Jamaican Black Cake

I may be Southern raised, but y’all know I’ve always had a soft spot for Caribbean cuisine! I got the lowdown on this Jamaican black cake recipe from a dear friend of mine, and as she walked me through the steps. She kept it true to its Jamaican roots, soaking dried fruit in wine and rum for hours, blending it and mixing it into a cake batter. And after making it once, you’ll probably want to experiment and make it twice… Or thrice!

How to make Jamaican Black Cake

Step 1: make the fruit mixture

1. Combine dried fruit, port wine, and white rum in a bowl. Make sure all fruit is submerged. Let sit for a couple of days or a couple of weeks. If storing longer than a couple of days, you will need to continue to add more wine and rum to cover the fruits.
2. Strain some of the liquid off of the fruit when ready to bake. Reserve.
3. Add the remaining liquid and fruit to a food processor.
4. Pulse until chopped into small pieces. Set aside.

Step 2: Mix the cake batter

1. Add flour, almond flour, baking powder, and spices to a bowl.
2. Whisk together and set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar using a stand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl, between each addition.
5. Add in dry ingredients in two additions and mix on low speed until just combined.
6. Pour in the fruit mixture, lime juice and zest, vanilla and almond extract, and browning sauce. Mix on low speed until everything is evenly combined.

Step 3: bake the cakes and brush them with fruit liquid

1. Divide the mixture into two prepared pans.
2. Bake until the cakes start to pull away from the edge of the pan. Allow them to cool in the pan on a wire rack.

3. Remove the cakes from the pan onto the wire rack and brush the reserved liquid onto both cakes. Allow cakes to fully cool.

Jamaican Black Cake Recipe

This Jamaican Black Cake is bomb, y'all! With fruit soaked in port wine and rum and a richly spiced batter it's all flavor!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

0 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

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Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Course: Dessert

Servings: 12 servings

Equipment

• 9 inch round cake pans
• Mixing Bowls
• Stand mixer

Ingredients

For the Fruit Mixture:

• ▢ 6 ounces pitted dried prunes roughly chopped
• ▢ 4 ounces raisins
• ▢ 4 ounces golden raisins
• ▢ 4 ounces dried cherries
• ▢ 1 ½ cup port wine
• ▢ 1 cup white rum

For the Cake:

• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¾ cup almond flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup dark brown sugar
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lime zest
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 teaspoons almond extract
• ▢ 1 tablespoon browning sauce like Kitchen Bouquet

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Instructions

For the Fruit Mixture:

• Combine dried fruit, port wine, and white rum. Make sure all fruit is submerged. Let sit for at least two days or up to 2 weeks. If storing longer than a couple of days, you will need to continue to add more wine and rum to cover the fruits.
• When ready to bake, strain ½ cup of liquid off of fruit. Reserve.
• Add remaining liquid and fruit to a food processor and pulse 5-6 times until chopped into small pieces. Set aside.

For the Cake:

• Preheat oven to 250F. Prepare two round cake pans by spraying with nonstick baking spray.
• Combine flour, almond flour, baking powder, and spices in a bowl and set aside.
• In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes on high speed.
• Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl, between each addition.
• Add in dry ingredients in two additions and mix on low speed until just combined.
• Add in fruit mixture, lime juice and zest, vanilla and almond extract and browning sauce. Mix on low speed until everything is evenly combined.
• Divide mixture into two prepared pans. Bake until cakes start to pull away from edge of the pan, about 1 hour 50 minutes to 2 hours.
• Allow cakes to cool in pan for about 15 minutes. Remove cakes from pan onto wire rack and brush reserved liquid onto both cakes. Allow cakes to fully cool, about an hour.
• Once fully cool, you can serve immediately or wrap and keep for a few days at room temperature.

Notes

How to store 

Best keep this beauty wrapped up tight in plastic wrap or in an airtight container at room temp.

How long will it last?

At room temp,  it’s good for up to 4 days.  In the fridge, up to 2 weeks. 

Can I freeze it?

Yep! Wrap it up good in plastic wrap, then add to a freezer bag. It will stay good for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 528kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 999IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 2mg

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Recipe Tips

1. Don’t Skip Soaking the Fruit: Honestly, the longer, the better.
2. Go for a Quick Soak: Got caught in a time crunch? Simmer your fruits in the alcohol on low heat until they’re plump and juicy! Easy fix.
3. Sift Your Dry Ingredients: This helps avoid those dreaded lumpy bits in your batter.
4. Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature before you start. This is key for getting that batter silky smooth.

Recipe Help

What’s the best way to blend the fruits?
For the smoothest texture, add booze-soaked fruits to a food processor or powerful blender.

Can I use fresh fruits instead of dried?
Fresh fruits don’t work here. Use dried fruits only.

More cake recipes

• Fruit Cake
• Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
• Pink Lemonade Cake
• Louisiana Crunch Cake
• Million Dollar Pound Cake
• Rum Cake

*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!

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