Words and Photos by Andrea K Castillo
This year we’ve taken our annual spotlight on Caribbean cooking and traditions during the holiday season to Belize. Every week until Christmas, journalist and rum drink purveyor Andrea K. Castillo will be sharing favorite family recipes from the Caribbean nation in the middle of Central America.
I began my Belizean Christmas series last week with the potent rum cream beverage, rum popo. In this installment, I bring you the beverage’s perfect pairing: White and black fruitcake.
Belize, being a part of the British Caribbean, has adopted many English traditions, fruitcake being one of them. The recipe that we use is similar to that of a true English white and black fruitcake. It’s an evolved version of English Christmas pudding, a steamed desert with a dark color made possible by using dark sugar and stout, or brandy. However, Belizean black and white fruitcake is distinct as both are baked and moistened solely with rum (preferably, Belizean rum!), and fruits are not soaked in port wine, which is a constant in many recipes throughout the West Indies.
The cakes, over the years, have been held in quite high regard given the price of ingredients, and time expended to prepare and bake the perfect cake. It is indeed a perfect treat for the holiday season.