Fruit Sponge Cake

It is almost the end of the year. Can you imagine that?

This time last year I was gearing up to enjoy my end of the year so much. I had so many events planned to go to.

Then BAM, later down in the month, I fell sick from what I thought was food poisoning, to learn that I was pregnant!!

I stopped drinking and my plans were foiled cause I was so sick for that 1st trimester.

Now I have a 3-month-old and I'm wondering when we're going to take pictures with Santa Claus. Ha.


Since I've had to cut back on the number of events I can go to, I've decided to whip up this adult cake for me to indulge in at home.

This cake is a mix of a sponge cake and black cake, making it a fruitcake.

Black cake in the Caribbean is a rich cake that is packed with dried fruits that have been soaked in liquor over time. Sometimes a whole year of soaking is done, so you know those fruits are intoxicated.

Sponge cake is the little sister cake that the kids can eat. It's the alternative if you don't do alcohol (and even if you do) and I love to eat it with coconut ice cream.

This fruit sponge cake is the merging of the two.

A light sponge cake, filled with rum soaked fruits. This is not as heavy as the black cake and takes the simpleness of the sponge cake up another level.


To make this Christmas special, I decided to use some Don Q Gran Añejo. Isn't that bottle gorgeous?

This Gran Añejo comes from Destilería Serrallés which is a family owned rum making business in Puerto Rico since 1865. Their long-standing process explains why they are the #1 rum on the island.

This is a super premium blend of rums aged in American white oak barrels for 9 to 12 years and Spanish sherry casks aged up to 50 years using the Solera aging system.

So this was perfect to get my fruits soaked in. This rum is smooth, and lush with notes of vanilla, cinnamon, and honey which paired well with the raisins and sultanas.

I know most people love to sip their rum on the rocks. And if so this Gran Añejo is the perfect substitute for whiskeys in Old Fashioned cocktails.

How about making a nice Don Q Old Fashioned? The Gran Añejo pairs well with lamb, steaks or any grilled meats.

But I wanted this 80 proof, 40% ALC/VOL to be in my dessert.


It was easy for me to use this rum because I knew their flavors were going to be all natural. There are no additives, coloring or artificial sugars.

I love that Destilería Serrallés is also environmentally conscious as they actively participate in real energy return by having a water reclamation program that allows them to recycle their wastewater.

So yes, they do NOT dispose of their water into the ocean.

This rum gave my fruits this amazing flavor. It's best to give it at least a 2-week soak for the fruits to get all that flavor.

You bite into it thinking it's a regular yellow sponge cake, then you get a taste of that rum, and you can't stop from taking a little piece more... and more and more.


And if you happen to have leftover soaked fruits and rum, you can go ahead and just take a few spoons and sprinkle it all over a slice, cause I mean, why wouldn't you? Right, no good reason at all.

So here's to having an amazing holiday.

Here's to my first Christmas with my little ninja.

Here's to an amazing cake made with top of the line rum.

Here's to my new normal.

And finally, here's to you going to Don Q's website and checking out all their stuff.


Try these other cakes/bread for the season: