Traditional Jamaican Christmas Cake

Christmas fruitcakes have been baked for centuries using the oldest known recipe dating back to ancient Rome. Fruitcakes were a way to preserve fruits and nuts, as well as a way to celebrate the harvest and seek good luck in the coming year. Jamaicans’ favorite Christmas cake is dark, fluffy and heavy, with rum-soaked fruit and rich flavor. Eaten only at Christmas, the cake is a favorite gift and a family tradition.

Ingredients:

* 1 lb. Grapes

* 4 oz. cherries

* ½ pound chopped plums

* 2 oz. blueberries

* 32oz. Dark Jamaican Rum

* 4 oz. citrus peels

* grated rind of 1 lime

* 6 oz. or 1.5 cup of flour

* 8 oz. butter

* 8 oz. sugar

* 4 eggs

* 1 teaspoon cinnamon

* ½ teaspoon allspice

* ½ teaspoon ground cloves

* ½ teaspoon salt

* 1 glass of wine/brandy

* 1 teaspoon baking powder

* 1 teaspoon vanilla

* 2 tbsp. browning

Addresses:

Soak the fruits, peels, and rind in rum for two weeks before baking. In a separate bowl, beat the butter, sugar and browning until creamy. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well. In a third bowl, beat the eggs and brandy until well blended.

Add the egg mixture to the creamy butter mixture and mix well. Strain and add the fruits, reserving the rum for fruity drinks. Gradually mix in dry ingredients to blend and combine.

Pour batter into a lightly buttered 9″ cake pan and bake at 350F for 1 1/2 hours, checking after 1 hour. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.