A West Indian Christmas Fruit Cake Food

WEST INDIAN FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan over high heat, heat first 4 ingredients to boiling (wine, prunes, raisins, citron).
• Remove saucepan from heat; let stand 30 minutes to soften fruit.
• In blender at low speed, blend fruit mixture, half at a time, until smooth; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 325°F Grease 10-inch Bundt pan or tube pan.
• In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat sugar and margarine or butter just until blended. Increase speed to high; beat 10 minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping bowl often with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, eggs, and fruit mixture; beat until well mixed, constantly scraping bowl. Increase speed to high; beat 1 minute, occasionally scraping bowl. Stir in grated lime peel.
• Spoon batter into pan, spreading evenly. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 10 minutes; remove cake from pan. Cool completely on rack.
• LIME GLAZE: In medium bowl, with spoon, stir in all the ingredients until smooth.
• To serve, prepare Lime Glaze. Spoon glaze over cake.
• In small bowl, stir mixed candied fruit with corn syrup. Garnish top of cake with candied fruit. 24 servings.
• Good Housekeeping.

MY OWN CARIBBEAN CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKE ALSO KNOWN AS GREAT CAKE

Steps:

• About three months before preparation of the cake mix or puree the fruits.
• Pour the alcohol over them and allow them to soak.
• Cream the sugar and butter together.
• Add the eggs two at a time.
• Add the essence and angostura bitters.
• Combine the dry ingredients and spices with the flour and add them to the batter.
• Add the colouring to the mixture.
• A wooden spoon should be able to stand in the mixture with falling to easily.
• Grease and double line a large cake pan.
• Cover the pan with foil paper.
• Place a shallow pan of water in the bottom of the oven. This is to increase the moisture of the cake.
• Bake at 250- 300°F for 2-3 hours.
• Test for doneness with a skewer after about 2 hours.
• When done, prick the cake with a skewer repeatedly and pour sweet red wine all over the cake.
• Replace wine when the cake has soaked it up.
• Enjoy!

WEST INDIAN BLACK CAKE

Steps:

• Grind dried fruits and soak it in 3 cups of rum.
• Store in an air tight container for three weeks.
• Prepare the caramel by heating the sugar until it turns dark brown.
• Cream the butter and sugar.
• Add the eggs, soaked fruits, and rum.
• When it is well blended, pour the caramel.
• Add the flour with the baking powder and mixed spice.
• Fold in the cherries.
• Pour mixture in a greased baking pan and bake in a slow oven (about 300 degrees F.) for two hours or until a knife comes out clean at the centre.
• Remove cake from pan after two days.

CARIBBEAN CHRISTMAS CAKE (KNOWN AS BLACK CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F; spray a nine-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and browning until soft and creamy.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
• In a third bowl, beat the eggs with the rum.
• Add egg mixture to butter mixture and thoroughly combine, then stir in zest, fruit and nuts.
• Fold in flour mixture; do not overbeat.
• Put batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for approximately 90 minutes, or until cake tests done; may need longer.
• Remove cake from pan when cool.

BLACK CAKE

Steps:

• Put all the dried fruit in a large bowl and pour over the cherry brandy, rum, and Angostura bitters. Cover with a lid, or cling film and set aside in a cool, dark place to soak for 5 days, giving it a stir every day.
• Once the fruit has soaked, preheat the oven to 300°F and line two 8-in loose-bottomed cake tins with greaseproof baking paper.
• Heat the demerara sugar in a saucepan on a medium heat until it dissolves fully and turns dark caramel color. At this stage, gradually stir in 100ml of freshly boiled water. Reduce the heat and continue to stir until it is of a syrupy consistency with no sugar lumps.
• Transfer the fruit (including any leftover alcohol) to a food processor and blend a little, keeping a few chunks throughout.
• In a large bowl, mix together the self-rising flour, ground almonds, baking powder, mixed spice, and lemon zest until well combined.
• In another large bowl, use a wooden spoon to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then incorporate the eggs, once at a time, then the vanilla extract and almond essence. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients, until fully combined, then fold in the blended fruit and the caramelized-sugar syrup.
• Pour half the batter into each cake tin and pop into the oven for about 2 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
• Brush the top of the cakes generously with as much of the leftover dark rum as you fancy (it can really take it), bearing in mind the more you brush on, the more pudding-like in texture the cake will become. Allow the rum to soak in and cool completely before slicing to serve or storing in an airtight container in a cool, dark cupboard for up to 3 months.