I know this is not common here in the  USA, but in England ane the West Indies, it's traditional for wedding cakes. I am making an anniversary cake for a friend, it's a Trinidad Black Cake covered in RI. I have never done this, does anyone have any tips. Thank you in advance!

There are a few tutorials on youtube, take a look!

I am in Canada. When I got married 40 years ago my mother made my fruitcake and it was covered in almond paste (marzipan)and then royal icing.  

There are several tutorials on the internet if you do a search for covering cakes in royal icing also.  I remember that you must have a thin layer of marzipan over the black cake before covering in royal to prevent the alcohol from soaking through and breaking down the royal icing.

I was wondering if you would mind sharing your Trinidad Black cake recipe when you have time.  It is a favourite of mine. I keep trying to find a good recipe for both that and Jamaican Rum cake.  They are both so much tastier than the traditional white cakes.

Thank you ladies. Here is the recipe, my grandmother made the best Black Cake in the world, measuring ingredients however was not in her DNA. This is very close to hers:

Trinidad Black Cake ( not to be confused with Fruit Cake)

1 lb pitted prunes

1 lb raisins

1 lb currants

1/4 lb mixed peel ( dried citrus peel )

1/2 lb  maraschino cherries

1 lb chopped almonds

1 bottle Cherry Brandy

1/2 cup  Old Oak Rum (I keep a  bottle 750ml on hand since during the year the fruits tend to absorb the liquid and you need to add a little to keep the fruits saturated & I use it to feed/soak the finished cakes)

1-2 tbsp Angostura Bitters

Method:

Place all ingredients into blender and chop/puree to your preference. I like a rich puree, others like some texture. As long as the fruits are not whole. This can be kept for months in a glass air tight container, in a cool dark place. The longer it sits the better the flavor. Check it from time to time (every month or so) and add a little rum keeping it well saturated as needed. Consistency of a thick puree. The alcohol preserves it, so it last for years, IF you have leftovers. Also you can keep adding a new batch of pureed fruit to lefovers and always have fruit on hand.

Cake

1 lb butter

1lb sugar

1 lb flour

4 tsp baking powder

8 large eggs

1 tsp lemon extract

2 tsp almond extract

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp mixed spice ( equal parts nutmeg/cinnamon/allspice)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tsp zest of lime

1/4 - 1/2 cup Browning ( color to your preference - this is also know as burnt sugar/ a dark caramel similar to molasses not gravy)

Method

Set oven 250 degrees. Line the bottom of pans with Parchment paper, grease and flour.

Cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time. Add extracts and zest.

Sift dry ingredients and add gradually to creamed butter.

To avoid over mixing,  add the fruit and browning and fold in by hand.

You can add as much or as little fruit/browning to your preference. More fruit yields a richer dense cake.

Bake  2-3 hours ( depends on the size of pans ) low heat is important for the cake center to cook.

Let cakes cool in pan 30 mins. Remove and keep in airtight container. You can feed/soak with rum if you like but its not necessary.

The mixed peel  and Browning can be purchased at any West Indian store or Amazon but it's more expensive. Grandma made her own, Bless her, I use store bought.

SSSSSSH don't tell Grandma, any dark rum can be used, but I always use Trinidad Old Oak in honor of the homeland and Grandma.

You can make it without the cherries or mixed peel or nuts if you don't care for them.

ENJOY!!!

Thank you so very much!  I truly appreciate it.  These cakes are just the best.  Whenever we have been invited to an "island" wedding, it is the part of the wedding I look forward to the most, I must confess.

Would you mind giving us an idea of how many and what size pans this recipe  yields for you? I know it isn't an exact amount, just a general idea.

I'm baking a batch this weekend, and I will let you know. Over the years I've been baking it in loaf pans, made a nice presentation for gift giving. But this weekend I will be doing rounds for the Anniversary Cake. Stay tuned.

Hi SquirrellyCakes

I baked this recipe today, keep in mind that Black Cake does not rise like other cakes, so you fill the pan. Lately I have been using collars on my pans to get even cakes. Its been a time saver since i do not have to level my cakes. This recipe filled 2 (8"X2") pans with collars. The finished cake was a nice 1 3/4" height, i was hoping for 2'' but the cake shrinks as it cools. HTH

Oh, thank you so much for your response. That gives me a good idea of how much batter the recipe will make.  The collar is a good idea. Once again, thank you for sharing your treasured recipe.

One last question.  You have nutmeg listed twice as an ingredient both as part of a spice mixture and on its own.  Is that a mistake?

No, you read it correctly. Remember you can tweak the spices to suit your taste. Some people don' t like nutmeg. I find the combination to be closest to grandma's. I could eat the raw batter......yum. Enjoy.

Here it is ladies, thanks for your help. The marzipan was not as difficult as I thought, covered cake as I would if using fondant. I did add glycerin to the RI for covering the cake, but not for the roses or piping. I was worried about piping the roses, I have only done gumpaste flowers in the past. They're not perfect, need to work on those leaves too. But my friends loved it and both are fighting over who gets the leftovers. Lol 

Here's the link

http://www.cakecentral.com/gallery/i/3343061/anniversary-cake

 Thanks for the recipes for the cake. I appreciate it very much!!