nut-black-cake

The black cake is the dessert king of Venezuelan Christmas, usually one that adorn the tables on Christmas Eve and New Year. This is a delicious cake based on nuts and candied fruits that have been marinated in red wine or rum and then become part of the delicious sponge cake with cocoa which gives it its characteristic black color.

Ingredients

butter 200 gr Butter
brown-sugar 330 gr of Brown Sugar
wheat-flour 280 gr of Wheat Flour leavening
vanilla 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
egg 6 Eggs
salt 1 pinch of Salt
baking-powder 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
milk 100 ml of liquid Milk
cinnamon 1 pinch of Cinnamon
candied-fruits 300 gr of Candied Fruits
dried-nuts 250 gr of Dried Nuts
red-wine 2 cups Red Wine
cocoa 4 tablespoons Cocoa powder

Utensils

Mould for cake
Electric mixer
Spoon or paddle
Bowl

Preparation

  1. In a bowl, place the candied fruit and nuts and add the red wine to cover the fruit completely. Marinate for one day.

  2. Preheat oven to 230 °C.

  3. In a separate bowl, with the help of a whisk, mix the butter with the sugar until the mixture is creamy.

  4. Add the vanilla, salt, cinnamon and continue mixing. Reserve.

  5. In two other containers, separate the yolks from the whites and whites reserve.

  6. Add the yolks one by one to the above mixture, whisking constantly.

  7. In another bowl add flour and unite with the baking powder and sift.

  8. Add the sifted flour into the mixture, alternating with milk and mix with encircling movements.

  9. Add to the mix the leftover wine from the previous maceration of candied fruits and nuts.

  10. Add the sifted cocoa and mix.

  11. In another bowl place the macerated fruit and sprinkle with a handful of wheat flour, sift and add only the fruit to the mixture with stirring motion and unite with a wooden spoon.

  12. In another bowl place the egg whites and beat until stiff and incorporate them into the mixture, beating in encircling way until blended completely.

  13. Place the mixture in a mold greased and sprinkled with flour and introduce to the oven, setting the temperature at 200 °C and bake for 45 minutes or until introducing a rod and this comes out dry.

  14. Remove from oven, let stand and unmold.