Jamaican Fruit Cake"I really love Fruit Cake but Jamaican Fruit Cake is something special! We should really refer to it as Jamaica Traditional Fruit Cake, for that's what it is and Juliet Christie Murray will tell us all about it. To many individuals a good quality cake is seen almost as an exotic food. In Jamaica the traditional rich old time Jamaican fruitcake is among the most popular. Unknown to many, this is a spin-off of the age old English plum pudding. It is the dream of every Jamaican woman to be able to make this queen of cakes. Many have tried and have used age old recipes passed down to them by the generations before, but some how never really got it quite right since each household has its own secretly guarded variation and never really give out all the ingredients or the exact method used..  Jamaican Fruit Cake...usually a lot darker! This best variation of this cake is made by the creaming method. It is packed with dried fruits. It may come as a surprise but none of the fruits used are from the island. Fruit such as raisin, currants, prunes, cherries except mixed peel which is sometimes made in Jamaica. The others are imported and thus raise the price of the commodity. The best cake has the texture similar to an English plum pudding. The color is really dark brown and carries a rich alcoholic taste. It is also very spicy as sometimes there are at least 5 spices and flavors used. There may be also different levels of color and alcohol content depending on the preference of the maker. There are so many variations that you could make a cook book with just Jamaican fruit cake and none would taste exactly alike but are all superb. There is also one specific ingredient that is very difficult to get out side of Jamaica. If someone in the USA wishes to make this Jamaican fruitcake she or he would have to send to the island for this ingredient or get it only at the West Indian stores. In some Latin American countries they have never heard of it. This is the browning that gives the cake its color. It is a type of caramel that only Grace Kitchens can produce.One may attempt to make this browning at home as it is a type of burnt sugar. However it is never quite the same. If an attempt is made to try and make it in an American home, pretty soon the fire services would come running because the smoke alarm will go off. You experiences will be broaden when you read and have and tried the fruitcake recipe offered freely just for your experience. • 8 ounces or 2 cups of flour • 8 ounces margarine or butter • 8 ounces bread crumbs • 6 eggs • 4 ounces currants • 4 ounces mixed peel • 4 ounces cherries • 4 ounces prunes (chopped) • 1 cup wine/brandy • 1/4 cup rum • 4 teaspoon baking powder • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice • 1/4 ounces marmalade • 4 ounces jam • 1/4 cup honey • 1/4 cup molasses • finely grated rind of 1 lime/lemon - 4 tablespoons browning METHOD: 1. Chop or blend fruits with wine over night 2. Cream butter, sugar and browning until soft and fluffy 3. Beat eggs into mixture one at a time 4. Sieve all dry ingredients together along with bread crumb 5. Add fruits. Jam , marmalade 6. Add molasses and rum 7. Add flour and fold in. Do no over-beat when mixing. 8. Moisten with brandy 9. If liquid is not enough, add more rum, wine or water to the fruitcake 10. Mix the fruitcake to a pouring consistency 11. The spoon must be able to stand in the mixture 12. Grease tin with a little oil 13. Line tin with greased paper extending two inches above the pan 14. Pour mixture about ¼ inch above the tin 15. Bake at 300 degree F for 2-21/2 hours * Yield: two 9'x 3' fruit cakes Serve the cake with rum sauce, or covered with royal icing, fondant or butter cream icing. So now you know, Jamaican Fruit Cake at it's best! About the Author: The author of this article is Juliet Christie Murray a Jamaican' teacher, who has authored two inspirational and cultural books of poems . She believes Jamaica is the ideal place to vacation. She is fascinated with writing and writes for various places on the internet: Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com Return to Jamaica Food from Jamaican Fruit Cake
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