Black Cake
Black Cake aka Rum Cake aka Christmas Joy
A dense, decadent dessert reserved for the holidays. Fruit cake's final form.
Equipment
- 1 extra large mixing bowl
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 large wooden spoon
- 4 large baking pan (diameter >20 cm)
- 1 silicone spatula
- 1 kitchen scale (optional)
Ingredients
Fruit Mix
- 5 cups red Kosher wine (1.25 L)
- 8 tbsp overproof white rum (120 mL) (63% ethanol v/v)
- 1 ¼ cup water (300 mL)
- 2 cups prunes (500 g)
- 1 cup Thompson raisins (250 g)
- 1 cup red or green candied cherries (250 g)
- 1 cup candied mixed peel (250 g)
- 1 cup dried currants (250 g)
- 1 cup citron (candied lemon peel) (250 g)
Cake Batter Mix
- 4 cups butter (salted or unsalted) (900 g)
- 1 lb white granulated sugar (450 g)
- 1 lb brown (Demerara) sugar (450 g)
- 4 lbs all-purpose flour (2 kg)
- 15 eggs
Flavourings
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract (30 mL)
- 1 tsp lemon juice (4 mL)
- 1 tbsp almond extract (15 mL)
- 1 tbsp freshly ground nutmeg (15 g)
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon (15 g)
- 1 tbsp mixed spice (15 g)
- 1 tbsp mace of nutmeg (15 g)
- 1 tsp Kosher salt (4 g)
- ½ bottle caramel browning (150 mL)
- 4 tbsp baking powder (60 g) (1 tbsp per cup of flour)
- 2 lemons zest (30 g)
- 2 oranges zest (40 g)
Instructions
Preparation
- Assemble ALL ingredients and equipment.
Fruit Mix
- In a large saucepan, add 3 cups red Kosher wine (750 mL), 1 ¼ cups water (300 mL), 2 cups prunes (500 g), 1 cup raisins (250 g), 1 cup candied cherries (250 g), 1 cup mixed peels (250 g), 1 cup dried currants (250 g), and 1 cup lemon peel (250 g). Simmer everything on low heat for 45 min, stirring every 15 min.
- The dried fruits should absorb the water. After 45 min, remove from heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add 1 additional cup of red Kosher wine (240 mL) and 4 tbsp of overproof (63%) white rum (60 mL). Cover tightly and set aside to macerate for at least 2 days. Then, add the macerated fruit mixture to a blender with an additional cup of red Kosher wine (250 mL) and 4 tbsp of overproof white rum (60 mL) until the ingredients form a deep red thick paste.
Notes
Many of my childhood Christmas Breaks were spent toiling over making this recipe. I hope that you too can enjoy the fruits of this labour one day. Cheers, Kareem