Caribbean Wedding Cakes

I have no doubt that in your search for the perfect Caribbean Wedding you have come across referrals to the traditional Caribbean Wedding Cake. I know I did! This magical cake so intrigued me that I couldn't resist having one at my own Destination Wedding. We put the money down on the cake 11 months in advance of our wedding so our master baker would start soaking the fruits in top shelf rum for 10.5 months. Yes, this is the tradition. (Thinking fruit cake yet? Read on.) Of course, not everyone enjoys the taste of traditional Caribbean Wedding Cakes because it is a distant relative of the famed fruit cake, so we had a second cake of deep dark chocolate and rich buttercream filling to compliment.

I am providing the recipe not because I assume many of you are adventurous enough to try this one at home, but because by reading the ingredients, you will get an idea of what the cake tastes like and the love that is involved in making it:

Ingredients:
1 pound raisins
1/2 pound currants
1/4 pound prunes
1 c dark rum
1 1/2 pounds packed brown sugar (3 1/4 cups)
1/2 pound butter
6 beaten eggs
1/2 pound flour
1/2 t baking powder
1 teaspoon mixed spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice)
1/4 pound mixed fruit peel
1/4 pound chopped nuts

Instructions:
Wash and dry fruit, then put through food processor to chop. Soak in 3/4 cup rum in covered container for at least three weeks, stirring every few days.

When ready, make cake: Heat 1 pound brown sugar in heavy bottomed frying pan until melted; simmer until dark dark dark brown. Let cool (If you live in a city, you can probably find "burnt sugar" in specialty markets like West Indies, and some Latin markets. The commercial sugar makes a blacker cake.

Cream butter and remaining brown sugar. Add eggs a little at a time. Add soaked fruits with their liquid, and enough caramelized sugar to make it as dark as desired.

Add dry ingredients and nuts.

Pour batter into 9 or 10" springform pan, greased and bottom lined with waxed paper. Bake at 300 degrees for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Sprinkle some of the remaining 1/4 cup rum over cake immediately after removing it from the oven. Repeat a few times. Allow cake to remain in pan for 2-3 days.