Caribbean Christmas Cake (known As Black Cake)

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1/2 lb butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons browning sauce (helps to darken the cake, especially if you don't use dark rum in the cake) (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup dark rum (brandy can be substituted, as can red wine)
• 1/4 lb mixed peel
• 1/4 lb cherries
• 1/4 lb mixed nuts (unsalted) or 1/4 lb nuts, of your choice
• 1/2 lb prune, chopped
• 1 lb raisins
• 1 lime, zest of, freshly grated
• 1 lemon, zest of

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 325°f; spray a nine-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• 2 in a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and browning until soft and creamy.
• 3 in a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
• 4 in a third bowl, beat the eggs with the rum.
• 5 add egg mixture to butter mixture and thoroughly combine, then stir in zest, fruit and nuts.
• 6 fold in flour mixture; do not overbeat.
• 7 put batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for approximately 90 minutes, or until cake tests done; may need longer.
• 8 remove cake from pan when cool.