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Black Cake is a quintessential holiday tradition in Jamaica and throughout the English-speaking Caribbean. Jamaican Black Cake is rich, fragrant, and soaked in spiced rum and wine until every bite tastes like Christmas. This decadent dessert is often baked in the days (or weeks!) leading up to the holiday season. I’ve been making it every year with my mother since my eyes could see over the kitchen counter, and this is her cherished recipe.
For more Jamaican dessert recipes, try my Gizzada recipe and Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding next.
Ingredients
- Salted Butter – Adds richness and a velvety base to the batter.
- Dark Brown Sugar – Deep molasses notes sweeten and darken the cake naturally.
- Eggs – Bind the ingredients and create structure for a tender crumb.
- All-Purpose Flour – Provides the foundation and balance for the dense fruit mixture.
- Baking Powder – Gives just enough lift without compromising the cake’s traditional texture.
- Warm Spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice) – Add warmth, depth, and that unmistakable holiday aroma.
- Vanilla Extract – Enhances sweetness and rounds out the spice flavors.
- Almond Essence – Adds a subtle nuttiness that complements the fruits.
- Rose Water – A gentle floral note that brightens the cake’s complexity.
- White Rum (Wray & Nephew) – Infuses the cake with bold, signature Jamaican heat.
- Sweet Red Wine (Wray & Nephew Red Label and Manischewitz) – Adds sweetness, moisture, and the classic Black Cake flavor profile.
- Jamaican Browning – Deepens the cake’s color and adds a hint of caramel bitterness.
- Liquor-Soaked Fruits (raisins, prunes) – The heart of the recipe, providing flavor, moisture, and richness.
- Maraschino Cherries – Add color and a cheerful burst of sweetness.
- Mixed Peel – Gives classic citrusy brightness that cuts through the richness.
- Bread Crumbs (Optional) – Helps achieve the iconic dense-yet-tender texture.
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How to Make Jamaican Black Cake
Step 1: Prep Cake Pan and Preheat Oven
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round baking pan with butter and line the sides with parchment paper.
Step 2: Combine Butter and Sugar
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed, cream the softened butter and dark brown sugar together until light and airy.
Step 3: Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients
Beat the eggs and set aside. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and warm spices. In a large measuring cup, combine the rum, wine, vanilla, almond essence, and rose water. Gradually alternate adding the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture, mixing on medium-low until well combined. Stir in the browning.
Step 4: Add the Fruit Mixture
Blend the soaked fruits until smooth, and finely chop or puree the mixed peel and cherries. Fold everything gently into the batter using a wooden spoon.
Step 5: Bake
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Baking time may vary.
Step 6: Soak Cake and Allow to Cool
Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 5–10 minutes. Pour ¼ cup Red Label or Manischewitz wine over the top and let the cake absorb it fully. Allow it to cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing.
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Tips for Best Results
- Soak fruits for at least one month, preferably up to a year, for the deepest flavor.
- Bring all ingredients to room temperature for a smooth, even batter.
- Mix on medium-low speed when incorporating the wet and dry ingredients to minimize air bubbles.
- Check the batter texture: if a wooden spoon can stand up in it, it’s perfect.
- Tap the filled cake pan on the counter to release trapped air.
- Always line the pan with parchment paper—never wax paper, which can burn.
- Steam bake by placing a water-filled pan on the lower oven rack. This helps prevent cracking and keeps the cake moist.
Jamaican Black Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, room temp
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs, room temp
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 cup white rum, ideally Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum
- 1/4 cup red wine, ideally Wray & Nephew Red Label Wine
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp rose water
- 1/4 tsp almond essence
- 2 tbsp browning
- 1 cup liquor-soaked fruits
- 1/2 cup dried mixed peel
- 1/2 cup maraschino cherries
- 1/4 cup liquid from maraschino cherry jar
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp bread crumbs
For After Baking
- 1/4 cup red wine, ideally Wray & Nephew Red Label Wine -OR- Manischewitz Blackberry Wine for variety
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch roundcake pan and line the sides with parchment paper.
- Combine the softened butter and brown sugaruntil light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and spices into abowl.
- Crack eggs into a separate bowl, remove thealbumen, and whisk.
- Combine the white rum, red wine, vanilla extract,almond essence, and rose water in a measuring cup.
- Blend the soaked fruits into a smooth puree.
- Blend the mixed peel and cherries with thecherry liquid until finely chopped.
- Gradually add the whisked eggs to the butter-sugarmixture while mixing.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and theliquor mixture, mixing until well incorporated. Scrape the sides as needed.
- Fold in the browning, blended fruits, mixedpeel, and cherries using a wooden spoon.
- Sift in 2 tbsp bread crumbs and mix well to helpset the texture.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and tap gentlyto release air bubbles.
- Bake on the middle rack for 1 hour with a pan ofwater on the lower rack. If a toothpick doesn’t come out clean, bake anadditional 15 minutes.
- Cool for 5–10 minutes, then pour ¼ cup red wineover the warm cake.
- Allow to cool completely before removing fromthe pan, slicing, and serving.
Like this? Leave a comment below!How to Store
Once the cake has completely cooled, cover it with parchment or wax paper and place it in an airtight container at room temperature. Every 3–4 days, “feed” the cake with 1–2 tablespoons of red wine to keep it moist, boost its flavor, and help it last beautifully through the holiday season.
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