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–+ servings
slice of Jamaican black cake with confectioner's sugar dusting on a white plate with a fork

Jamaican Black Cake

An insanely rich and moist cake made with prunes, raisins and cherries that have been soaked in Jamaican dark aged rum, Red Label port wine and Cointreau orange liqueur.
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Baking Time: 45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Caribbean, Jamaican
Keyword: black cake, christmas cake
Servings: 1 bundt cake
Author: Ainseanlea @ The Stush Kitchen

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Equipment

  • 1 hand or stand mixer
  • 1 standard bundt cake pan or 2 8-inch cake pans

Ingredients

For the Jamaican Black Cake

  • 6 ounces prunes
  • 5 ounces dried cherries
  • 5 ounces raisins
  • 8 ounces Red Label Wine substitute for your favorite red port wine if Red Label wine is unavailable
  • 4 ounces Appleton Estate dark rum divided equally in 2 ounce portions (see post for the best alternatives)
  • 1 ounce Cointreau or your favorite orange liqueur
  • 9 ounces cake flour
  • 6 ounces dark brown sugar
  • 4 TBSP browning
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 TBSP orange juice
  • 1 TBSP neutral-flavored oil I used grapeseed
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground allspice
  • ¼ tsp salt

Optional Royal Icing

  • 6½ ounces confectioner's sugar about 1¼ cups
  • 2 TBSP meringue powder
  • 2 TBSP lime juice
  • 1½ TBSP water
  • 1 TBSP glycerin optional to prevent crusting

Instructions

for the Jamaican Black Cake

  • Preheat your oven to 325°F.
  • Add the prunes, raisins and dried cherries to a microwave safe container along with the Red Label wine, Cointreau and one of the 2-ounce portions of the Appleton Estate dark rum.
    Microwave for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is hot but not scalding. Cover and allow to soak for about 30 minutes or until the mixture has come to room temperature.
  • Once the fruit mixture has cooled to room temperature, blend (including the remaining liquid) until smooth and set aside.
  • Sift the cake flour, salt, baking soda & baking powder into a bowl. Set aside.
  • Add the butter, oil, brown sugar, blended fruit, browning, cinnamon, nutmeg & allspice to a bowl and mix until smooth.
  • Add all the eggs and the orange juice and mix again until completely incorporated.
  • Add the dry ingredients (set aside earlier) to the fruit mixture and fold it in by hand until there are no visible clumps of flour.
  • Transfer the cake batter to a bundt pan prepared with baking spray. Alternatively you can make 2 8-inch cakes.
  • Bake at 325°F for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs.
  • Once the cake is done brush the top with the remaining 2-ounce portion of dark rum. If using a bundt pan only use half of the rum for this stage, saving the other half to brush the top of the cake once it is removed from the pan.
    Cover the cake(s) with plastic wrap or a cake dome while it cools to keep it moist.
  • Serve as desired - plain or with an optional dusting of confectioner's sugar or a royal icing glaze.

For the Royal Icing

  • Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Spread or drizzle across the top of your cake(s).
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