Baking has played an integral role in Melissa Barnes-Thomas’s life for as long as she can remember. Indeed, she recalls perfecting that ubiquitous Pineapple Upside Down Cake in fourth form at Montego Bay High School. Her mother Loret Faulknor-Whittaker is, however, the person who stoked her passion for baking. “She always allowed me to try new recipes… as long as I followed her golden rule: ‘Clean as you go’. This was a very crucial step, and she boosted my confidence with every attempt. I was and still am never afraid to try something new. We had great bonding moments, too, and I’ve learned so much from her,” she shares with Thursday Food.

Barnes-Thomas cites the trial and error process of tweaking a recipe to her suit as the most challenging part of baking. This is followed very, very closely by kitchen mishaps!

The key to her tradition of excellent Christmas cakes is preparing fruits well before the time to bake, a minimum of two weeks, to ensure the flavour is fully infused. Her must-have ingredient is breadcrumbs! “I find that using breadcrumbs helps tremendously with increasing the absorption of the wine and rum after baking,” she explains as she focuses on ensuring that her daughter Zanella continues the family’s baking tradition.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb butter

1/2 lb sugar

4 large eggs

1 lb flour

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp almond

2 tsp mixed spice

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

3 tbsp browning

Fruit Blend

3 cups wine

1 cup rum

3 cups raisins

1/2 cup cherries

1/2 cup prunes

1/2 cup currants

1 lemon rind finely grated

Pre-prep:

Combine all ingredients for fruit blend.

Lightly pulse until desired consistency reached.

Store in an airtight container.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease baking tins and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.

Add eggs one at a time until well incorporated.

Add vanilla and almond

In a separate bowl, sift flour and spices.

Add breadcrumbs and combine well.

Gently fold in 1/2 flour mixture and fruit blend alternatively.

Add browning to desired colour.

Pour batter into prepared tins 3/4 full.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the knife, inserted in the centre, comes out clean.