Jamaican Christmas Cake

Jamaican Christmas Cake on a white serving plate, with a slice removed to show the inside
  • 10 servings
  • 30 minutes to prepare
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Ingredients

  • 250g unsalted butter, softened
  • 250g dark muscovado sugar
  • 5 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 tbsp black treacle
  • 1 dessert spoon vanilla extract
  • 250g self raising flour, sieved
  • 1 tbsp mixed spice
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 250g dried figs
  • 100g dried mango
  • 100g dried pineapple
  • 150g glace cherries
  • 200g dried dates
  • 400g raisins
  • 200ml dark rum
  • 6 tbsp brandy
  • 3 tbsp dark rum (to feed the cake)

Instructions

Roughly chop the figs, mango, pineapple, dates and cherries then tip into a large bowl with the raisins, rum and brandy. Leave the fruit to soak for 2 days, or longer if you have time to do so.

Pre-heat your oven to 160ºc, gas mark 3.

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy and gradually beat in the eggs. If the mixture looks as if it is starting to scramble, add 1 tbsp of the flour.

Fold in the treacle, vanilla extract, mixed spice and cinnamon. Next tip in the fruit and rum mixture and fold in. Lastly gently mix in the four, making sure everything is well combined.

Take a 10” deep cake tin, grease and double line with baking parchment.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin, tap the cake tin on the work surface a couple of times to knock any air out and level off the top.

Bake for 2 1/2 hours on the middle shelf of the oven. Once ready leave to cool completely.As the cake cools prick all over with a skewer; then using a teaspoon, drizzle over the 3 tbsp of rum.

The cake will keep in a tin for up to 2 weeks.

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