Caribbean Black Cake – Immaculate Bites

Caribbean Black Cake – This decadent and unique tropical cake is deep, dark, rich, and boozy and packed with dried fruits and warm spices. Do you need a simple but indulgent recipe for a wedding, Christmas, or rum cake? Then here it is!

While this famous Caribbean black cake has numerous variations, it’s pretty straightforward. I can’t claim that this recipe is the original, but I can say that it will BLOW YOU AWAY. So, if you have to have your traditional fruit cake for Christmas, this will fill the bill.

Plus, you’ll fill the house with warm, Christmas cake aromas once this fancy, boozy cake takes center stage. Every forkful of this Caribbean Black Cake is indulgent bliss. Everyone will be surprised that this deep, rich color doesn’t have a speck of chocolate. You can make the chocolate cake for Valentine’s.😉

Quick and Easy Caribbean Black Fruitcake

This holiday cake closely resembles pudding and fruit cake together. While it’s not that crumbly, it does have the fruit cake’s dense texture. The rich, deep black color comes from rum, wine-soaked dried fruit, and that special Caribbean touch, browning sauce.

Ingredients You’ll Want

This recipe for Caribbean black cake is so versatile. You can vary the amounts and types of dried fruits and spices depending on your preference.

1. Fruit – I prefer using dates, raisins, dried cherries, and prunes. And if available, you can also throw in some currants and candied citrus peels. Yum!
2. Booze – Dark rum and wine give this dessert a complex, deep, and rich flavor. Feel free to add more if you must. 😉
3. Sweeteners – Besides sugar, I added molasses and browning sauce for extra moisture and gorgeous deep color.
4. Base – Eggs, flour, and baking powder make the basic cake’s structure and give it body.
5. Spices – Holiday spices give you warm and cozy flavors, especially cinnamon and allspice.
6. Extracts – Almond and vanilla extracts enhance the taste with their subtle nutty and vanilla notes. You’ll also love the added citrusy touch of grated lime.

How to Make Caribbean Fruit Cake

Soak the Fruit

• Chop Fruits – Start by chopping all the fruits into little chunks, then place them in a large bowl. (Photo 1)
• Soak in Alcohol – Pour rum and wine into the bowl of fruit, and then add enough rum or wine to cover the fruits. Cover and leave in a cool place for two days, so it soaks up the alcohol. If you let it soak for over two days, you may need to add more rum. (Photos 2-3)
• Blend – Pour the soaked fruit with any remaining liquids into a blender and blend until it has a paste-like consistency.

Make the Cake

• Grease the Pan – Preheat your oven to 160°C/325°F. Grease and line the cake pan with baking parchment.
• Whisk – Cream the butter and sugar at high speed until it’s fluffy and looks white, 3-5 minutes. (Photo 4)
• Add Eggs and Flour – Stir in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the batter from curdling. (Photo 5)
• Combine – Sift in the rest of the flour and baking powder, followed by browning sauce, molasses, almond and vanilla extract, spices, and nutmeg. Mix the batter and then add the fruit blend and lime zest. (Photos 6-9)
• Finishing Touch – Stir well until everything is thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. (Photos 10-11)
• Bake – Pour batter into a greased 10-inch cake pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 2 hours. (Photo 12)
• Add More Good Stuff – If desired, poke the cake with a toothpick, then brush it with about ¼ cup rum or sweet wine while it’s still hot. Let the cake soak up the rum.
• Cool it cool completely before serving.
• Store – If desired, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wax or parchment paper. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.

Recipe Notes

1. Non-alcoholic Caribbean black cake. Try this recipe without rum or wine to make it family-friendly. Instead, you can soak fruits in fruit juices like orange, grape, cherry, and pineapple juice.
2. Chocolate goodness. Satisfy your chocolate indulgence with melted dark chocolate or chocolate syrup instead of browning and molasses, and soak the cake after baking. How about chocolate ganache for frosting? So good!
3. Cut all fruit into small chunks, so the rum and wine absorb evenly.
4. Poke the cake and brush extra rum and wine when it’s still hot so the alcohol soaks in better. You can cover it with plastic wrap right after brushing it to seal in the moisture.
5. You can purchase browning in most Caribbean and international markets. Additionally, some major supermarkets carry it, even Walmart. However, you can use my browning sauce recipe to make your own.
6. Feel free to vary the amounts and types of dried fruits and spices depending on your preference. I played around with 1-2 pounds of dried fruits for this recipe. One pound of fruit was slightly on the dry side, so I prefer 1½-2 pounds.
7. If you’re uncomfortable whipping up the burnt sugar, you can practice a few times OR go with store-bought browning sauce. Make sure to taste it first before adding it to the recipe. Burnt sugar would surely ruin the whole cake.
8. You could bake it in a bundt pan, but keep in mind that it will need to bake for considerably longer. The resulting texture will be a bit denser than the original but still delicious. A 23cm (9″) cake tin will work too. It would require a few more minutes to bake, but it will be alright.

Make-Ahead Instructions

You can soak the fruit in rum and wine for a week to a month before to let all the flavors meld. Hardcore Caribbean black cake makers soak the fruit for up to a year; oh my!

Remember to add alcohol as needed so the fruit remains completely submerged in the liquid. Then, you can bake the cake with the fruit up to three months (or longer) beforehand.

Serving and Storage Instructions

I prefer eating this cake firm and cold paired with my favorite cocktail. Add cherries or other fruits on top for extra design and flavor.

Store the cake properly in an airtight container or wrap it tightly with plastic. It will keep for four days at room temperature, six weeks in the fridge, and six months in the freezer. You can also feed the cake with rum or brandy to keep it moist and extend its shelf life.

What to Serve With Caribbean Black Cake

A traditional Caribbean Christmas dinner includes curry goat and rice and peas. You might enjoy a side of boiled or fried dumplings. Of course, other traditions are rubbing off, so a glazed ham finds its place on many Caribbean menus.

More Rum-Spiked Dessert Recipes to Try

1. Rum Cake
2. Chocolate Rum Marble Cake
3. Rum Glazed Pineapple
4. Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce
5. Rum Raisin Pineapple Ice Cream

By Imma

Watch How to Make It

This blog post was originally published in March 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video