Linval Malcolm is no stranger to baking. He’s been at it for over 25 years, but remembers the day he put his first Christmas cake in the oven. “I was the assistant pastry chef at Grand Lido Negril,” he tells Thursday Food. Now at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, careful attention planning and presentation remain the hallmark of a successful bake.

In fact, what makes his Christmas cake special, he shares, “are not so much the ingredients, because all of the items I use are the same ingredients that everyone uses, but my method and application and, most importantly, the proportion and ratio”. That aside, his must-have ingredients are his blended fruits as this heavily determines the outcome of the cake.

Christmas Fruitcake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs Anchor Butter

1 1/4 lbs sugar

7 large eggs

2 lbs mixed fruits

1 bottle Eve Browning

2 lbs flour

2 oz baking powder

1 l white rum

3 l Red Label Wine

2 tbsp nutmeg

2 tbsp cinnamon

2 tbsp vanilla

Method:

Use a portion of the rum and wine to blend the mixed fruits and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, add eggs gradually and scrape bowl, add browning and continue mixing.

Add all dry ingredients, mix and scrape bowl again, add blended fruits and mix well.

Put in baking container of your choice and bake for one hour at 350°F.