Black Cake (Caribbean Style Plum Cake)
What I most look forward to every December is trying out a new fruit cake recipe. Except for the (occasional) dining out, my family does not really do anything special to celebrate Christmas. Baking a cake, however, has become somewhat of a holiday tradition. This year I decided upon a dark and decadent Caribbean style Black Cake… a moist, boozy dessert that is best described as a cross between a plum cake and pudding.
A generous quantity of prunes, raisins and dried cherries/cranberries are first drenched in a cupful of dark rum, then pulsed into a coarse purée and incorporated into the batter. Sugar (in this case, jaggery) is caramelized and mixed with water to make a “Browning” liquid that is added to the batter to give the cake its signature “black” color. Once baked, the cake is brushed with more rum. I kept my version gluten-free and refined sugar-free. You could just as easily substitute the alternative flours with all-purpose flour and the jaggery with brown sugar. If you are looking to try something a bit different from the usual, give this recipe a go. The cake is delicious as is, but would be rather lovely served warm with some spiked custard or cream. Happy baking and enjoy responsibly!
Recipe
Black Cake
(Makes one 8” cake)
Ingredients:
For the Cake -
113 gms unsalted butter
113 gms coconut or brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. orange extract
1/2 tsp. orange zest
3/4 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup buckwheat or brown rice flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground mixed spice (cinnamon, cloves, dried ginger, allspice and nutmeg)
For Soaking the Dried Fruit -
3/4 cup pitted prunes, chopped
3/4 cup dark raisins
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dark rum (more for brushing the cake)
For the Browning -
100 gms powdered jaggery or sugar
3 tbsp boiling hot water
Method:
Macerating the Dried Fruit - In a large bowl, mix the dried fruit and rum. Stir well to coat, then transfer to an airtight container and leave in a cool place to macerate for at least 3 days (or up to a month).
When you are ready to bake the cake, preheat your oven to 150°C.
Grease an 8” cake pan and line the base with parchment paper.
Blend the soaked fruit (and soaking liquid) until coarsely puréed and set aside.
Make the Browning - In a nonstick pan, melt the powdered jaggery (or sugar) over low heat until it caramelizes. Turn off the heat and carefully stir in the hot water. Mix well so that the jaggery dissolves completely. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, sift together the almond flour, buckwheat/brown rice flour, baking powder and spices and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the extracts and orange zest and whisk to combine.
Fold the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture. Stir in the fruit purée and the browning. Mix well. The batter will be thick.
Spoon the batter into the greased cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 90 minutes or until the cake is set and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 30 minutes.
Run a blunt knife around the edges to loosen the cake from the tin. Transfer onto a wire rack.
Brush the top of the cake with 2 tbsp more rum. Once completely cool, wrap it in cling wrap and store in an airtight container for at least a day before eating. Kept this way, the cake can be stored for a month (longer if refrigerated).
Note: The almond and buckwheat/brown rice flour combination can be substituted with 1/2 cup of almond meal + 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour.
