This Jamaican-style Christmas cake is an adaptation of writer Vaughn Stafford Grey’s personal method and his mom, Cylda’s beloved 50-year-old recipe. It’s award-winning, steeped in historical past, and beloved by the writer’s household and buddies. The usage of sultanas, cassis, and Jamaican fortified wine lends the cake its distinctive taste. Whereas a 9-inch cake makes a formidable centerpiece, this huge format is usually a bit wealthy, costly, and overwhelming. For a extra manageable measurement, be happy to as an alternative break up the batter between two six-inch cake pans and present one to somebody particular.
Featured in: “On Fruitcake and Family.”
Jamaican Christmas Cake
Wealthy, boozy, and loaded with nuts and dried fruit, this festive dessert is on the coronary heart of the Caribbean vacation season.
Yield: makes One 9-inch spherical
Time:
2 days 12 hr. 30 min.
For the steeping liquid and fruit:
- 1 cup Jamaican overproof white rum
- 1 cup creme de cassis
- 1 cup Purple Label Wine (or substitute ruby port)
- 1 cup brandy
- 1 cup dry sherry
- 1 cup dried currants
- 1 cup prunes, finely chopped
- 1 cup sultanas
- ½ cups pink glacé cherries, finely chopped
- ½ cups raisins
- ¼ cups blended candied citrus peel
For the cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 1 cup cake flour
- 2 tsp. allspice
- 2 tsp. floor cinnamon
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¾ tsp. floor mace (optionally available)
- ½ tsp. grated nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp. baking soda
- 1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
- ½ cups unsalted roasted peanuts, pulverized in a meals processor
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 cup darkish brown sugar
- ½ cups molasses
- ⅓ cups Jamaican overproof white rum, reminiscent of J. Wray and Nephew
- ⅓ cups Guinness Stout
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. almond extract
- ½ tsp. rosewater
- 4 massive eggs
- 1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
Directions
- Make the steeping liquid: In a big pot, mix the rum, creme de cassis, Purple Label Wine, brandy and sherry. To the steaming liquid, add the currants, prunes, sultanas, cherries, raisins, and candied citrus peel, deliver to a boil, and prepare dinner, uncovered, till the sultanas are tender and plump, about quarter-hour. Take away from warmth, cowl, and put aside to steep at room temperature for no less than 8 hours.
- Set a big strainer over a big bowl and drain the fruit, urgent to extract as a lot of the liquid as potential. Reserve each the fruit and the liquid.
- Place a baking dish massive sufficient to carry your cake pan on the underside rack of the oven. Fill the dish three-quarters of the best way with water, then preheat the oven to 300°F. Grease the inside of a 9-inch cake pan with butter and line the underside with a circle of parchment paper.
- Into a big bowl, sift the flour with the allspice, cinnamon, baking powder, mace, nutmeg, and baking soda. Whisk within the bread crumbs, peanuts, and salt, then put aside.
- Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or utilizing a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium velocity till creamy. Start progressively including the sugar, then improve the velocity to excessive and beat till the combination is gentle and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Take away the bowl from the mixer.
- In a separate bowl, use a whisk or a hand mixer to whip the eggs till they’re thick and fluffy. Utilizing a silicone spatula, alternate folding the whipped eggs and the flour combination into the overwhelmed butter, half a cup at a time. Fold within the reserved fruit combination adopted by the rum, molasses, Guinness, vanilla and almond extracts, rosewater, and lime zest.
- Scrape the batter into the ready cake pan. Lower a circle of parchment paper to suit over the cake, evenly butter the paper on one aspect, then place the circle, butter-side-down, instantly over the floor of the batter (this may forestall the cake from scorching on the floor earlier than it’s totally baked).
- Place the cake pan instantly within the baking dish of scorching water. Bake for 3 hours, then decrease the temperature to 250° F and proceed baking till a skewer or cake tester inserted within the middle comes out clear, about half-hour extra.
- Take away the cake pan from the oven and instantly pour one cup of the reserved fruit-steeping liquid over the floor. Put aside at room temperature for twenty-four hours.
- The next day, test to see if the cake has absorbed the entire steeping liquid—if it has, pour one other cup of liquid over the floor and put aside once more. (If it hasn’t, test the next day earlier than including extra liquid.) Repeat till the entire steeping liquid has been absorbed into the cake. As soon as the liquid has been totally absorbed, invert the cake onto a serving platter or right into a cake tin to unmold. Lower into slices and serve instantly or wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and retailer for as much as every week at room temperature or as much as a yr within the freezer.
