Jamaican Black Cake Food

JAMAICAN RUM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Sift together and set aside the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Cream butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla and eggs, mix well.
• Add the lime zest and rum. Stir well to combine.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients, alternating with the heavy cream and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix between additions until well combined.
• Grease a bundt cake pan with some butter. Pour batter into the pan and bake for approximately an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
• Carefully turn out and cool on a wire rack. Dust with some powdered sugar if desired. You can also sprinkle on some more rum too. Slice and serve when cool.

JAMAICAN BLACK CAKE (CHRISTMAS RUM CAKE)

Steps:

• Make sure that your fruit mixture has been soaking for at least 3-4 days before adding to the cake mixture. If your fruits are whole, add the mix to the blender or food processor with the wine and rum and blend until they turn into a paste (adding the extra alcohol will help with this process). Mix in your Angostura bitters if desired. Set aside.
• Prepare two, 8-inch cake pans by greasing them with butter, as well as lining with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• For the batter: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, mixed spice, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate container, crack the eggs. Whisk in the lime juice. Set aside.
• Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, cream together your softened butter and brown sugar in a large bowl for about 5-10 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Slowly, add the egg to the butter mixture, beating with each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the lime zest, vanilla, mixed essence, rose water to the wet ingredients, and continue to mix.
• Add in the macerated fruit mixture a little bit at a time, until combined.
• Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold in using a spatula or wooden spoon. Stir in the browning a tablespoon at a time to achieve the desired colour (usually dark-brown).
• Evenly divide the batter into the prepared cake pans. To ensure that the cake remains moist when baking, add a roasting pan with water to the bottom rack of the oven. Place cakes on the racks right above, and bake for 70-80 minutes.
• Remove cakes from the oven once done (a toothpick or a knife inserted in the centre should come out clean), and let rest in pan for 5 minutes. Brush the tops of the cakes with a couple tablespoons of the mixture of wine and rum. Once cool enough to handle, remove cakes from pan and brush with remaining wine/rum mixture. Wait at least several hours before serving.

BLACK CAKE

Steps:

• Combine the bottle of port and 2 1/2 cups rum in a large pot or bowl and add the prunes, currants, raisins and cherries. Soak the fruit for at least 2 days.
• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with wax or parchment paper. Drain the dried fruit and transfer to a blender; blend well.
• Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully combined. Mix in the fruit mixture.
• Add the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and cloves to the bowl and beat until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. (If using a stand mixer, you may need to beat the wet ingredients, then transfer to a larger bowl and stir in the dry ingredients.) Mix in the vanilla and browning. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans.
• Bake the cakes until set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove the cakes from the oven and pour 3/4 cup each port and rum onto the hot cakes, dividing them evenly. Let cool completely.

JAMAICAN BLACK CAKE

Steps:

• Add the dates, figs, 1 cup of the port, 1 cup of the rum, the almonds, brandied cherries with their liquid, currants, candied orange peel, prunes and dark and golden raisins to a food processor. Process this mixture until the dried fruit is broken down into smaller chunks. Stir in the orange juice. Allow it to soak in the rum for at least 2 hours 30 minutes, but preferably for 2 to 3 days.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 cake pans and line them with brown or wax paper.
• In a stand mixer, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, molasses, browning and eggs. Slowly add the rum-soaked fruit to the mixer a little at a time and mix to combine all of the ingredients.
• Divide the cake batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes in a water bath by filling a large roasting pan halfway up with water and then setting the cake pans inside. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the remaining port and rum on top of the cakes and let them cool. These cakes will last for days stored in parchment paper and plastic wrap and for weeks when frozen.