticed you did not add salt. Am I not supposed to use salt to the mixture let me know please and thanks.
Alica
Hi Judith,
I didn't add salt, but pinch is fine. Brings out more flavor!
Indera
Hi Alicia can I use dark rum from Cuba ? I have lots of rum from Cuba as we are there often.
Also the browning ... can I get Grace caramel browning ?
I wish you would do a video on how to make black cake... I do better watching someone do it rather than reading instructions....by the way thanks for sharing... do a video
Alica
Hi Indera,
You can use any dark rum, white rum is a good options too. I use Wray & Nephew this year for one of my black cakes and it was great! You can use any caramel browning, just make sure there is no salt in it. As for the video, I do some on my instagram stories, but youtube is a goal of mine. Thanks for your encouragement!
Mabel
Thank you Alica
Mayad
Can these cakes by layered to get a height of about 6 inches? Or do you have to bake it as one layer?
David C Brewster
Make in Bundt pan so that there is a hole in center. After making cake taking a cookie tin, line with good linen towel, place cake on towel then placed shot glass filled with rum in center then wrap towel over top of cake and let sit for a couple of days so the cake absorbs more rum. Fill shot glass as needed again and again.
Sassiesue
I am making a five pound black cake this year because i made one pound last yr and everyone want So this year am doing more, this cake is delicious when it come out of the oven because of what my mom taught me when baking. She taught me to fill a put with water and place it at the very bottom of the oven when baking. This keeps the cake from drying up while it bakes. It works like a charm.
Chesha
So, I made this cake last night because every year I am beggin' and pleadin' for someone to bring me a slice. It turned out amazing (I had to taste it). I will allow for three days of curing before I really sit to enjoy it. My oven is an electric oven and I think it's much hotter than what the dial says so I baked mine at 300 (but felt like 360) for an hour. Oh, and I used 9 inch pans. Additionally, I soaked in alcohol immediately after they came out and then again in the morning. Then I flipped them while covered in the fridge ( I need gravity to get in on the action). Again, it turned out great. It will be taste tested by an executive chef from JA on Thursday... wish me luck!
Sarah Chapman
Hi there,
I'm making this tonight and am very excited to bring it home to my family over the holidays! Just wondering, if I bake in smaller Danish tins (e.g. 6" or 7" tins) should I increase or decrease the baking time?
Thanks,
Faith
I just made this cake and both came out all cracked on top. I baked then for 90 mins at 300 degrees. What did I do wrong? I will taste them I'm about three days and then try again.
Alica
Hi Faith, you can reduce the temp to 275 degrees. When I bake this cake in my mom's oven it cracks, but my oven did fine this year. Hope that helps!
Christina
Did it! My first ever Black rum cake.
Used three different tins and sizes but 8inch looks best.
Other smaller ones were testers for flavour mainly excellent.
I messed the browning up because it is a very long slow process I was scared it would burn.
I decided to add the wine way too early it hardened the sugar and I had to sieve the lumps
out however it was fine.
I think this recipe is awesome and very flavoursome next time I know what to tweek for
my own edification.
It is an excellent pudding moist cake with a depth of rum and fruit that tickles the taste buds.
Thank you Alicia another satisfied customer from London Uk.
Jackie
Can you soak the friut, macerate, and keep the mixture, or will that go bad?
Alica
Hi Jackie, you can do it that way as well. Once it's soaked in wine/rum it won't go bad.
Sam
Alica this recipe was on point and delicious, lots of raves! Thank you for sharing!
Alica
That's awesome! Woot woot! :).
Marie
Hi Alica,
Is the recipe for 1 lb cake or 1/2 lb? It said 1 lb butter but only 1/2 lb sugar and less than a lb flour. Just want to make sure. I want to make 1 lb cake so I need to know if I have make adjustments with the spices and other ingredients.
Thank you very much. I would really appreciate it if you could reply soon because I am making it tomorrow.
Joan Sinanan
Hi Alica or anyone on the thread!
I usually make a 1lb black (three cakes), bake at 250 oven temp,( not convection), for 3 hours, but my cakes always seem to come out dry. I soak with alcohol as soon as I take them out of the oven and when cooled, I store them in covered tins. Any tips on what I am doing wrong?
Alica
Hi Joan, I think 3 hours is long, I would do 275 for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hrs. 8in or 9in pans.
Carla G
After reading this I am so jazzed to make this cake! I would love to make one for a dear friend BUT was wondering if anyone has tried it with rice flour so that it’s gluteb free?
Patricia
Hi Alicia,
Thank you for this beautiful recipe! This is my first time making black cake for Christmas, as my mother and aunts have all hung up their aprons!! I love your detail, especially regarding the texture when the cakes come out of the oven and the fruit mixture consistency! I just took mine out of the oven and poured the rum/brandy over them. I hope they will taste as good as they smell right now!!
Thanks again and Merry Christmas!!
Nikki Baker
Thank you Alicia for your recipe it worked for me and this is my go to recipe from now on. I used 8" round foil pans and I got 3 pans.
Thanks again.
Alica
That's great! So glad you enjoyed the recipe and good to know about the foil pan for other readers who may be wondering. Happy Holidays!
LeslieAnn
Hi, great recipe, the extra for me is Browning the sugar with the wine, must try it, I usually use water or a guiness.
My Tip: If you desire to bake and don't have any fruits soaking over a period of time, you can grind the fruits with the wine and rum, place in a sauce pan and put it on low heat to steam with a few cinnamon sticks and bayleaf, leave for at least ten mins after the liquid begins to bubble, stir to avoid burning.
Let cool. Fruits can rest for a couple of days or can be used immediately after cooling. It yields the same results as fruits soaking over a period of time.
I usually use a spray bottle to add rum to the cake after baking, for me it allows even and easy distribution.
Tonka bean seeds are also a great spice to add.
Thanks again and Season greetings.
Parchment
I wanted to try making a black cake aka Christmas cake aka rum cake and I searched thru many recipes before deciding on yours. I am so glad I did. I made it and it’s so delicious omg. The cakes were moist and delicious and had just the right amount of alcohol. The process was also easy to follow. When it was baking it reminded me of my childhood during Christmas time in Jamaica when my mom was baking “Christmas Cake”. I will continue to use this recipe.
Thanks. Merry Christmas
Sebastian
Oh man. This is great!
Miss Mcfoy
I made my first black cake ever using this recipe this past Christmas. The results exceeded my expectations and I got nothing but compliments. Fruits for next Christmas' batch is already soaking. Thanks for sharing the recipe Alicia.
Jacqueline
That is right I am Trinidad and Tobago and that's what we do.
Sian
Hello!
I’m hoping to make this next week and wondered what wine do you use to summer the fruits in? Is it the same wine they’re soaked in or another?
Alica
Hi, you want to simmer the fruits on the stovetop? For that method you don't have to soak the fruits prior. Just add any dark red wine to a pot with the fruits. Enough wine to barely cover them. Simmer about 20 min. Then when cool you can mash or put into a food processor. Port wine is what I like to use. Hope this helps.
Sian
Ahh perfect thank you
So simmering is only when you’re not soaking...
I’m making this cake in 8 days so will that be enough soaking time or can I do a combination of simmering and soaking to enhance the flavour?
Sian
Thank you!
NIKKI
I used this recipe for my first ever black cake and OMG! It was delicious. Lots of compliments and friends asking for more!
I loved the step by step instruction, and pictures were a plus! Thank you so very much for sharing Alica!
Alica
That's awesome! So happy they enjoyed it. Thanks for trying the recipe!
Samantha Attwood
I have been using this recipe for a few years now and I always have wrson asking for the recipe. So when I direct them to your page it's always a big surprise! They think it's some big family secret recipe. LOL! THANK YOU!
Alica
Hi Samantha, That's too funny! I'm glad you're loving the recipe, thank you for sharing it also haha!
Shawn T
Absolutely! Although a recipe is a guide, I stick to the 1lb of everything and 9-12 eggs depending on size. It works everytime!
Carl & Nancy Crawford
My wife are in the process of making this cake and we have made the fruit mixture as your recipe calls for, using a blender to macerate the fruit and port wine together. Our fruit mixture currently looks like yours in the photo. The instructions then state "The fruit mixture should not be too watery." But the next sentence says "Add 3-4 cups of dark rum." Adding the 3-4 cups of the rum will then make the fruit mixure very "watery" won't it? Is this "watery" mixture what then is stored (aged) and will be added to the cake recipe later on?
Thanks for your help...
Alica
Hi Carl and Nancy! You're on the right track. After you macerate the fruits with just enough wine so it results in a paste, you'll add about 3-4 cups of rum, start with 3 cups and give it a good mix. What happens next is the fruit mixture will absorb the rum over time helping to keep the fruits moist. If in a couple of months the fruit starts to look dry, you can add more rum to it. I hope this helps! If you have any other questions you can also email me at hello@alicaspepperpot.com. Best, Alica