An intensely rich, dark fruit cake soaked in rum and stout, packed with dried fruits macerated for months, served at Christmas and weddings.
Ingredients
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500g mixed dried fruits (raisins, currants, prunes, cherries)
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2 cups dark rum
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1 cup browning sauce
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2 cups flour
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1 cup brown sugar
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250g butter
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4 eggs
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2 tsp mixed spice
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1 tsp vanilla essence
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1 tsp almond essence
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1 cup stout beer
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2 tsp baking powder
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Burnt sugar syrup
Instructions
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1
Mince dried fruits and soak in rum for at least two weeks, preferably months. Stir occasionally.
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2
Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time.
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3
Fold in flour, baking powder, and mixed spice. Add vanilla and almond essence.
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4
Stir in the rum-soaked fruits with all their liquid, browning sauce, and stout beer.
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5
Pour into a greased and lined cake tin. Bake at 150C for three hours until a skewer comes out clean.
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6
While still warm, pour additional rum over the cake. Wrap tightly in cheesecloth and store for at least one week before serving.
Did You Know?
Some Bajan families keep a jar of fruit soaking in rum year-round, adding to it continuously so the fruit macerates for years.