Simple Guyanese Black Cake Recipe

Everyone likes a good black cake at Christmas time, especially in Guyana. Here’s a simple recipe for one of the best black cake that you will eat this Christmas:

You will need the following:

• 1 lb raisins
• 1 lb preserved carambola
• ½ lb currants
• 1 cup brown rum
• 2 lbs brown sugar
• 1 lb butter
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1 lb flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon mixed spices
• ¼ pound mixed peel
• ¼ pound chopped nuts
• 1 tsp vanilla flavouring

Once you have all of this, you’re ready:

• Wash and dry fruits. Grind and soak with ¾ cup of rum. Store while covered in a glass jar to cure for 2 weeks or longer.
• To make the caramel: Heat 1 pounds of the sugar in heavy bottom frying pan until melted. Simmer until dark brown.
• Cream the butter and 1 lb sugar together, after which you add the beaten eggs gradually.
• Continue mixing and add soaked fruits and rum and enough caramel to make it as dark as you want it.
• Add sifted flour with baking powder, mixed spice and vanilla flavouring. Mix thoroughly.
• Fold in peel and chopped nuts.
• Pour mixture in baking pan. Bake in slow oven at 375^oF for about 1 ½ hours, or until toothpick inserted to test comes out clean.
• Soak the finished cake with more rum and allow to preserve.