How To Make the Best Trinidad Black Cake Ever

This Trinidad black cake recipe is made with rum-soaked dried fruits, warm spices, browning, and a hint of citrus. Rich, dense, and full of fruit, it’s the cake I associate with Christmas in Trinidad and Tobago.

Black cake is the ultimate Christmas cake in the Caribbean.

Across the islands, you’ll find different versions of this rich fruit cake, with recipes and names varying from place to place. In Trinidad and Tobago, we call it black cake or fruit cake, and Christmas just wouldn’t feel quite right without it.

This is the type of cake that makes people delirious. And I’ve even started playing with different versions over the years, including my cassava black cake and dasheen black cake.

What is black cake?

Black cake is a rich Caribbean fruit cake made with dried fruits and alcohol, with the fruit mixture ground or blended before being added to the cake batter. Browning gives the cake its characteristic dark color, while rum and cherry brandy add flavor and help keep it moist.

In Trinidad and Tobago, black cake is traditionally made for Christmas and other special occasions, including weddings. You’ll also hear it called fruit cake, and similar versions of rum-soaked fruit cake are made throughout the Caribbean.

Unlike a lighter fruit cake where you can see pieces of dried fruit throughout each slice, the fruit in my black cake is ground before soaking. This gives the finished cake its dense, smooth texture and lets all that fruit become part of the cake itself.

If you prefer a lighter fruit cake, try my light fruit cake, which still has plenty of fruit without the richness of black cake. For an even lighter option, my Dundee cake is another fruit-filled Christmas cake with just a little rum.

How to make Trinidad black cake

Ingredients

There are two main parts to making black cake: preparing the rum-soaked fruit mixture and making the cake itself. The fruit can be prepared well ahead of time, so when you’re ready to bake, most of the work is already done.

For the fruit mixture

• Dried fruits: I use a combination of prunes, sultanas, currants, and raisins. The fruits are ground before soaking, which gives the finished black cake its smooth, dense texture.
• Rum and cherry brandy: These are used to grind and soak the fruit mixture. I prefer DeKuyper cherry brandy, but you can use another brand.

My tip: I recommend letting the fruit mixture soak for at least a week before making your black cake. You can leave it much longer, though. I currently have fruit that’s been soaking for two years! Traditionally, people often kept soaked fruit on hand, replenishing or resetting the batch after using it so there was fruit ready for the next Christmas.

For the cake

• Cake base: All-purpose flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, and eggs make up the base of this rich, dense cake. I use unsalted butter, so I have better control over the flavor.
• Spices and flavorings: Cinnamon, vanilla essence, and freshly grated lime rind add warmth and a little citrus flavor that cuts through some of the richness.
• Cherries, mixed peel, and almonds: These add even more fruit and texture to the cake. The almonds are optional, so you can leave them out if you prefer.
• Soaked fruit: This is the star of the cake. The ground fruit mixture that’s been soaking in rum and cherry brandy gets folded into the batter.
• Browning: I specifically use the Grace browning from the small bottle because it’s thicker and gives me the deep color I want without adding as much liquid to the batter. Browning can vary in consistency and color between brands, so add it gradually until your batter reaches your desired color.
• Rum and cherry brandy: Keep some aside for basting the black cake after baking. This adds more flavor and moisture as the cake cools.

Equipment

Some of these links are affiliate links.

• Electric mixer
• 2 to 3 8-inch cake pans, depending on how full you fill them
• Baking spray, or butter and flour for greasing
• Parchment paper, optional
• Pastry or basting brush

How to prepare fruit for black cake

Soaking method

1. Add the prunes, sultanas, currants, and raisins to a blender in batches.
2. Add the rum and cherry brandy as needed while blending, and grind the fruit to your preferred consistency.
3. Transfer the ground fruit mixture to a clean, airtight glass container and store it in a cupboard or pantry.

Don’t have a week? Some people use their fruit after only a day or two, but I prefer giving mine at least a week to soak and develop more flavor.

Quick method

1. If you don’t have time to soak the fruit, add the dried fruits, rum, and cherry brandy to a pot and gently steam them over low heat until the fruits soften.
2. Allow them to cool completely, then grind the fruit mixture before adding it to your cake batter.

How to make black cake

1. Prepare the pans. Preheat the oven to 225°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans, or prepare them with baking spray. Line with parchment paper if using.
2. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the butter and sugar together until well combined.
3. Prepare the eggs. Blend the eggs with the vanilla essence and grated lime rind until well mixed, then add the egg mixture to the creamed butter and sugar.
4. Add the dry ingredients. Fold in the sifted flour, baking powder, and cinnamon until combined.
5. Add the fruit. Fold in the soaked fruit mixture, mixed peel, cherries, and almonds, if using.
6. Add the browning. Gradually stir in the browning until the batter reaches the deep color you want. Remember that the strength and consistency of browning can vary by brand.
7. Bake. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans, filling each to the same level. Bake at 225°F for about 2½ hours, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Black cake is baked low and slow because the batter is so dense and fruit-heavy.
8. Baste the cakes. While the cakes are still in their pans, brush or spoon the rum and cherry brandy mixture over the tops. Continue adding it gradually as the cakes cool, allowing the alcohol to soak into the cake, until the mixture is used.
9. Cool completely. Leave the cakes in their pans until they are completely cool. I usually leave mine overnight and remove them from the pans the next day. Some people keep their black cakes in the pans for storage, so there’s no rush to remove them once cooled.

Tips for making Trinidad black cake

• Choose your browning carefully. Browning sauces vary in color and consistency. I use Grace browning from the small bottle because it’s thicker and gives me a deep color without adding as much liquid. Thinner brownings may require more to achieve the same color, which can affect the consistency of your batter.
• Add the browning gradually. Even though my recipe calls for one cup, use the color of your batter as your guide, especially if you’re using another brand.
• Don’t increase the oven temperature. The 225°F temperature is intentional. This dense, fruit-heavy cake needs to bake low and slow, so the center cooks through without the outside drying out.
• Grind the fruit to the texture you like. I prefer the fruit ground for a smoother cake, but you can leave a little more texture if that’s how you like yours.
• Don’t rush it out of the pan. Let the black cake cool completely in the pan. I usually leave mine overnight and remove it the following day, although some people store theirs right in the baking pan.

How to store black cake

Once the black cake is completely cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and return it to the cake pan for storage. If you bake it in a foil pan with a fitted plastic lid, you can also leave the cake in the pan and cover it once cooled.

I store my black cake at room temperature rather than refrigerating it. The important thing is keeping the cake tightly covered so it doesn’t dry out. We usually keep ours for quite a while. I think we ate the last piece of our Christmas black cake a few months later!

You can also add a little rum and cherry brandy periodically if you want to continue feeding the cake after baking.

Can you freeze black cake?

Yes. Black cake freezes well. Once completely cooled, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap, followed by foil or another freezer-safe covering, before freezing. Thaw it while still wrapped before serving.

Wedding tradition: Black cake is also a traditional wedding cake in Trinidad and Tobago. It’s customary to save the top layer of the wedding cake in the freezer, then bring it out to enjoy on the couple’s first anniversary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related recipes you will love

• Sorrel Cake: Another Christmas favorite made with sorrel.
• Ponche de Crème: Because apparently we’re pretending black cake and ponche de crème aren’t legally required to appear together at Christmas. 😂
• Black Cake Ice Cream: A fun way to turn leftover black cake into dessert. Assuming the family permits such a thing as “leftover black cake.”

Made this Trinidad black cake? Let me know how it turned out in the comments and leave a star rating! And tell me how long your fruit has been soaking. I know somebody out there has a jar older than mine.

Recipe