Jamaican Coffee Cake Food

HAWAIJ COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• To make the spice mix, blend together the cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside. You'll only need 1 tablespoon for this cake.
• To make the cake, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer for 4 to 5 minutes, or until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure to beat well after each addition. Add 1 tablespoon of flour if the mixture starts to curdle. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, 1 tablespoon hawaij, the baking powder and salt. Add this to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until smooth and just combined. Stir in the espresso powder mixture and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Leave it to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a rack to cool completely.
• To make the topping, beat the mascarpone in a small bowl until smooth. Pour in the espresso powder, sugar and liqueur, if using, and beat for 1 minute, or until combined. Pour in the cream and whisk until it just reaches a thick spreading consistency. Be careful not to overwhip, as it may split.
• Spread the topping generously on top of the cake and create swoops and swirls by using the back of a spoon. Slowly sweep your spoon or offset spatula back and forth across the cake, leaving about 1/2 inch around the edges.

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.

VIOLA'S COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• For the crumb topping: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, combine the walnuts, sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
• For the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture, allowing each to be fully incorporated. Add the vanilla paste and sour cream and beat until smooth.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add to the batter and mix until combined.
• Spread the batter in the prepared springform pan and sprinkle with the crumb topping. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Place the cake, still in the pan, on a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Remove from the pan, then slice and serve with a dollop of sour cream if desired.

JAMAICAN BLACK CAKE

Steps:

• Place the dried fruit in a glass or ceramic bowl and cover with the Guinness stout, the muscatel or brandy and 1/4 cup of the rum. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 days (and up to several weeks -- the preferred method). Check the mixture every other day: if the fruit has soaked up all the liquor, add another splash of rum or stout and stir.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Grind the fruit mixture to a mushy pulp in a blender or food processor. Measure out 2 cups of the mixture and set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Add the vanilla, nutmeg and burnt-sugar coloring; mix well
• In another bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder
• Add, alternately, the fruit mixture and dry ingredients to the batter, mixing until just incorporated after each addition. Do not beat.
• Pour the batter into a 9-by-1 1/2-inch deep round pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• While the cake is still warm, splash the remaining 1/4 cup of rum over the top. Let cool. The finished cake is quite moist, almost like an English plum pudding. It is at its best when served a day or two after baking, and it will last for two weeks or more if kept in the refrigerator and occasionally topped up with rum.