Jamaican Black Cake

Thank you to Nadine who requested a Jamaican Black Cake for the holidays.  This is a traditional holiday dessert which is deliciously, dark and rich and unlike any other fruit cake you will run across.

It is a dense cake soaked with rum and port wine and allowed to sit and ferment for several weeks or months.  It is also served at weddings and special occasions.

Here is the recipe that I used for this delicious cake. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup flour
8 ounces margarine or butter
8 ounces sugar
4 eggs
1 pound raisins*
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces mixed peel*
4 ounces cherries*
1/2 pound prunes (chopped)
1 cup wine/brandy*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lime or lemon, finely grated rind only
2 tablespoons browning

Directions:
*I grounded and soaked these ingredients in rum and wine a few weeks in advance.  Kept in a sealed glass jar.

Cream butter, sugar and browning until soft and fluffy. Sieve all dry ingredients together Beat eggs, wine/brandy together. Add egg mixture to creamed butter and sugar. Add fruits. Add flour and fold in. Do no over-beat when mixing. Bake at 350F for 1 1/2 hours. 

This baked an 8 1/2" round. I decorated this cake with royal icing and silver dragees.

Jamaican Wedding Cake

Thank you to my friend Vanessa who connected me to someone who wanted her Jamaican fruit cake to decorated with royal icing.  The cake to be would be travelling from here in Toronto, Ontario to Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  Cakes are not usually covered with royal icing, however since it would be on display in extremely hot weather this choice of icing would be perfect.

I received 4 cakes:  6", 8", 10" and 12".

Royal icing forms to a very hard texture, and will stand up to hot weather and humidity.

Royal Icing Recipe
-3 egg whites, room temperature
-1 lb. confectioners' sugar
-1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
-Combine ingredients, beat at high speed for 7-10 minutes. Yields less volume than royal icing made with meringue powder.

Royal icing is a hard drying icing. Please keep covered with a damp cloth. Humidity will greatly effect this icing.  Be sure to wash all utensils with a good dish soap.

Here are some photos behind the design of the cake.

And the final product: