Kimtoya Gordon baked her first cake at the age of nine… but whilst in college I decided to start baking professionally to support myself. I did a three-tier fruitcake for a wedding but before doing so I experimented with at least five recipes until I perfected my own recipe for fruitcakes.

Baking, as with cooking, is so much a part of who I am it might as well have been written in my DNA. I grew up in the kitchen with my great-grandmother at the fireside. As I watched and tasted every morsel, my love for the kitchen grew. It was like magic to a kid of five to see a rough and rugged piece of sweet potato or cassava turned into a yummy, unforgettable treat just by adding spices, heat and lots of love. So I guess I bake so I can keep my great-grandmother with me always.

The most challenging aspect of baking is… the sheer volume of orders; even with careful planning it can quickly become a whirlwind with either second orders or last-minute orders. As a result, my ovens will be on for days at a time.

What makes her cake special? It’s hard to pinpoint just one thing. I guess persons would have to just taste and see.

Her must-have ingredients are… Appleton Rum, mixed spices and Eve browning; these are constant and irreplaceable.

Ingredients

¼ lb currants

¼ lb pitted prunes

¼ lb raisins

¼ maraschino cherries

2 cups port wine

1 cup rum

2 cups pineapple juice

3 tbsp vanilla

2 tbsp rose water

1 tsp almond extract

16 oz butter

20 oz sugar

½ bottle browning

8 large eggs

Zest of 1 lime or lemon

6 oz baking flour

6 oz plain breadcrumbs

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 nutmeg

2 tsp cinnamon powder

1tsp salt

Method:

• Cream butter and sugar. Add browning, zest of lemon and one egg at a time.

• Add blended fruits. Mix on low.

• Add vanilla rose water and almond extract.

• Pour wine rum and fruit juice in one container.

• Sift all dry ingredients together. Add alternately with wine mixture.

• Preheat oven to 350°F.

• Place a tin with water at the bottom of oven.

• Grease and line bottom of baking tin.

• Bake until cake comes away from sides of pan and when toothpick inserted comes out clean.

• Immediately after taking out of oven, pour generous amount of rum and wine over cake and let sit for two hours until cool. Turn over on a clean plate.

• Note cake may crack at the top when almost ready.

Happy Baking!