Jamaican cake recipe

Our Jamaican cake is laced with rum and rich ruby wine and each slice is like a little mouthful of the Caribbean. We’ve also added black treacle, golden syrup and blitzed glace cherries to the Jamaican cake mixture giving it an extra layer of indulgent sweetness. If you like, before decorating with royal icing, you can also top the Jamaican cake with marzipan. It would make an interesting alternative at Christmas for those who are not fond of Christmas cake.

Ingredients

• 100g each of raisins, sultanas and prunes
• 60g glacé cherries, quartered
• 75ml rich ruby wine
• 75ml rum
• 500g margarine
• 500g dark brown sugar
• 10 eggs
• 2tsp lemon juice
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• 1tbsp gravy browning
• 2tbsp black treacle
• 2tsp golden syrup
• 700g self-raising flour
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• 1tsp ground nutmeg
• 2tsp ground mixed spice

To macerate:

• 2tbsp each of sweet sherry, ruby wine and rum

To decorate

• 500g packet royal icing sugar, sieved
• 2tbsp metallic sugar pearls
• Piping bag, fitted with Wilton
• 1m open star tip
• 23cm round cake tin, greased and lined with baking parchment

Method

1. Put the raisins, sultanas, prunes and cherries in a jar. Pour over the wine and rum. Seal and leave in a cool place for 1 day or up to 1 month.
2. Heat the oven to 150°C. Blend all the fruit and liquid in a food processor until smooth.
3. Cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually mix in the eggs (don’t worry if it curdles).
4. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, browning, treacle, syrup and fruit mixture.
5. Fold in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice. Gently combine.
6. Spoon the mixture into the tin. Cook for 1½ hours. Push a skewer into the centre of the cake – if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. If it’s sticky, cook for a further 15-30 mins and test again.
7. Leave the cake in the tin and pierce several times with a skewer. Combine the sherry, ruby wine and rum together in a jug and pour over the cake. Cool in the tin. Turn out and wrap in foil.
8. Put 2tbsp cold water into a bowl, add half the icing sugar and mix with an electric mixer. Add 2tbsp more water and the remaining icing sugar. Mix for 5 mins until smooth. Pipe icing roses over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with sugar pearls.