How to make a Trinidad Black Cake

Published Date
December 30th 2020
Front shot of One whole Trinidad Black Fruit Cake
A slice of Trinidad Black Fruit Cake on a dish.
Overview of Trinidad Black Fruit Cake with cherry wine soaking on it
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Trinidad Black Cake, also commonly referred to as Trinidad Fruit Cake, is a staple cake for the Christmas holiday season. However, in reality, the preparation for the ideal Trini Black Cake should be started months (even up to 1 year) in advance. This black cake (or fruit cake if you so wish) is a popular rum cake dessert soaked in rum and cherry brandy and contains macerated dried fruits. The fruit cake is alcoholic, so keep it away from kids, but if you want to make the non-alcoholic version, you can substitute the white rum and cherry brandy with grape and apple juice. Trinidad Black Cake is eaten all over the Caribbean and is known to be a descendent of the British plum pudding.  

How to store a Trinidad Black Cake?

Black/Fruit Cakes can last up to 1-2 months when wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container while being refrigerated. Infuse the cake with rum weekly in order to keep it moist while storing.

 

Author: Classic Bakes Editorial Team
Rate
Average: 4.6 (32 votes)
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
120 mins
Total Time
140 mins
Serves
2 cakes in 8 " pan

Ingredients

Instructions

To be prepared in advance: The soaked fruits should be macerated for a minimum of one day and up to one year. Simply cover the dried fruits with 120 ml rum and 120 ml cherry wine and let them steep with a cinnamon stick as well as a star anise.
Overview of a bowl of soaked macerated fruit
For the cake batter: Remove the cinnamon stick and the star anise and blend the macerated fruits along with the liquid it was soaked in. The consistency should be pasty but slightly coarse.
Arial view of blender with blended fruit and spices
Preheat the oven to 280 °F (121 °C) and line two 8 inch pans with parchment paper.
Combine the soft butter with sugar and beat on low to medium speed using a mixer for 5-10 minutes until the mixture appears fluffy and light.
Overview of a bowl of whipped butter and sugar
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with some lime zest, vanilla extract and almond extract. Then slowly add to the butter mixture while stirring continuously.
Overview of whipped eggs butter and sugar in a bowl
Sift the flour and mix it with baking powder as well as ground cinnamon. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the butter-egg-mixture.
Bowl containing dry and wet ingredients for cake batter
Add puréed fruits and browning to batter.
Bowl containing cake batter with pureed fruit on top
Pour the batter into the baking pans and place them on the middle rack in the oven. Bake for approximately two hours until a toothpick inserted to the center of the cakes comes out clean.
Arial of 2 cake pans filled with cake batter
While the cakes are cooling you can lightly pierce the surfaces with a toothpick. Slowly pour the remaining rum and wine mixture over the top until the cakes are fully soaked. Let the cake cool for a few hours before serving.
Arial of bowl containing rum and wine mixture

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Keywords
Trinidad Fruit Cake, best black cake, rum cake, Caribbean, black wedding cake, forest, old fashioned fruit cake recipe, fruit cake

Member for

1 year 4 months
First Name
Jennifer
Last Name
Dodd
Jennifer Dodd

Hello, yes you can most defiantly freeze Trinidad Black Cake. Simply wrap it up tightly using plastic wrap or a freezer bag with any excess air removed and it will taste as fresh as the day you baked it for up to 3 months in the freezer. Be sure to let it thaw naturally in the fridge or countertop overnight.

Permalink 16 Dec 2022

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