I have had the pleasure of speaking to many brides to be, mother of the bride, aunts, cousins, sisters and friends of the bride in my profession. One of the most wonderful things I have learned over the last few years is that a traditional Jamaican wedding consist of a wonderful rum and fruit cake. This recipe consists of dried fruits such as prunes, raisins, dates and currants. The fruits are chopped finely and marinated in rum and wine for days prior to the cake making. The cake is of course served at the wedding but I have also learned that it is traditional to send a piece of cake to all the friends and family that were not able to attend the wedding ceremony. The cake is usually wrapped in some decorative packaging and then sent out to everyone. The personalized cake slice boxes are the perfect match for this wonderful tradition. The boxes are the perfect size for a slice of cake and they are also FDA approved for packaging food. The best thing about the cake slice boxes is that they can be personalized with a message from the bride and groom.
I love this tradition so much that I think all cultures should adopt this practice. What a lovely way of letting your loved ones know that their presence was missed at your wedding, but also a great way to share the joy of your special day.I have included below a scrumptious Jamaican rum cake recipe that I found on realjamaicanvacations.com for those of you who would like to make this fabulous cake. Enjoy!
Jamaican Rum Cake Recipe
1 lb raisins, ground or chopped
1 lb prunes, ground or chopped
1 lb currants, ground or chopped
1 tsp grated or ground nutmeg
Red Label Wine (or other red cooking wine)
Wray and Nephew Overproof Rum (or other white rum)
Place the fruit in a jar for at least one day before preparation (longer if possible). Pour wine and rum over fruit, so that it is completely covered. Cover jar and leave fruit to soak.
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp mixed spice for baking
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
3 cups baking flour
1 cup breadcrumbs
finely grated rind of 1 lime
8 oz butter
2 cups sugar
3 tbsp browning
12 eggs
2 tsp rose water
1/2 cup sherry or blackberry brandy (or what ever is handy!)
2 tsp vanilla
Sift together the first five dry ingredients. Add breadcrumbs and lime rind, and mix in well.
Cream butter and sugar in a very large mixing bowl. Add browning. Add 4 cups of soaked fruit, stirring in with a large wooden spoon. Beat eggs until light and frothy (10 to 15 minutes). Add rose water, sherry and vanilla. Add egg mixture to butter mixture, fold in well. Fold soaked fruit into this mixture. (Any left over fruit can be left to soak until the next time you bake!) Gradually fold in flour mixture. Test to see if the wooden spoon can stand upright in middle of the mixture. If not, add some more flour until the mixture can support the spoon. Grease baking pans and line with grease paper. Grease and flour lined pans. Pour mixture into tins and bake for 2 hours in a slow oven, 300F. Place a pan of water in the bottom of the oven to ensure cakes do not dry out. Check cakes from time to time, as baking times may vary. Cakes are ready when a toothpick or skewer inserted in centre comes out clean, or almost clean.
