West Indian Fruit Cake Recipes

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.

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.

CARIBBEAN BLACK CAKE CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients for the rum-soaked fruit. Add the dried fruit to a medium non-reactive bowl. Pour the rum over the fruit and stir to combine. Set aside to soak for at least 8 hours or up to overnight, stirring occasionally over the soaking time.

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.

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.

WEST INDIAN BLACK CAKE

Steps:

• To macerate the fruit: Mince all of the fruit in a food processor, 2 cups at a time. The fruit will become sticky and ball up around the blade, but just use a wet spatula to release it. Transfer to a 6-quart glass bowl or crock. When all of the fruit is finely minced and in the bowl, add the wine and rum to the bowl. Stir well to distribute. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in a dark place in a pantry or corner of the kitchen and let macerate for 14 days. Stir every three or four days. The fruit will absorb all the alcohol. To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350° and assemble all of the ingredients. Prepare two 9 x 2-inch and one 10 x 2-inch cake pans by misting with Baker's Spray and lining each with a round of parchment paper. Spray parchment with Baker's Spray. In a large mixer, beat the butter and slowly add the dark brown sugar. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stop from time to time to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Beat in the liquid caramelized sugar. Place the above mixture in an 8-quart bowl to which you add the macerated fruit (if you do not have such a large bowl, you can divide mixture between two smaller bowls). Now begin adding the flour, the baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Use a large whisk to blend. Spoon the batter into the three prepared pans. Place in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 75 to 80 minutes. When a cake tester comes out moist but clean, the cakes are ready. Remove the pans from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Unmold the cakes onto racks to cool further. When the cakes are completely cool, wrap them in foil and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks before icing. Slices of black cake are great on gift plates alongside holiday cookies. Yields 3 cakes; 9-inch cake serves 12, 10-inch cake serves 14