Jamaican fruit cake loaded with rum!

Prep: 35 mins
Cook: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 35 mins
Yield: 1 cake

Ingredients

Marinated Fruit

• 1.5 cups dried fruit (raisins, prunes, or anything else)
• 1 cup white rum
• 1.5 cups port wine

Cake

• 5 tbsp molasses
• ¼ cups white rum, divided
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tbsp allspice
• 14 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 8 eggs
• ½ tbsp lemon juice
• Zest of one lemon
• ½ tbsp vanilla extract
• ½ tbsp rose water
• 5 tbsp browning sauce

Preparation

1. Combine dried fruit, white rum, and port in a large bowl. Set aside for at least a few hours. The longer the better…some families will let it marinate for a whole year!
2. Preheat oven to 325℉. Line a 10-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
3. Cook the molasses and 2 tbsp of white rum over high heat for about one minute, stirring constantly. The molasses should be thinner and runnier.
4. Using a food processor or blender, pulse the soaked fruit for about a minute. Make sure to strain or reserve the liquid first.
5. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and the spices. Set aside.
6. In a separate bowl, mix the butter and sugar until light and creamy. 
7. In another separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Slowly add it to the butter mixture, stirring constantly.
8. Add the flour to the mixture, a little at a time, folding in using a wooden spoon. Be careful not to overwork the batter.
9. Add the fruit mixture, vanilla extract, rose water, browning sauce, molasses, and the rest of the rum. Mix until just combined.
10. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 2 hours until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
11. Once cool, brush or mist the cake an additional ¼ cup of rum and wine.