Christmas for some “is the most wonderful time of the year”. In the Caribbean it’s a time for family and friends, for reconnecting and making amends and also it’s the time to reflect on the upcoming new year.
One of our goals at Smart Foods Caribbean Limited is to attempt to preserve our food heritage and sort of pass on our traditions from one generation to another with modern twists. This is important to us because we realized that over the years the ‘secrets’ of our foreparents are disappearing and slowly our food heritage is being lost.
One product and tradition we sought to keep alive was the Soaked Fruits for the Caribbean Black Cake. While many of us may not have the time to ‘feed the fruits’ with alcohol all year (meaning adding alcohol systematically every month up to Christmas Eve), we have formulated a ‘granny’s best’ done-for-you offering that helps the busy professional and entrepreneur save time at home or in their baking operations to do the things that are more important during the holiday season like spending time planning with the family.
I cherish the time I spend with my family baking on “Christmas Adam” (the day before Christmas Eve). Traditionally, we use cherry brandy and 40% white rum for our blends; however, there are many people from the Caribbean that enjoy a really good black cake during the Christmas holidays but cannot partake because the soaked fruits recipe traditionally requires alcohol.
I am sharing 3 ways you can use to soak your fruits so we can all enjoy our Christmas Black Cake.
Option 1: Grape Juice
Grape juice adds a very nice flavour to your fruits and ultimately your cake. As grape juice is made from the same fruits we traditionally use to make the soaked fruits, it really complements the dry fruits and enhances their taste.
The modified ingredients for soaked fruits for one non alcoholic cake are:
1lb raisins
1lb seedless prunes
1lb currants
¼ lb red cherries
¼ lb mixed peel
2 cups of Welch grape juice
1 tsp spices
Note: Some people like coloured fruits as well but it depends on your country’s preference. Not all islands incorporate coloured fruits. If you are adding them to your blend, add them together with the red cherries and mixed peel.
Soak the raisins, prunes and currants in 2 cups of grape juice overnight. Ensure that the dried fruits are plump. Mince to your likeness. Use remaining grape juice from the soaking process to mince. After mincing add your chopped red cherries and mixed peel and spices. Mix and you are ready to go! Store in a clean container with a tightly fitting cover in the refrigerator if you want to use it at a later date or have leftover fruits. It would last, safely, 3 months in the refrigerator.
Option 2: Malt Drink
Use a Malt drink to replace brandy and rum in your Soaked Fruits. This will add a nutty flavour profile to your cake so adding your favourite nuts to this cake will enhance the black fruit cake.
1lb raisins
1lb seedless prunes
1lb currants
¼ lb red cherries
¼ lb mixed peel
½ lb assorted nuts
2 cups of malt drink
1 tsp spices
1 tsp mixed vanilla essence
Soak the raisins, prunes and currants in 2 cups of malt drink overnight in the refrigerator. Ensure that the dried fruits are plump. Mince to your likeness. Use remaining malt liquid from the soaking process to mince. After mincing add your chopped red cherries, mixed peel, spices and essence. Mix and you are ready to go! Add nuts to the batter when making but this is also an optional step. Store in a clean container with a tightly fitting cover in the refrigerator if you want to use it at a later date or have leftover fruits. It would last, safely, 3 months in the refrigerator.
Option 3: Grape Juice and Malt Drink Mix (our personal favorite)
This will elevate the taste by combining the flavour profiles of a nutty taste with a back-of-the-throat tanginess to the mix.
1lb raisins
1lb seedless prunes
1lb currants
¼ lb red cherries
¼ lb mixed peel
½ lb assorted nuts
1 cup of Welch grape juice
1 cup of malt drink
1 tsp spices
Soak the raisins, prunes and currants in 1 cup of malt drink and 1 cup of grape juice overnight in the refrigerator. Ensure that the dried fruits are plump. Mince to your likeness. Use remaining soaking liquid to mince the plump fruits. After mincing add your chopped red cherries and mixed peel and spices. Mix and you are ready to go! Store in a clean container with a tightly fitting cover in the refrigerator if you want to use it at a later date or have leftover fruits. It would last, safely, 3 months in the refrigerator.