Leela and Indranie's Guyanese Black Cake Recipe
Tried it? Rate this Recipe:
|
Category: |
Category: |
|
Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 8 oz all‑purpose flour (≈ 1¾ cups)
½ tbsp baking powder (1½ tsp)
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp black pepper (optional)
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks / 8 oz)
8 oz brown sugar (≈ 1 cup packed)
4 eggs, beaten
½ tbsp mixed essence (or vanilla + almond extract)
1 lb prepared fruit (≈ 2½ cups)
2–3 tbsp browning
2–4 tbsp rum or wine (to adjust batter)
Rum or wine for feeding (about ¼ cup total)
|
|
Directions: |
Directions:1. Prepare the pan and oven
Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
Line and grease an 8‑inch round pan or similar
2. Mix the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together:
8 oz flour
½ tbsp (1½ tsp) baking powder
¼ tsp salt,
⅛ tsp black pepper (optional)
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
Set aside
3. Cream butter and sugar
In a large bowl, beat 1 cup (8 oz) softened butter with 8 oz (1 cup) brown sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs and essence
Add 4 beaten eggs gradually, mixing well.
Stir in ½ tbsp mixed essence (or vanilla + almond extract)
5. Add the fruit and browning
Fold in 1 lb (2½ cups) prepared fruit
Add 2–3 tbsp browning until the batter reaches a deep, rich color
6. Add dry ingredients
Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and fold gently
7. Bake
Pour batter into the prepared pa.
Bake 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean
If the top browns too quickly, tent with foil
8. First feeding (while warm)
Drizzle 1–2 tbsp rum or wine over the warm cake
Let cool completely before wrapping.
Feeding Schedule (Maturing the Cake)
Day 0 (Baking Day): Feed with 1–2 tbsp rum/wine.
Day 1: Unwrap, drizzle 1 tbsp rum/wine, rewrap tightly.
Day 3: Feed again with 1 tbsp rum/wine.
Day 5–7: Optional final feed for a richer, more aged cake.
Storage: Wrap in parchment + foil + airtight container.
Keeps beautifully for 1–4 weeks at room temperature |
|
Number Of
Servings: |
Number Of
Servings:20 |
Preparation
Time: |
Preparation
Time:1 hour |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: Fruit cake is a Christmas favorite in the West Indies, and for me, it’s deeply tied to cherished memories of my mom, Leela Singh. Growing up, she would bake this cake during the holidays, and I can still recall the delicious aroma filling our home. One of my favorite moments was helping her mix the sugar and butter by hand (we didn’t have a cake mixer back then!), savoring the sweet smell as we worked together.
I wrote down this recipe the Christmas before Mom passed away from cancer. She didn’t cook with recipes, so I drove her a little crazy trying to pin down the measurements! Despite being sick, she still insisted on making the cake for us that year, and I did my best to capture her process. Over the years, I’ve made adjustments to get the texture just right—hopefully just like hers!
Making this cake every holiday season is my way of honoring Mom and keeping her memory alive. Love you always, Mom!
|
|
This recipe for Leela and Indranie's Guyanese Black Cake is from