How Much Alcohol Do I Use In The Black Cake?

Our answer

Nigella's recipe for Black Cake (from HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS) is based on the traditional Jamaican cake that is eaten at Christmas. A mixture of dried and candied fruits is macerated in both Madeira and dark rum for a minimum of two weeks, but the longer the fruits can soak, the better the cake will be.

The recipe specifies 1/2 bottle of Madeira and 1/2 bottle rum. Madeira is a fortified wine and usually comes in the same size bottle as regular wine, which is 750m (75cl)l. Rum is usually sold in bottles of 700ml (70cl) or 1 litre, but the larger bottles are normally found in duty-free stores. In supermarkets and liquor stores the standard size is 700ml. Therefore you need 375ml (1 1/2 cups) Madeira and 350ml (scant 1 1/2 cups) rum. Please also note that if you have an early copy of the recipe, there is an omission and the marinated fruit mixture should be added to the cake batter after the treacle (molasses) has been stirred in.