AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums About Belize Culture Recipe for traditional belizean christmas cake?

I just returned from Belize where we sampled a traditional Christmas cake. Does anyone have a recipe or know where I can find one? Thanks & Happy New Year.

What was the cake like? Give us details!!

The cake was a dense cake made with molasses and dates and other fruit. It looked like chocolate cake in color but didn't taste of chocolate.

Sounds good - I'm a freak as I actually like fruitcake !!!

It is black fruit cake and, you are right, it does not have chocolate in it...the color comes from a product of Belize called carmel coloring (I think it is brown sugar cooked until carmelized).
I have the recipe somewhere around here but I don't bake and usually just get someone to make me one in Belize.
The best ingredient is when the cake is done (Robert - you'll like this!) they smother it in Belizean rum or brandy and the cake will last for a long time after the holidays are over.

Normally, when you smother something in Rum, it doesn't last very long at all

Gail - Nice meeting you at the pub crawl and now giving me ideas for a decadent cake. Now if I can find someone to make one. Guess I'll have to go back to Belize darn it! That would make an awesome birthday cake!

Here's the actual recipe from the site MA Gaffney posted. Thanks for the recipe!

Belizean Black Cake
2 lbs. flour
1 � lbs. brown sugar
1 lb. butter
1 pint, stout

1 pint blackening (brown sugar that has been melted down in a tiny bit of water until it literally turns black)
� lb. each of raisins, prunes, dates, pecans, cherries and other fruits

1 pint strong rum (diluted to give 1 quart and used to steep fruits)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 nutmeg grated
2 tsp. cinnamon or 3 tsp. allspice
8 - 10 eggs
1 cup syrup or brown sugar for stewing fruits
1 cup flour for fruits

Stew fruits from the night before, using � - � lb. of brown sugar for stewing fruits. Let fruits simmer for 5 - 10 minutes. The next day, grease cake tins with shortening and line them with a brown paper bag. Set aside. Cream the butter or margarine with remaining sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix well. Add flour alternately with black coloring. Mix well with each addition. Add stout and mix well. Cover fruits with 1 cup of flour. Add to mixture and fold in fruits. Bake for 2 - 3 hours in a 300 degree oven or until cake is dried.

Yields two 9" cakes.

Hola RobertE, I too am crazy about fruitcake! I have lusted after a good Texas fruitcake every Christmas for years! This Belizean Cake sounds scrumptuous!! I am gonna have to try to make it... So when is your Birthday?? (now don't lie and say tomorrow ) I may have to give it more than one try...

Belize fruit cake is wonderful...but realize that people could only use what they could afford then. so each traditional cake made by different families is kinda different. Stewing the fruit is going a little on the english side. Belize fruit cake is more cake than fruit and lots of rum or whisky or brandy. In our family the cakes were brown not black...we found that by the time you added all that blackening and molasses (and that changed the taste) just to make it black, wasn't worth it. We soaked the mixed candid fruit, candied pineapple, candied cherries, in rum, segrams7, or brandy...for a week or u could just leave it in the glass jar for months. the nuts (pecans and walnuts) were not soaked. The butter and brown sugar were creamed, eggs added, orange rind, lemon rind, pet milk, the fruit was drained and floured, the nuts were added and folded into the cake. The pans were greased and lined with paper. After the cakes were done...they were left to cool, put in other pans...the the same liquid they were soaking in was poured over them, and some more every three days. I made my usual patch, and only have a tiny piece left lol. that's one of things I do continue to make each year...I always leave enough fruit and rum in the jar to make another one in january or in june. I have already bought all my fruit for next year at half price lol...the stuff is expensive when you add it all up. I don't have a recipie, I learned just to cook and that's how I do it...you would have to watch me and write it down lol. This year I used segrams 7 to soak the fruit...I like it the best.

Hola Mexicana!

Come esta usted? Estamos bien en Colorado. Tu quieres fruitcake mucho tambien? So much for my Spanish - got a book for Christmas and yo necisto a practicar mas ! I tome' un ano de Espanol in la universidad porque esta diez y cinco anos pasado.

My birthday is April 28th - Taurus - explains my love of food! Forgive me on the Spanish but yo recuerdo un poquito!

Let me know how the cake turns out!

Gail and RobertE,

That secret ingredient is going to have a lot of folks thinkin' that this is the best thing since sliced bread! I hope that it is added after the bakin', so that none of it's "powers" are lost. Salute! If we have to go to Belize to get this delicious cake, well..., so be it.

Yo Roberto!! Que Bueno tu eres!! No tengo mucho practicar con mi espanol, pero megusta mucho la idioma!
I live in Oregon, but I actually lived in Colorado quite a few years ago, near Estes Park. I traveled as far as Denver on several ocaisions. What part of the state are you in?
I lived in Belize for 6 months and just remembered Christmas cake at my good friends home in Corozal. Now I really have to try it! If I am at all pleased with my efforts I will share. Maybe Marty will have some thoughts on how to properly share with the Boarders on that one. :p He did such a fine job sharing the coconut oil!

Mexicana- I live in Englewood- suburb of Denver. Will be living in Denver proper first of Feb. Where in Oregon do you reside? What's a matter - Estes Park a little too cold for ya. Beautiful place but it can get nasty in winter. Remember what happened to Jack Nicholson in the Shining??

Heeereee's Johnny!!!

Talk at ya soon - Robert

Very Funny!! I'm smiling...about the "here's Johnny quote". I liked Estes Park fine, but just couldn't see any real posibility for work, outside the Tourist market which is somewhat seasonal at best. My friends that lived there also moved (to Calif.) so just not any good reason to stay. I really loved the climbing and skiing and all the terrific day hikes...I was much younger so that counts for a great deal. I might find an excuse to go back for a vacation one of these years... right now I am just trying to get back to Belize!!

QUESTION: Does Denver have any direct flights to Belize or do you have to stop over in Houston or ??? Just curious.

I am on lunch break so gotta get back to work! More later....
Mexicana

I have one of those bricks in my 'fridge and I will give anyone $5.00bz to come and get it!!!
I will deliver for free within 10 miles.
Jim

The recipe given reminded me a lot of what my mom makes, except I don't remember her using stout. And Patrick, even if the fruits soaked in the rum are cooked, the final touch of rum on the top is not, so it does have quite a kick to it!
Anyway, hope the new year is treating all the pub crawlers well, I have been meaning to post but my computer moved to the repair shop for the holidays!
Oh, RobertE, the cake will last until April, so if we have a second annual crawl, I can order one made for you over the thanksgiving holidays.

Jim we will be there soon and I will hold you to that!
Hope

Hey D--D
How soon is 'soon'
It's making it hard to see how much leftover pizza I have for breakfast. I swear there is no nutritional value in that cement food but it definitely is filling.
You would not want a 'pie in the face' deal as it would put you in traction. trust me!!

Hey Pier Lounge Jim - I'll take that brick off your hands when I come back down in May for the low price of a frosty Belikin. How's that sound???

hi all---

just back from 3 weeks in belize---saw "black cake" for sale in various shapes and sizes at erva's restaurant in san ignacio & was curious to try it, even tho i am not a fan of fruitcake generally. in seine bight village over x-mas i watched some friends make "christmas cake" for about 40 people, mixed in a huge tub and baked in about 10 various sized pans. this was a pretty dense white cake, basic butter, flour, sugar, milk, & eggs recipe but calling for rose water flavoring. i've read this as an ingredient in lots of recipes but had never tried it. it tasted really good, like cake made of flowers (duh). my friends also made 100s of coconut breads (some cooked over an open fire, some in the oven!) round swirled cinnamon buns, casava pudding (also mixed in a huge tub) and hudut.

when we went to tobacco caye lodge over new year week, i got to try some black cake made by denise (it was ok...still fruitcake, better than most) and sharlot made sere and coconut pie. when we picked, husked and ground more coconuts & begged for more pie, she made me come help make them next ones. (i was glad to learn!) i also learned how to make that boiled sweetened condensed milk carmelized goop to pour over cakes ...yum... experimented with that & some toasted coconut over a chocolate box cake acquired after an island wide scavenger hunt w/ $5bz in hand ( we were out.)

then we went back to seine bight and made a big pot of sere for the family i was visiting...the mom helped me a lot. we ended up with this huge pot of stew that fed everyone the first day and into the next (this is a huge family.) sere is such excellent, strong making ital food. one nice bowlful feels nutritionally complete. a couple of the kids & grown ups had been sick over the holidaze and it felt right granny-ish to feed em some good soup.

i totally love picking up new recipes even if i'll never make them at home. when i feel lonesome for belize i make some beans & rice & coleslaw for comfort food.

just two days back, still weepy & decompressing....looking forward to june.

peace in 2003

gogo

Hola GOGO,

I loved your description of the food! YUMMY!!! You have only been back two day?? Pobrecita!! I feel bad for ya! Heres a little addition to my kitchen for the NW winter blues: Besides cooking lots of "comfort food" I brought my 2 banana trees and two large palms indoors for the winter we took a leaf out of the kitchen table to make room for the trees 3-5 feet tall. Next purchase is some tropical pictures or maybe I will have a wall mural done of San Pedro beach front? Thanks for your post I enjoyed it!!

Gogo - Why did you have to go and post all that onformation . I'm dying now for some sere and black cake as well as coconut tarts but Denver is somewhat of a wasteland when it comes to Caribbean and Central American food. I can get pupusas but not the other items. I need to find someone in Denver who can cook like this!!!