JAMAICAN BLACK SPICE CAKE
In the Caribbean, Christmas celebrations feature a rich, molasses-spiced cake loaded with tipsy dried fruits – Black cake!
Growing up in Jamaica, you learn from a young age that this time of year means... black cake, Jamaican cake, fruit cake, Christmas cake, or dark cake! Whatever name you give it, everyone in the Caribbean and its diaspora will agree that Christmas isn't the same without this. A Rum-infused dried fruit-based cake that began its relationship with the rum months or even a year in advance.
Many individuals of British Caribbean descent, as well as those of other cultures, adore this delicacy, which has a rich flavor and a tale that is strongly steeped in the British Caribbean's colonial history.
Black cake, an essential feature of the cuisine of Caribbean countries such as Jamaica, Trinidad, and Guyana, is strikingly similar to the popular British Christmas plum pudding that came to the Caribbean under British colonialism.
Fruit cake is one of the most divisive holiday treats there is. It's easy to overlook this treat as a relic due to its dry texture and bright red and green "fruit." That is unless you've eaten Black Cake, a Caribbean sweet that takes its inspiration from fruit cakes and plum puddings but is more luscious, rich, and smooth.
What Is Jamaican Black Spice Cake Made Of?
Black Cake is a labor of love, made with liquor-soaked dried fruits combined into a smooth batter, coupled with a mix of earthy spices and burnt sugar that gives the cake its distinctive dark color.
Origins Of Jamaican Black Spice Cake
The cake probably originated in the 18th century, when British colonizers brought festive plum pudding recipes to the West Indies. Islanders changed these recipes by adding regional ingredients and liquor.
Black cake, which is made as well in other parts of the previously British Caribbean, such as Jamaica and Guyana, has its origins in British plum pudding, with extra historical components in the molasses and rum (or, even better, burnt sugar) which flavor and color it.
For years, Caribbean families have been preparing their own unique versions of this traditional delicacy using whatever ingredients were at their disposal, whether it be locally or in other countries.
Over time, the black cake became a mainstay on Caribbean Christmas dinner tables, with roasted ham, pasteless, a jug of sorrel (seasoned hibiscus tea), and rice. It is a cake of choice for weddings, parties, or any formal occasion in Jamaica.
How To Prepare Jamaican Black Cake
Every family has their own recipe for Black Cake, which might vary from home to home and from island to island. That is one of the things that distinguishes black cake; people take delight in it.
While Jamaicans like rum with their dried fruit, Trinidadians prefer sherry wine and more cherries. Still, a lot of alcohol is needed as an essential ingredient.
The cake's preparation begins nearly a year in advance. To ensure that the fruit is sufficiently saturated for the cake, currants, raisins, cherries, prunes, and the peels of orange and lemon are all steeped in rum and wine for around six months in airtight jars. It could be soaked for as little as a few days to years, usually, the latter is the norm. Many bakers begin soaking their fruits in January for the following December!
To produce the cake batter, sifted flour is combined with cinnamon, a bay leaf, a kola nut, nutmeg, a tonka bean, and other island spices. But what actually distinguishes this Jamaican fruit cake is the burnt sugar – often known as "browning" – that is added mere seconds before the cake enters the oven, giving it its distinctive, dark color.
How Should Black Cake Be Served?
While you can eat it plain (like most Caribbeans do), it is best served with a hefty scoop of ice cream. It's the ideal blend of fruit, rummy, and warming spice.
Note: Do not, under any condition, call this treat a fruitcake, although it contains dried glacé fruit as well as peel.
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