‘s passionate affair with baking harkens back to primary school. “I always loved watching my mommy bake and I believed that’s the reason I wanted to become a pastry chef and start my own business. When I first watched Creative Cooking on TVJ , I realised this was something I was meant to do; so, with my mother’s help I started baking at age 11.

“I baked my first Christmas cake three years ago. My cousin challenged me to do something I never did before and that was to bake a Christmas cake. He told me the most encouraging thing ever when I told him that I had never baked a Christmas cake before. He said, ‘You can do it, Norlette’.

“For me, the most challenging aspect of baking would be timing. This might sound simple, but it’s not. It is challenging, the act of knowing when to check the cake while it is baking, so that it doesn’t burn, depending on the oven you are using.

“My secret ingredient, and what makes my cakes special, is the time and effort I put in them along with the love in every bite.

“My must-have ingredient for a good ole Christmas cake has to be white rum! There is no mistaking it, a good rum makes any Christmas cake taste great. Plus, Eve Browning!”

Ettelron’s Christmas Cake

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Baking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 lb flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp mixed spices

1 tsp citrus rind

1 lb butter

1 lb brown sugar

8 eggs

½ cup fruit wine

3 lb soaked fruits

½ bottle Eve Browning

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tsp flavouring

1 tsp citrus juice

¼ cup white rum

Method

Preheat oven at 280°F.

Line baking pans with parchment paper.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt, add cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spices and citrus juice; set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Beat eggs gradually into mixture.

Fold in flour mixture, alternate with wine and end with flour.

Add fruits, browning, flavouring and citrus juice; mixed evenly.

Pour batter in lined baking pans and bake for 1 hour or until skewer inserted in center of cake, comes out clean.

Add rum to wet cake for greater flavour.