Chelsea’s Favourite Christmas Cake

400g chopped dried mixed fruit
1 cup red wine (250ml)
200g Tararua Butter, softened
2/3 cup Chelsea White Sugar (150g)
1/2 cup Chelsea Dark Cane Sugar (100g)
4 large eggs
2 Tbsp white rum (30ml)
Zest of 1 lime
1/2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 Tbsp almond essence
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 2/3 cups Edmonds Standard Grade Flour (250g)
2 tsp Edmonds Baking Powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch salt
Chelsea Icing Sugar, to dust (optional)
Place the mixed fruit and wine in a bowl and leave to soak (for at least half an hour, ideally overnight).
Preheat oven to 180°C bake. Grease and flour a 21cm high-sided round cake tin.
In a large bowl, cream the Tararua Butter, Chelsea White Sugar and Chelsea Dark Cane Sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, then beat in rum, lime zest, lime juice, almond essence and vanilla. Stir in the wine and fruit mixture.
Sift together Edmonds Standard Grade Flour, Edmonds Baking Powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. Fold into the batter, being careful not to over-mix. Pour into prepared tin.
Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Dust with Chelsea Icing Sugar before serving, if desired.
NOTE: recipe updated December 2022 - now makes one cake rather than two (double the recipe if you need two cakes).
I LOVE this recipe. I wasn't sure that I would like it but I was making a Jamaican dinner for my Son's Birthday and thought I would try. Fantastic! I only used raisins and dried cranberries for the mixed fruit and I soaked them in the rum for a couple of hours before making the cake. I might add some chopped walnuts next time!!
I love this recipe. I have baked this cake in over 25 years.
Extremely light and fluffy. II made it one Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.. and now planning to make it very soon again.... thanks so much..
I love this recipe... I have baked this cake in over 25 years...
Extremely light and fluffy.... I made it one Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.. and now planning to make it very soon again.... thanks so much..
I like the traditional Jamaican Rum Cake it is an annual reminder of my Granny. She is the one who taught me how to soak the cake. Her recipe requires one to make the cake long before Christmas :) But I do like this recipe.
Hi Chealsea Sugar, thank you so much. I've used this recipe some years ago and the finished product was just as I made with my parents growing up. I will use it again this year. Thank you. Blessings
The ratios of flour, butter and sugar correct?
I am see too much sugar to the flour????
Chelsea Sugar:
The amount of flour, butter and sugar stated in the ingredients list are correct.
I love this recipe! My cakes are light, not dense and heavy like traditional Jamaican black cake; my customers love it! :)
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