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.

via Posterize