Trinidad Black Cake (recipe)
Filed Under pareve, desserts, vegetarian | Posted on November 26, 2006
Like sorrel, Black Cake in Trinidad is a Christmas tradition. Made predominantly of alcohol drenched prunes, currants and raisins, variations abound (and I love taste testing when we make the visiting rounds). Still, the best black cake is always the recipe that one grew up with. In this case my black cake comes from my aunt, who also uses this recipe to make grooms’ cakes for weddings (in Trinidad these are also traditionally black cake).
You’ll notice the insane amount of liquour that goes into this dessert. Not only does that make the final cake unbelievably moist it also renders it virtually ageless. My aunt makes a batch of these at xmas time, keeps them in ‘old time cake tins’ and even in July and August we are still eating the remnants!
Anyway, I was planning to hold off on the rest of my Trinidad Christmas recipes until December 1st, but since I’ve been getting an insane amount of hits on a daily basis for such favorites as Pastelles, Sorrel, and of course the star of this post “Trinidad Black Cake”. So no more delays. This is all about giving you the reader what you demand! Black cake it is! Enjoy! 
(ETA: I have decided to submit this recipe to the Festive Food Fair )
Trinidad Black Cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 lb butter
1 lb sugar
8 eggs
1 tsp lemon essence
2 tsp lime rind (zested)
2 tsp almond essence
2 tsp vanilla
1 lb flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
Fruit Base:
1 lb pitted prunes
1 lb raisins
1 lb currants
1 bottle cherry brandy
1 bottle rum/Bailey’s
2 tbsp Angostura bitters
Browning:
1 lb brown sugar
1/2 cup boiling hot water
Have on Hand:
1 more bottle of rum
Method:
Three to Five Days Before:
Up to 5 days before you make the cake, chop up all the fruits for the fruit base. Place in a large bowl, pour in Angostura bitters, cherry brandy and rum (I use Bailey’s when I have extra $$$ and it really makes it extra special :)). Leave in a cool corner, covered, to soak up the liquor. As I said 3-5 days before is the best option, 24 hours minimum if you must be ’so last-minute’!
On the Day Of:
Blend Fruit Base:
I pour the soaked fruit and juices into a blender and blend until thick and still a bit chunky (like tomato sauce)
Prepare Browning:
Burn sugar until caramelized, add hot water gradually. Mix well and leave to cool.
Please be extra careful at this stage as a ‘browning’ burn is NOT a fun thing!
Once that is done…
1. Preheat oven to 250F (no that’s not a typo)
2. Cream the butter and sugar.
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing to incorporate
4. Add lemon essence, lemon zest, almond essence and vanilla
5. Mix and sift flour, baking powder, mixed spice and nutmeg.
6. Gradually add sifted ingredients to creamed mixture
7. Mix in fruit base puree and ‘browning’
8. Pour batter into greased tins that have been doubly lined with brown paper or parchment paper
9. Bake for 3 hours
10. Once removed from the oven soak the tops with equal portions of the remaining bottle of rum. Don’t be surprised if the top of the cake starts to look pale and ‘weird’. Kinda like below
Believe me, after several hours, and definitely by the next day all that alcohol will be absorbed and you will finally understand how this cake got its name! 
NOTE: For those who avoid alcohol for religious or personal reasons, soaking can be done using grape or apple juice! Thanks to Chennette for that tip!
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22 Responses to “Trinidad Black Cake (recipe)”
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Girl I made some of this with my sis a cople years ago and I thought I was EATING the RUM lol
Black cake is the best though…To all the readers it is nothing like the fruitcake in the US
Fruitcake is nasty
We still have a few wee slivers of black cake tucked away from maybe three years ago — the stuff NEVER goes bad!
I’m glad you make the version where the candied fruits and stuff is pureed. I’ve had some black cake where it was all still whole, and since I don’t like candied fruit I never cared for those versions. No, give me the ones that are smooth and dense and tacky, and taking a few bites makes you feel drunk!
Why thank you Maggie!
I feel the same way you do about the candied fruits, esp. when left in chunks. Oddly enough, that’s rarely the version I am used to finding in people’s homes and yet EVERY SINGLE recipe seems to still call for it. I think it’s sabotage 
And wow 3 years! That’s impressive! Finish it off and make a new batch nah 
Sarina,
Am i glad I chanced upon your blog through the festive food fair…Some of the blogs that highlight African cuisine are my hot favourites for the armchair travelling they indulge me in. Your cake is a beauty - i’m planning to make a fruit cake this christmas. Let’s see if I manage it..one bottle of rum in a cake is my idea of fun..
I shall be around often - love the cultural diversions that I experience on foodblogs.
Warmest regards
Nandita
Hi Nandita! Thanks for joining the ‘party’
Do let me know how the black cake turns out if you do make it 
I also am enjoying your blog for similar cultural reasons 
I’ll be posting more of our Indo-Trini recipes soon as well, may be amusing to compare/contrast 
take care!
Sarina, just cut up my fruit and poured the rum over it. I’m doing one batch with Baileys and one with Meyers. My boyfriend is a Trini and he always tells me about this cake from growing up. I hope this turns out as good as he remembers it. Thanx for the recipe. Happy Holidays
oooo! how exciting Selket! And I like the Meyers touch
Let me know how it turns out 
I posted pics of my Mom’s non-alcoholic black cake! She didn’t really douse it this year, as she thought it was possibly moist enough…it was gooood.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chennette/tags/blackcake/
P.S. I only have one slice left, which is wrapped up to take with me to Barbados…
Oooh thanks for sharing Chennette
Keep that procrastination up lolz! 
Oh lawd!!! Now -DAT- is black cake!!
:D 
:D 
How do you make the icing that goes with this cake thanks again I am trying it…
Tessa - Hi there
Black cake is not served iced unless it is being served as a groom’s cake. In that case marzipan icing is the traditional accompaniment.
http://www.recipezaar.com/14149
My mother sometimes serves it with a side of brandy butter (hard sauce) as well.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/brandybutter_65615.shtml
Hope that helps
By bottle of rum, is that a litre bottle?
Rebecca - yes, 750ml - 1 litre
A magnificent cake! Wow, you are courageous!
I can’t think about Christmas now! It’s too early, especially since the hot and sunny weather is back again after weeks of cold and rain…
i missed out on one point that if you use use brown sugar instead of white sugar for the batter there will be a tremendous color change …
hello hello
i had black cake in belize and got hooked. i’d like to give your recipe a try.. but what size tins do you use and how many? also, i have a bottle of brandy lying about, do you think that would work as a subst. for the cherry brandy?
Thanks, and i look forward to trying the recipe!
i love black cake but can i used browning instead of burning that sugar bucause if the sugar is over burn the cake may taste bitter.i will try making the black cake for my farmily this christmas
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I’m just getting ready to bake the cake, having looked at your site many times for inspiration!
In previous years I’ve baked a ‘Caribbean Christmas Cake’ based on Mildred Council’s ‘Mama Dip’s Kitchen’ and that was OK (even earned me compliments in South east London!) but it didn’t use any browning. This year, I’ll use the browning, but it looks awfully dark and sticky…
And yes, it’s bitter. I added a splash of brandy and some orange zest while it was still warm and I think the taste is OK. But you’re right: you have to be very careful when adding the liquid!
I love this site, because I was born and raised here in NYC (Trinidadian parents!)…and I always needed a resource like this
You might be interested to know that in the New York Times last week, there was an entire article dedicated to this cake !
Below is the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/dining/19cake.html?ref=dining