Black cake is a very popular holiday tradition in Belize, in fact it would not feel like Christmas until you’ve had a slice! Audrey, Hamanasi’s accountant, is well known for her rich and delicious recipe which she learned from her mother when she was a child. Since making her first cake on her own at age 18, Ms. Audrey, as she is known around here, has made this holiday treat annually. This cake is meant to be shared with loved ones, and Ms. Audrey does just that! She shares her cake with her family, Hamanasi’s staff and community members.
If you can’t visit us in Belize during this holiday season, try Ms. Audrey’s famous black cake recipe for a flavorful holiday taste of the tropics!
Yield: two 9-inch round cakes
Ingredients
- ½ lb or 2 cups of butter
- A pinch of nutmeg
- ½ tsp anise seed
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 1 lb brown sugar
- ½ tsp lemon essence
- ½ tsp pineapple essence
- ½ lb of mixed fruits puree: Mix your own blend of red & green cherries, raisins, prunes, and pineapple or fruit cocktail mix.
- ¼ cup stout beer
- ¼ cup orange juice or grapefruit juice
- 1 tbsp golden syrup or fructose syrup
- 1 lb or 3 ⅓ cups of all purpose flour
- ¼ cup caramel coloring (This is what makes the cake black!)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup rum (any type) or to taste
Directions
- Ms Audrey’s first instruction is to add a lot of love as “love is the main ingredient.”
- In a large bowl, mix together butter, spices, eggs, and add sugar last.
- To your wet ingredients, add vanilla extract, lemon essence, pineapple essence and caramel coloring and mix well.
- Add in your blended fruit puree. Make sure the fruit mixture is blended until smooth.
- After that, pour in the stout, orange juice and golden syrup. Mix well.
- Begin to fold in the flour, slowly so that it does not clump. Mix until the consistency is smooth.
- Add the baking powder last and mix well.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease the cake pans. Include an additional pan with water in it on the bottom rack. This will keep the cake moist and prevent it from rising too much.
- Pour the batter into the baking pans. *Optional, you can choose to decorate the top of the cake with nuts and fruits or keep it the way it is.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then check by sticking a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean it is ready, if not, bake for another 5-10 minutes, checking often.
- When your cake is baked, let it cool on a rack.
- Put a plate on top of the cake pan and flip it turning the cake out on the plate. Add the final touch, rum! Any rum will do, but Ms. Audrey uses a Belizean dark rum. Drizzle the rum over the entirety of the cake so that each bite is moist.
Enjoy
Fun fact: not only does the rum taste good in the cake and balance the sweet flavors, it also helps to preserve the cake. Black cake contains no milk. If you continue to keep the cake moist with rum it could last weeks, even months!
