Experience the heart of the holidays with Grandma Irma’s Guyanese Black Cake—luxuriously rich, deeply spiced, and soaked in rum and wine, this moist fruitcake brings generations of tradition to your table in every sumptuous slice!

If you’re Guyanese, you already know, there is no Christmas without Black Cake . In many parts of the Caribbean, this dessert is called Fruit Cak e or Christmas Cake , but in Guyana, Black Cake stands in its own category. The texture, flavor, and fruit preparation are completely different. Traditional Guyanese Black Cake is rich, moist, deeply spiced, and packed with blended fruits like raisins, prunes, cherries, and mixed peel. These fruits are usually blended until smooth and soaked in alcohol for months before Christmas.

The cake’s signature dark color comes from caramelized sugar (browning) , and its iconic moist texture is enhanced by the addition of wine or rum. Growing up, I don’t think I ever experienced a Christmas without Black Cake. It’s also a staple at Guyanese weddings, where a slice is traditionally saved for the couple to enjoy on their first anniversary.

My Grandma Irma makes the BEST Guyanese Black Cake. It'smoist, flavorful, and absolutely heavenly! The process isn’t complicated, but not everyone knows how to make a truly great black cake. I’ve adapted Grandma Irma’s recipe by adding a bit more fruit for extra richness. Traditionally, my grandma would use a hand mill to grind the fruits and she still does to this day! But for convenience this version uses a blender or food processor for the same smooth fruit mixture.

If you didn’t get a chance to soak your fruits months ahead, Grandma taught me the perfect shortcut: “stewing” the fruits in alcohol . Simply cook your blended fruit mixture over medium heat with wine or rum for about 10–15 minutes. This infuses the alcohol quickly and gives you that traditional flavor without the long wait. You can do this just a few days before baking, which is ideal for busy schedules.

I hope this recipe brings back beautiful memories, fills your home with the warmth of the holidays, and helps you create a black cake that your family will remember for years to come.

Note: For a full walk-through on how to soak and then blend your fruits for the classic Guyanese black cake , including alternative methods and video guidance, check out “How to Blend and Soak Fruits for Guyanese Black Cake ” before you start your batter.

Be sure to check out these Guyanese favorites on the blog: Soft Guyanese Roti , Caribbean Fried Bakes & Saltfish , and Guyanese Chicken Curry.

How do I like my Black Cake ?

Grandma Irma puts currants in her black cake and I do the same. It's part of what gives the Guyanese black cake that rich, traditional flavor. Also, I do not like a lot of sugar in my black cake. It’s just a personal preference. Taste your batter to determine if additional sugar is needed. I also don’t like nuts in my black cake but you can add nuts as well. You can put some rum into your cake batter if you want; I personally pour a lot of rum on top instead.

Helpful Tips for making Black Cake

• Cream your room temperature butter, either using a whisk or stand mixer

• No need for baking powder since you are using 12 eggs. It does the job.

• Remove the chalazae (white string part) from the eggs. Grandma Irma specifically instructed me to do so as she referred to it as the ‘embryo’. This removes the rank smell from the eggs. Alternatively, you can use lemon zest.

• Crack your eggs into a separate bowl. You can also add all the spices and extracts into the eggs then incorporate into your creamed butter. Add eggs bit by bit to avoid curdling.

• Grandma Irma covered her black cake for the first 1 hour of baking with foil for it to steam and cook.

• Burnt sugar is sold in most Caribbean markets.

• Just a preference, I love to use fresh spices mostly in my black cake instead of the already grounded store-bought ones.

• Cover your black cake with a kitchen towel to cool after pouring the rum to retain the moisture.

Storage and maintaining moisture

Store on a cake stand with a lid or in a tightly closed container and add a bit of rum every 3 days to retain moisture.

Don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below—I’d love to hear how you enjoyed it!