Jamaican Spice Cake
An aromatic and moist cake with warm spices, dried fruits, and an original beer-based foundation — a traditional Jamaican dessert that pairs beautifully with sharp cheddar cheese.
Ingredients
- 380 g All-purpose flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp Salt
- 1 pcs Egg
- 150 g Brown sugar
- 250 ml Beer
- 80 ml Milk
- 60 ml Honey
- 60 g Butter
- 15 ml Blackstrap molasses
- 5 ml Caramel syrup
- 5 ml Vanilla extract
- 120 g Dried cranberries
- 120 g Raisins
- 120 g Dried cherries
- 100 g Cheddar
Instructions
- Combine the dried fruits — cranberries, raisins, and cherries — in a bowl and pour the beer over them. Let soak for 30 minutes until the fruits are well saturated.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Prepare an 8×4 inch (approximately 20×10 cm) loaf pan, grease it with butter, and lightly dust with flour.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat the brown sugar with the egg. Add the milk, honey, melted butter, blackstrap molasses, caramel syrup, and vanilla extract. Pour in the beer (in which the dried fruits soaked), but do not add the fruit itself at this stage. Mix thoroughly until smooth and combined.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons of flour from the dry mixture and toss it with the soaked dried fruits — this will prevent them from sinking to the bottom during baking.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl with the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Stir until fully combined. Gently fold in the flour-coated dried fruits and mix until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 50–60 minutes until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Serve in slices with sliced sharp cheddar cheese.