Traditionally My household cooks this every year for christmas, along with ackee and salt fish and hard dough bread for breakfast, but off course we still have roast potatoes and turkey as the main meal.
Anyway getting older has had its toll on my teeth, they are quite sensitive to anything sweet though i still retain
my sweet tooth! No one is perfect. I have adapted the recipe somewhat and will only have it once a year. it is sweetened by alcohol and blended fruit--no "sugar". The fruit and alcohol contain enough sugar for those still needing the sugar rush. The amounts will not be exact as i normally taste the mixture and use enough flour so that the mixture is not runny
The ingredients are:-
two cups raisins and currants soaked in port for min two days
port
rum
heaped teasspoon nutmeg
heaped teaspoon cinnamon
prunes one cup soaked in port--just like the raisins for min two days
4 eggs
pinch salt
3 tablespoons vanilla
heaped teaspoon allspice
cloves
1/4 to 1/3 pack butter
2 cups-3 cups self raising flour
(the 2 cups of raisins and 1 cup of prunes should be placed in a large bowl to soak as the fruit will bloat with the
port and overflow if left in a cup)
Everything should be blended to a smooth paste in small batches including the alcohol used to soak
the raisins and prunes. place in a baking tray that has been prepared with foil. cook for approximately
1 hour to 1.5 hours on medium heat. check with fork after 45mins
after the cake has cooled pour not less than one large cup of jamaican rum over the whole cake and
let soak in till cake is moist and no longer "soaking" with the newly poured rum-when it is now moist instead
of soaking it is ready to eat!
I recommend you do a dry run before xmas to get a feel for making this type of cake! And check on your cake after 45mins to see how it is doing
if you love alcohol--then this is the solidified version :-)
ps --ask me anything about this cake and i will try to answer