A Caribbean Christmas meal isn’t complete without a rum cake, says Brittney “Chef Stikxz” Williams, who teaches classes on the Food Network Kitchen app. In traditional recipes, the fruits are soaked in the liquor for months, but in this version, she soaks them for just two days. “It doesn’t sacrifice any of the flavor,” she says.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | three 9-inch cakes |
Ingredients
- 1 750-ml bottle plus 3/4 cup port wine
- 2 1/2 cups plus 3/4 cup white rum (such as Wray & Nephew)
- 1 pound pitted prunes
- 1 pound dried currants
- 1 pound raisins
- 1 pound maraschino cherries
- 4 sticks salted butter, plus more for the pans
- 1 1-pound box dark brown sugar
- 10 large eggs
- 1 pound (about 3 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 tablespoons browning or molasses
Instructions
- Combine the bottle of port and 2 1/2 cups rum in a large pot or bowl and add the prunes, currants, raisins and cherries. Soak the fruit for at least 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with wax or parchment paper. Drain the dried fruit and transfer to a blender; blend well.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully combined. Mix in the fruit mixture.
- Add the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and cloves to the bowl and beat until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. (If using a stand mixer, you may need to beat the wet ingredients, then transfer to a larger bowl and stir in the dry ingredients.) Mix in the vanilla and browning. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans.
- Bake the cakes until set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove the cakes from the oven and pour 3/4 cup each port and rum onto the hot cakes, dividing them evenly. Let cool completely.