Grenadian Black Cake — Print Recipe

An intensely rich, dark fruitcake made with fruits soaked in rum and wine for months, spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, the crown jewel of Christmas celebrations.

Ingredients

500g mixed dried fruits (raisins, currants, prunes, cherries)
2 cups dark rum
1 cup red wine
2 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
250g butter
6 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
2 tbsp browning sauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

Instructions

1 Soak dried fruits in rum and wine for at least two weeks, ideally three months. Blend into a coarse paste when ready.
2 Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
3 Fold in flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and mixed spice.
4 Add the blended fruit mixture, browning sauce, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix until batter is very dark.
5 Pour into a lined and greased ten-inch tin. Bake at 150 degrees Celsius for two to two and a half hours until firm.
6 Let cool completely, then feed the cake with additional rum every week until Christmas. Wrap tightly in foil.

Did You Know?

Some Grenadian families begin soaking their black cake fruits in January for the following December, believing that a full year of soaking produces the finest cake.