Caribbean Recipe Of The Week – Black Fruit Cake

By Minna LaFortune

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Dec. 9, 2016: Wow it’s Christmas time so let the parties and the feasts begin!

As a chef, I love this time of year. I love it because of the chance to cook different delicious meals and bake several types of desserts and the popular black fruit cake and create special cocktails.

So to start the season off, I will start with baking my Black fruit cakes in the coming week. The popular black fruit cake is a mandatory dessert to have in your home to serve to both family, friends and guests as a Caribbean national in the region and in the Diaspora.

Today I will share with you my recipe for Black Fruit Cake.

Ingredients For the fruits

1 3/4 cups dried cherries, coarsely chopped
1 3/4 cups prunes, coarsely chopped
2 cups Raisins
1 cup currants
2 cups Jamaican white rum
1 1/2 cups ruby port
3/4 cup candied orange peel, coarsely chopped

Ingredients For the cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 teaspoon  baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons Allspice
3 sticks (3/4 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups packed  brown sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup burnt sugar syrup
2 teaspoons lemon rind

INSTRUCTIONS

Soaking the fruits-Put all fruits ingredients in a 3-quart container with a tight fitting lid and mix well. Cover tightly and store in a dark, cool, dry place for 1-4weeks or longer.

For the cake:

1: Heat the oven to 350 F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with butter; set aside.

2: Combine flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg in a large bowl and whisk to aerate and break up any lumps. Set aside.

3: Place butter and sugar in the bowl  and with an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until sugar is dissolve.

3 a: Add eggs one at a time, letting each mix in fully before adding the next. Add vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and return the mixer to low speed. Add lemon rind and mix well.

4: Remove mixer from bowl , and with  a spatula or wooden spoon slowly fold in  flour , baking powder and spice mixture, macerated fruits and burnt sugar, and mix in slowly until all ingredients are combined.

5: Pour batter evenly between the prepared pans.

6: Bake until a cake tester comes out clean (about 2 hours)

7: Allow to  cool approximately 45 minutes  in the pans on a wire rack.

8: Turn cakes out onto the rack, and brush each with 2 tablespoons of port wine and Jamaican white rum mixture.

9: Cool completely before eating.

Bon Appetite

EDITOR’S NOTE: Minna LaFortune is a trained Caribbean caterer and also president, Society for the Advancement of the Caribbean Diaspora (SACD). Check out her food group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/bestfoodscaribbean/