Ms. Merl From Jamaican Black Cake Thanks You!

I just want to take a moment to thank all of our customers for a great national launch year, here at Jamaican Black Cake!

Our first holiday season stretching across the nation was incredible! The response both locally and nationally was overwhelming! I literally felt the love of family being ordered and I baked it into each blake cake I made. I hope your dinner tables were full of family, love, laughs and rum! What an amazing, amazing 2011 Christmas, thanks to all of you!

I look forward to baking more treats for you all again. Wishing you all a healthy and awesome New Year!

 

And remember, any day is a good reason for a Jamaican Black Cake! Celebrate life and love everyday! 

 

Love

Ms. Merl

Jamaican Black Cake

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Jamaican Black Cakes New Rum Cupcakes ala Jamaica!

Jamaican Black Cakes Rum Cupcakes ala Jamaica!

Rum Cupcakes are the new wave of fun holiday parties!! Ms. Merl is what everyone calls me, and so that is where the Ms. Merl Jamaican Bakery comes from. I am always baking recipes that have been handed down in my family for hundreds of years. However I am always looking for new ways to spice things up!

As you may know, I am known for my Jamaican Black Cake, however I bake all sorts of goodies! My Bunt Rum Cake is also a crowd favorite. From 7th birthdays to wedding cakes, to retirement cakes, and pastries in between I am forever playing around with new creations. And this year I created the Rum Cupcakes! I had such a demand for Rum Cake, that I decided to make them individual cakes but wanted to actually be for one person, so the cupcake was the best resolution! Since I launched my Rum Cupcakes a few months ago, the orders have been coming in like crazy and I am so happy I was able to fulfill my customers wants!

There really are no true Rum Cakes for individual sizes or convenient size rather in any bakery’s near me in Florida. In my many trips to NYC I also researched there and found even the top Caribbean bakery’s didnt sell them. So, the Rum Cupcake ala Ms. Merls Jamaican Bakery was born!

Great for parties, as your cake or as a favor for you guests to take home. I just recently delivered over 100 Jumbo Rum Cupcakes to a wedding for the wedding favor! With Jamaican Black Cake, the ideas are endless!

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People of Jamaican, Trinidadian, Guyanese, and West Indian cultures serve this cake (Black Cake) on special occasions.

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Jamaican Black Cake: Ms. Merl's Story

I'm a baker. My story is the absolute truth, as incredible as it may seem. It started with my Great Aunt handing down the family recipe for Black Cake to my mother, who handed it down to me. One year I was invited to a holiday party. I just love to attend holiday events! It gives me a chance to bring special, thoughtful gifts to friends and loved ones.

But this holiday party in particular, I wanted to change things up and bring somethingthat would show it came from my heart, my signature Jamaican Black Cake!

And to boot, heartfelt gifts never break the bank, yet always tend to mean so much more to give, than receive! As dessert time came and the night progressed, everyone was talking about how delicious and unique the Black Cake on the dessert table was. I never

tell a secret so I didn't say anything, but It was then I knew I had a treat I would spoil my family and friends with. And now I get to spoil you with my Jamaican Treat.

Jamaican Black Cake comes in many styles and can be seen anywhere from weddings and birthdays to Christmas parties and barbecues. This isn't your ordinary dry or chalky holiday fruitcake! The darker tones of my black cake hide a moist and decadent layer of cake that boldly boasts it's signature spices and rum flavors. With my Jamaican Black Cake, I've added uniqueness to it without compromising the cakes storied tradition, history and memorable taste. A scrumptious edible center piece of your dessert table

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Jamaican Holiday: Ms. Merl Cruises to Jamaica

Cruises to Jamaica, you ask? Bon Voyage!

I am off to another Jamaican cruise again! A short 3 day weekend getaway on a cruise to Jamaica is always a great way to end the year and start the holiday season.

I set sail next weekend on a 3 day cruise to Jamaica from Florida. Aboard Carnival cruise line I will go to get all my baking supplies for next years fruit marinade for my Jamaican Black Cake. The key is to start soaking my fruits the first of the year, so they get a full year of marinating once I start baking in October. I head out late December each year to get my Jamaican Rum, port wine, Mace, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, all the fixings that make my signature Jamaican Black Cake complete.

Cruising to Jamaica for 3 days is a great escape this time of year. Just long enough to reset before the holiday, and just enough time to get all the baking items I need too, makes for the perfect weekend! My husband and I just love the quick trip away, so when I am asked about my suggestions on travel this time of year, I practice what I preach! Jamaica is filled with warm Christmas spirit! Palm trees, white sands, hearty ox tale and of course the Christmas cake, Black Cake says Christmas in ways unimaginable. The island is the perfect place to travel to from the states. With cruises even from New York City, there is nothing like it!

I will be back with pictures to share with all of you on my cruise to Jamaica in a week or so! Its so exciting to share my country with all of you. From the Jamaican Black Cake to vacations to Jamaica!

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Ms. Merl Loves Her Cruises to Jamaica

I love to take cruises when I go back to Jamaica. Cruises to Jamaica makes the commute to the Caribbean a breeze : )). You are not in a stuffy plane, you are out on the open sea taking your time to relax into your vacation. And no body does this like Carnival Cruises to Jamaica! I am a stickler for good business and I pay it forward!Several times a year, I go back home to Jamaica for business, as you may already know I only get my baking ingredients from Jamaica. I only want the finest and freshest rum, wine and spices in my cakes, cookies and pastries. I split these trips between flying and taking cruises to jamaica. A Jamaican cruise stops at all different islands along the way, so its a vacation within the vacation! With cruises, you can pick which route of islands you want to visit and Carnival has the best Cruises to Jamaica offered.

I am always looking out for my customers, and I have been asked about travel to Jamaica often lately so I have been doing my research. Right now, there are only 2 Carnival cruises to Jamaica left in 2011, December 11 or the 18th, prices starting as low as $499! Moving forward, you can book a cruise to Jamaica in 2013 already, a 7 day cruise leaving from New Orleans for as little as $399 per person!

There are some great deals right now, and might I say a cruise to Jamaica makes an amazing Christmas gift that will bring a lifetime of memories! With so many cruises to Jamaica right now with Carnival, present the gift of a Carnival cruise to Jamaica next year, 2012,  with a slice of my Jamaican Black Cake and make this Christmas last all year long!

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A Cruise to Jamaica for Treasures

On one of Ms. Merl’s many cruises to Jamaica to get all her ingredients for her holiday Cakes, she also picked up authentic Jamaican fabric that had a beautiful print. Yes, she is not only a excellent baker, she is also a seamstress! 

For many years Ms. Merl has sewn everything from pajamas to suits to wedding dresses! All from just the love in her heart to give with her hands to loved ones. More than ever, getting a home-made item is so special. It brings back the old days when gift giving was about the effort, care, and time givien, and not a price tag. Food being so significant to family, cooking is becoming more and more popular again and an apron is a useful utensil!  Tradition never dies, and Jamaican Black Cake was built on tradition and is as alive to day in all Jamaican households as ever! Ms. Merl wishes to bring all those good old ways back to life in 2011 and beyond, by way of her two hands.

As a thank you to all her customers, she is hand making Jamaican Black Cake aprons with fabric she has purchased on one of her many cruises to Jamaica. Perfect for wearing during cooking curry goat in the kitchen or grilling jerk chicken on the barbecue! But this offer has a catch! Ms. Merl only has a few feet worth of fabric so they will be limited. Stay tuned for more.

Happy Holidays and have a blessed start to your week.

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The Jamaican Black Cake Top Sellers: Rum Cupcakes, Rum Cake, Black Cake

 

Happy Holidays Everyone! The end of 2011 has been great and my Jamaican Black cakes are being sent all over and across the country.

 

 

Our top sellers are Ms. Merls 6" Jamaican black cake, Bunt Rum Cake, and the newest addition, the Rum Cupcake! These three cakes have flown out of Ms. Merls bakery this year!

 

The 6 inch Jamaican Black Cake. As our smallest black cake it serves up to 12 slices. Perfect if you don't want any left over cake post party, as this is sure to be a hot treat for your adult guests. "My guests loved it! The black cake was a hit at my party!" - F. Chima

Jamaican Rum and wine from Jamaica leave and everlasting love for more of this cake!

 

 

The Bunt Rum Cake is simple and pretty. No fruit or wine is in this cake unlike the black cake, but it still holds the Jamaican Rum leaving this a great way to have versatility on your dessert table.

 

 

 

 

Our newest addition in Ms. Merls bakery is the Rum Cupcakes! A huge hit this autumn and so many orders have already been placed for December! We couldn't be more thankful to all our customers! Our Rum Cupcakes are jumbo sized and great as Individual cakes or party favors as some have used them for. There is a simple pleasure to having your own cake, and thus exactly what the Rum Cupcake is.

 

Our Jamaican Black Cake top sellers make Ms. Merl very proud, her customers are the ones who made that possible and take the cake, pun intended! Thank you and Ms. Merl is looking forward to baking for all of you!

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Rum Cupcake as your Wedding Cake

Rum Cupcake as your Wedding Cake is the way to go! Save money and waste less! Might I suggest the Rum Cup Cake : ) 

 

Your getting married, congratulations! Don't fret about all the costs that comes this happy, blessing of an occasion! We know how expensive weddings are these days, the cake being of the top 5 expenses for your special day. And with todays economy people don't want to spend more for less, nor do they want to skimp out on their wedding! Well, I can help with one of your precious items to make for an amazing wedding day with cupcake wedding cakes!

Dreaming of that seven tier, larger than life wedding cake is what all girls dream of. However, in reality no one eats all of that cake and its more wasted than enjoyed. Nowadays whats become very trendy are cupcake wedding cakes. They are set up in the tier style, to give off the effect of a whole cake. But you can have it arranged in any way you want. They are also more travel friendly than a wedding cake.

Each guest gets their own individual cupcake wedding cakes. So whether they eat it at that moment or not, they can tak it home. Also, you can give out left over cupcake wedding cakes when your night comes to a close. Resulting in much much less wasted cake, and most of all, your money! Its a win-win with the cupcake weddings cakes!

Rum cup cakes are decadent and warming, great for a colder month wedding! Bring the islands with this Caribbean cake. Traditional for weddings in the West Indies, rum cup cakes are a great remix with cupcake wedding cakes! And if you are headed to the Caribbean for your honeymoon, even better!

 

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Jamaican Black Cake: Holiday Treats, Save on Cost and Keep the Taste!

Secrets from Ms. Merl Kitchen

This is baking season. The best season in my book! I just love trying new recipes and tweaking old ones. With so many options, one may be caught in a dilema as to which dessert will make the perfect one for your holiday gathering.

How to choose what to bake is simple. First, don't over think it. Something to look at in choosing the best cake to bake is the type of food you are serving. Food this season is hearty, warm and comforting, so baking should follow suit. In my family, our holiday meals are pure comfort Caribbean foods like Ox Tale, Curry Goat/Chicken, Stewed Chicken, Ackee and Salt Fish to name a few. I can never go wrong with my Jamaican Black Cake. One slice of this cake always goes along way and great for the ending of any holiday meal!

Choose a dessert that goes a long way, lessens your cost on desserts. Jamaican Black Cake is all that!

If you are hosting dinner party this season, I am sure hearty foods will be served. Rum cake is becoming very popular around the baking forums. Its sophisticated and fun, so you simply cannot go wrong! My rum cup cakes are also great treats, one serves two! A rum cake is not as heavy as you would think. This makes it the best choice for autumn and winter holidays. This time of year everyone tends to go overboard with eating sweets. All you need is a sliver of this rum cake to be more than satisfied, which will cut back on the calories your guest will have. Having one slice of Jamaican Black Cake and a few cookies as opposed to 3 slices of pie, cookies and piece of chocolate cake, which tends to be the norm at holiday gatherings. Making this the best dessert choice!

Jamaican Black Cake is traditional a christmas cake in the West Indies, however I make it all year round. Rum cake is a beautiful center piece, cuts back on costs for several desserts, lessens sweet/sugar calories consumed by your guests and your dinner party is a sure hit!

Enjoy!

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Rum Cake: The Gift of Love

Holiday Gift Idea!

This holiday season choose a gift that speaks love and family. Some of the most prized gifts are those hand-made and homemade. When you give something that was uniquely made, it speaks without words. And this season, the more love we spread, the better.

Goodies are always a great treat to give or bring to someones home for the holidays. Rum Cake especially! You know when you show up to someones home for their holiday party with a baked good how appreciative they are, just imagine if it was something you had made specifically for them. That is what Ms. Merl's Jamaican Bakery is all about.

For years, my Jamaican Black Cakes have been gifted to so many people and nothing brings me more pleasure! I bake each rum cake as I would for my own children, and my love fills these tins each year that I send out. Whether the person receiving my signature Jamaican Black Cake keeps it or is gifting it, I know its a gift of love and appreciation for whomever takes a bite of it! And that is why I recommend gifting the popular rum cake this season for your family and friends.

If you live far from a family member, there is nothing better than getting a home baked good in the mail! Not a processed dessert, but a special cake that for centuries has been traditionally the Christmas cake in the Caribbean, Jamaican Black Cake. Decadent rum cake that was gifted among the West Indian culture to show love, family, respect and appreciation to the giftee. With Black Cake being so popular in the states right now, its a great gift idea. Totally unique and from the heart.

Think inside your heart this season and gift with love.

 

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Rum Cake: Have a Slice of Jamaica!

  Rare Picture of Jamaican Snow!

Cant make it to to the Caribbean next week? Well who says you cant bring the islands to you? Jamaica may be a out of reach right now, but that doesnt mean you cant still experience the amazing island right in your very home! Jamaican Black Cake's taste takes you right to the beautiful Caribbean island that it is. Traditionally this rum cake is the vibrant island's Christmas or Wedding Cake, yet the Jamaican black cake is amazing for any day or holiday special to you and your family.

Have a slice of Jamaica in your home any time of year! The Black Rum Cake makes for the best adult holiday cake. Thanksgiving dessert with this warming rum-wine infused cake is sure to bring autumn to your table. And nothings says family like Christmas time, and this cake is all about family. Rum cake is known for its meaning of love and affection in the West Indian culture, and now you can have a slice of long standing tradition to make all your own with Jamaican Black Cake, brining the islands to your pallet with every bite!

When you think of Jamaica, you think of amazing people, old tradition, warmth, vibrant food, loving family, strong roots, embracing life and taking time to marvel in it. When you put all of those elements together, you get Rum Cake. Ms. Merls Jamaican Black Cake is filled with imported Jamaican Rum and Wine, seasoned with the finest spices but most importantly its put all together with every ounce of love imaginable, just like the great island of Jamaica. This season, bring the vibrant, warm and good family tradition into your homes; have a slice of Jamaica.

Happy Holidays!

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A Trip Back In Time: The Rum Cup-Cake

We've all satisfied our sweet tooth's with a Cupcake. Way back when we were kids. But have you ever had a moist Rum Cupcake made with Premium Imported Jamaican Rum. This is a Grown up adult version of a childhood classic that will take you back in time!

Rum cupcakes were just an idea I had for modernizing two delectable treats...My Rum cake and the timeless Cup cake.  After testing my recipe with a select few of my customers, I started getting requests for my rum cupcakes as much as the others cakes I bake. The Rum cup  cake is fast becoming a very popular item.

Over the past few years cup cakes have become very popular with requests for Party and holiday events with friends, to as big of an event as a wedding. There are many folks searching the web for "How-To" recipes, specifically with rum. I then went to local bakery's in my neighborhood and to my surprise, something I never realized before, there really is no real, true rum cup cake?! With that, I went straight to work! And so It is my pleasure to present to you the official Ms. Merl rum cup cake!

Made with real Jamaican rum, not "essence". It's a mini rum cake if you will, made the with the sames steps, with the same ingredients, and same love to give you that warm feeling head to toe! Everyone knows, how different it is to have your own cup cake, as opposed to a slice of cake that everyone else is having. Peeling the wrapper off, and eating the bottom first to save the top for last. Or, eating the bubbled cap off first, if thats your cup cake delight. Which ever way you choose to eat it, this rum cup cake is sure to deliver all the goodness you desire from the first to very last crumb!

This rum cup cake is something I am very proud of. The taste of rum throughout makes this the adult treat of the season. Perfect for the autumn and winter months! Great for a dessert, or party favor too!

Enjoy

Ms. Merl

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Rum Cakes

6″ Jamaican Black Cake
Serves 10-12 of your closest family and friends.34.95
8″ Jamaican Black Cake

Serves 20-24 of your closest friends and family.

$44.95

9″ Jamaican Black Cake

Serves 30-32 of your guests, family, and friends

$59.95

6 Rum CupCakes

A half dozen of Ms. Merls EXCLUSIVE Rum Cupcakes for the home.

$24.95

12 Rum Cupcakes

A full dozen of Ms. Merl’s Exclusive Rum Cupcakes in a party size!

$39.95

Ms. Merl’s Classic Bunt Rum Cake

Ms. Merl Doesn’t disappoint with her Rum Cake Recipe

$24.95

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Black Cake - Rum Cakes - Rum Cupcakes

6" Jamaican Black Cake

Serves 10-12 of your family and friends

8" Jamaican Black Cake

Serves 20-24 of your family and friends

9" Jamaican Black Cake

Serves 30-32 of your family and friends

6 Rum Cupcakes

12 Rum Cupcakes

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Black Cake and Rum Cake: The Difference Between the Two

Jamaican Black Cake and Rum Cake are the same cake, some call it “‘rum” and others call it “Black”.

However they are not exactly the same cake in fact.

Black cake is made of minced fruit which is soaked in Jamaican Rum and wine (Ms. Merl uses imported Port Wine she gets from the islands). Much like Rum Cake which is also of rum infused fruits. Burnt sugar is a technique used to make Black Cake, many people use jarred burnt sugar which is what actually makes the cake black, however Ms. Merl does the browning herself. Rum cake uses regular sugar with no browning or burning.

The fruits are minced in Black Cake, not all, but most. While in Rum Cake, Fruitcake or Caribbean Cake chunks of fruit are more common. Fruits for both cakes are soaked in rum and wine. Cherry wine being very popular for Rum Cake, and Port wine for Black cake. In addition, Black Cake fruits once minced are soaked for up to a year before use. The more it sits, the better the taste is for the cake. Rum cake is a quicker version of this.

The tricks of the trade to baking Jamaican Black Cake and Rum Cake are what truly makes each cake different. You could even go as far as saying Black Cake is the traditional way and therefore the long, slow baking process and Rum Cake is the quicker version of Black Cake. The area of the Caribbean is also a factor to how the cake is baked. With that said, its safe to say the bottom line of how they differ is more of how they are baked. The technique of the baking process brings out the change in texture, color and taste.

For more details on how Ms. Merl makes her cakes click here.

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Jamaican Black Cake for Halloween!

For your adult Halloween party this year, why choose trick OR treat when you can have both with Jamaican Black Cake?!

This Halloween be different from the same old witches and ghosts molded rice crispy treat? Each year theres chocolate galore in all variations so why not have something totally off the regular menu? Something to the eye everyone can relate to, yet completely with a completely unfamiliar taste? This Halloween you can have the best trick that is a treat! How? With rum and wine infused Caribbean Jamaican Black Cake!

The delectable, greatly known for Caribbean celebrations, Jamaican Black Cake, looks like a german chocolate cake, but its anything but chocolate!  Typically mistaken for chocolate due to its dark color and visual texture to the eye, thats until you bite into it of course! Jamaican Rum and Port Wine gives this Black Cake a deep purple and dense black color, which makes its the best trick to throw off your Halloween guests!

This Halloween, make your table center piece this delectable, luscious Black Cake. It serves as the perfect core to your own decorations for the amazing the surprise to your guests! It's solid structure can withstand substantial decor, perfect for a jack-o-lantern at you trick-or-treat table. With Ms. Merls different cake sizes to choose from, you can create something all your own. Of course the cakes are baked to order fresh, Ms. Merl ships your cake undecorated leaving you to to create your very own unique Halloween treat! Create a pumpkin, a jack-o-lantern, or even dare to make your round cake into the head from the infamous Headless Horsemen of Sleep Hollow!

With Ms. Merls Jamaican Black Cake, there are endless choices to creating a special party this year! This Caribbean Black Cake is sure to be the most surprising to your guests, under your decor! This Halloween dont choose a Trick OR Treat, have BOTH with the Jamaican Black Cake!

Order today!

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Jamaican Black Cake: The cake to end to the fruitcake trend

Jamaican Black Cake: The cake to end to the fruitcake trend

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Jamaican Black Cake: The Christmas Cake Re-invented

Jamaican Black Cake: The Christmas Cake Re-invented

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Secure FB Page

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Sandra L.

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Phylis K.

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