Caribbean Rum Cakes

Caribbean Rum cakes is one of the Caribbean oldest form of cake baking. It started in the time of slavery when slaves and free blacks had no means to preserve their food. So rum was added to preserve the cakes. In Tortuga, the Tortuga rum is used to make the famous Tortuga Caribbean rum cakes.

In Jamaica, Appleton Rum Estate has been distilling rum from sugar can for over 200 years and is the island’s most popular drink. With a very sweet flavor rum is often used to make refreshing fruit punches and coconut cocktails. The drinks below are found anywhere in Jamaica and are a cooling treat to complement any meal and a warm welcome during the Christmas season or at wedding time. One of the famous rum cakes in Jamaica is the Buccanneer Caribbean rum cake

With a little patience and dedication Rum cakes can be easily prepared at home. There are a number of shops that supply different types of rum cakes. There is an almost endless variety including almond, apple rum bundt cake, apricot, autumn rum cake, Bacardi banana rum cake, banana rum cake, banana rum fudge cake, black rum cake, Canadian rum cake, chocolate chip rum cake and chocolate coconut rum cake.

However, in the Caribbean rum cakes are usually made during the Christmas season or on special occasions like weddings and Easter. These treats with a cool glass of seamoss drink or sorrel tea is a wonderful compliment to the lovely parang music that are played all over the Caribbean during the Christmas season.

So if you are looking for cakes that are healthy, fruity and with all the natural perservatives to last for over six month, try making some spirit cakes - just a pinch of rum

Barbados Rum cake

West Inidan Black rum cake or Caribbean rum cake is a delicacy in the Caribbean. Every kid's mom has produced a Pineapple Upside Down or two, usually opting for a recipe on the side of a can of Dole's, or perhaps referring to an old family recipe for guidance. But this is not your mom's upside down cake. With an overabundance of fresh mangoes in our Barbados "garden" as the English refer to a yard, not to mention an equally ample stock of aged rum in the cupboard, it only seems natural to put the two together in a fun and festive way. This recipe serves 8 to 10 depending on how you slice it.

The key here is in the sticky stuff, or the topping if you will that is actually the bottom. First, melt 4 tablespoons of butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of honey, and ½ cup of Mt Gay Extra Old dark rum. Reduce, stirring often, over medium heat until thickened and a bit foamy: this usually takes about 4 or 5 minutes. Pour this mixture into a buttered 9 or 10 inch pan and distribute evenly. Allow to cool slightly and sprinkle a few pinches of brown sugar over the mixture for good measure.

Arrange mango slices in a circle over the mixture, completely covering the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle a few more pinches of brown sugar on top of the mangoes.

Heat the oven to 350. Combine the flour, baking powder, cornmeal, nutmeg and salt in a bowl and set aside. Cream butter in a bowl using a hand held mixer (helpful tip: cut a piece of wax paper in a round, force the beater stems through the paper and then into the mixer---homemade splash guard!), adding sugar until blended. Add yolks and vanilla. Add a splash of rum. Add the dry ingredients and then the milk/rum until the batter is smooth-do not over beat! If any rum remains, and it is 5 o'clock somewhere in the world, pour excess into a tall glass with ice and enjoy.

Beat egg whites at low to medium speed until they form soft peaks. Gradually add 3 tablespoons of sugar and beat until stiff peaks appear. Fold the egg whites in equal batches into the cake batter until well blended. Carefully pour the batter into the pan so the fruit is not displaced. Bake for approximately 60 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool completely. Place the entire pan in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove, slide a hot knife around the edges to loosen the cake, and place your serving platter over the pan and turn upside down. Re-arrange any fruit that wants to stay behind. As with most things, it will somehow taste better the next day after spending the night in the refrigerator. But feel free to serve immediately, or as soon as dinner is over.

As a garnish, we often marinate diced mango and diced pineapple in (yes!) more rum, mix in a little honey, and a small chiffonade of mint, and sprinkle artfully around the plate. If going for the gold, pipe dollops of whipped cream on top.

Sticky stuff:

5 tablespoons butter, using one to grease the pan

1 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons of honey

1 cup of Mt Gay Extra Old dark rum plus more for drinking

2 to 3 ripe but not soft mangoes

De Cake

1 ½ cups all purpose floor, sifted

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons cornmeal

1 tablespoon salt

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

½ cup or 4oz of unsalted butter at room temperature

1 ½ cup of granulated sugar, using 3 tablespoons for the egg whites

4 large eggs, separated

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk combined with 1/3 cup Mt Gay Extra Old rum, more if drinking but do not combine with the milk!

Billy O'Dell with his wife Carolyn are the owners of BarbadosBarbados.com, an online travel guide and booking agent in Barbados, and of Food Affairs, an elite and upmarket catering company