West Indian Fruitcake Food

BLACK CAKE (CARIBBEAN RUM SOAKED FRUIT CAKE)

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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 1/2 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.

A WEST INDIAN CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Empty all the dried fruits into a bowl and rinse then dry with paper towels.
• A little at a time, add fruit and wine to a blender until it has blended into big chunks. You do not want a puree here! You can also do this in a food processor, just be sure to blend the fruits slightly.
• Pour fruit mixture into a large container and let it soak for at minimum 3-4 weeks to one year.
• Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs a few at a time.
• Add 3 1/2 cups of the fruit mixture, the vanilla and lemon zest (and whatever other zests you would like to use). Mix together.
• Sift all dry ingredients together and add to the batter a little at a time.
• Your spatula or a small spoon should be able to stand up in the batter, this is how you will know it is ready.
• Pour into a 9 in a square pan, and bake for 55 minutes at 300 degrees. You can check the cake after 40 minutes. The toothpick should come out clean.
• Keep checking the cake after 40 min and in 10-minute increments thereafter.
• This cake is a very moist and wet cake, it is not supposed to be dry, if your cake comes out dry then you have over baked it.
• Let the cake cool completely before cutting and tasting, tasting it hot will mislead you to the actual taste.

THE BEST FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine the raisins, currants, apricots, figs, prunes, dates, walnuts, pecans, orange zest, lemon zest, candied ginger, pumpkin pie spice and cloves in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add 1 cup of the brandy, orange liqueur and molasses and stir to coat. Cover and set aside to macerate overnight. (Alternatively, cover the bowl and microwave 2 minutes, or until very hot. Leave covered and let sit until almost all the liquid has been absorbed into the fruit and nuts, about 2 hours.)
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Spray two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and line each with 2 pieces of parchment, one lengthwise and one crosswise, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each side. Spray the parchment with cooking spray.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup flour over the soaked fruit mixture and toss to coat. Whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
• Cream the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to medium-low and beat in the flour mixture until the batter is blended and smooth. Pour the batter over the fruit mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until all the fruit is coated in batter.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared pans, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pans, the tops spring back slightly when pressed and a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a wire rack and brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons brandy. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 15 minutes. Carefully remove each cake from its pan using the parchment overhang and place on the rack to cool completely.
• To store, wrap each loaf tightly in plastic and then foil. The wrapped fruitcakes can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

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.