Cake Baking – you could just smell it in the air everywhere, a sure sign that the holiday season is quickly approaching. Christmas is my favourite holiday season ever! I have fond memories of helping my mother and grandmother ‘beat cake’ by hand.. cake mixer was reserved only for the ‘well to do’ in those days. You had to sit down with a washpan and a wooden spoon and cream that butter and sugar until it got fluffy and started to fly everywhere, that’s how you knew it was ready for the eggs. Those were some great memories – that and waiting eagerly for THIS

Trust me – You have not lived until you have licked a Black cake bowl – HEAVEN!

So, on that not here’s a quick run down of three cakes that are a must in every Grenadian household for the Christmas holidays!

Black (rum) cake – this cake is the eptiome of Grenadian Christmas tradition, often the fruits used in this recipe have been soaking for 3 months or more. Heavily dosed with cherry wine, brandy, Clarkes Court Pure White rum or other liquor, this cake is not for the faint of heart and should be consumed in moderation. Parental advisory for children under 11! Often has a pudding texture. Traditionally also used as ‘wedding cake’.

And all that liquor keeps the cake preserved so you can enjoy it even months later, but careful it gets stronger with age !!

Semi-fruit or ‘Fruit cake’ – The well behaved ‘cousin’ of black cake, this cake is full of fruit without the heavy doses of alcohol the Black cake is known for.

Cherry cake – if you are not a fan of either Black or Fruit cake, most households would have a token pound cake often filled with cherries as an alternative.

What’s baking in your kitchen this Christmas?