West Indian Black Cake Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Combine everything in a mixing bowl except the crabmeat, lobster, and panko. Taste the mixture for seasoning. Gently fold in crabmeat and lobster, careful not to break up crabmeat too much. Fold in panko, adding enough so that the mixture is not too tight.
• Cook 1 crab cake and taste. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
• Form into 2 1/2-ounce cakes. Saute on both sides until golden brown.

Steps:

• Add the dates, figs, 1 cup of the port, 1 cup of the rum, the almonds, brandied cherries with their liquid, currants, candied orange peel, prunes and dark and golden raisins to a food processor. Process this mixture until the dried fruit is broken down into smaller chunks. Stir in the orange juice. Allow it to soak in the rum for at least 2 hours 30 minutes, but preferably for 2 to 3 days.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 cake pans and line them with brown or wax paper.
• In a stand mixer, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, molasses, browning and eggs. Slowly add the rum-soaked fruit to the mixer a little at a time and mix to combine all of the ingredients.
• Divide the cake batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes in a water bath by filling a large roasting pan halfway up with water and then setting the cake pans inside. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the remaining port and rum on top of the cakes and let them cool. These cakes will last for days stored in parchment paper and plastic wrap and for weeks when frozen.

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

Steps:

• Make the soaked spiced dried fruit: In a medium saucepan, combine the raisins, currants, prunes, cherries, cherry brandy, rum, cinnamon stick, and star anise. Cook over medium heat until just boiling, then remove from the heat and let steep for 1-2 hours.
• About 20 minutes before making the cake batter, make the burnt sugar syrup: Add the sugar to a small nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Let the sugar deeply caramelize, turning almost black and smoking a bit. Reduce the heat to low and carefully pour in the water (it will steam) and stir vigorously to incorporate. Let the syrup remain in saucepan while it cools, about 15 mins. If it hardens too much before using, add a little more water and stir over low heat.
• Remove the cinnamon stick and star anise from the soaked fruit mixture. Transfer to a food processor, add the candied citrus peel, and pulse into a chunky paste. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Grease 2 8-inch or 1 10-inch (25 cm) round cake pans.
• Make the cake batter: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar with an electric hand mixer. Once light and fluffy, beat in the eggs, 1 at a time.
• With the mixer running, add ⅓ of the flour mixture then ½ of the fruit paste, then another ⅓ of the flour. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the remaining fruit paste and flour.
• Add the burnt sugar syrup, vanilla, bitters, and sliced almonds. Fold quickly to incorporate so the syrup doesn't harden.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan(s).
• Bake for 1 hour, then reduce the oven temperature to 250˚F (120˚C), and bake for 45 minutes more, until the cake is dark in color and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• While the cake is baking, make the soaking liquid: In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine the rum, cherry brandy, and sherry.
• Let the cakes to cool for 5 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the edges of the pans. Slowly pour the soaking liquid over each of the cakes, a little at a time, allowing it to soak in. (Reserve about ¼ cup for serving) Let the cakes cool completely in the pans.
• You can serve the cake immediately, but the flavor improves with time. Wrap the cooled cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 months. Pour ½ cup of rum over the cake every 7 days to keep moist while storing.
• Brush with more of the soaking liquid before slicing and serving.
• Enjoy!

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.