Why Black Cake Is the Heart of a Belizean Christmas

In Belize, Christmas isn’t complete without the rich, flavorful tradition of black cake, a seasonal staple that has been passed down for generations. From soaking fruits months ahead to mastering the butter-and-sugar blend, local bakers like Jaqueline Banks and Aeisha Robinson are keeping this beloved tradition alive. For them, black cake is more than dessert. It is a symbol of togetherness and cultural pride, blending time-honored techniques with personal passion. News Five’s Paul Lopez tells us more in tonight’s edition of Kolcha Tuesday.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

In Belize, black cake is a Christmas treat, as much as it is a piece of our history. This rich, rum-soaked dessert has roots in British plum pudding, brought here during colonial times, and over the decades, Belizeans have made it their own. Today, it’s a symbol of family, celebration, and cultural pride, baked with love and shared during the holidays. Jaqueline Banks spends much of December in the kitchen baking this beloved holiday treat. Her passion for baking started early, she fondly remembers helping her aunt as a child. Today, that love has grown into a family business, which she now runs alongside her daughter.

 

Jaqueline Banks, Co-Owner, SweetSake Belize

“Well basically that is tradition, because from I was growing up I saw my aunt baking cake and she was a full time teacher so I was looking and thing and I said, this is not for me, this is a whole lot of work, because remember back in the days, there was no Google, so it had to be something you love, so I use to grease the pans and observe not knowing that one day I would do the same thing.”

 

Interestingly, this annual tradition of baking black cake for the household also sparked an interest in Aeisha Robinson. She learned by observing relatives in the kitchen and later launched Kye’s Kreamy Kreations, and later honed those skills in school.

 

Aeisha Robinson, Owner, Kye’s Kreamy Kreations

“I think with black fruit cake there is an art to it. You have to know exactly what you are doing and choose the right ingredients so you don’t have that overly powered bitterness and just the right black and the right selections in fruits you use. Definitely you mixed fruit, your cherries, your prunes. I don’t think it matters the ingredients you use in terms of fruits, for me it’s the process. Soaking your fruits is more important to me. For me I soak my fruits, from the beginning of the year. I have fruits I soak from last year that I am using this year.”

 

In Belize City, Sikaffy’s is a one-stop shop for black cake essentials, everything from pecans and walnuts to mixed fruits and cherries. And don’t forget the secret weapon: the coloring that gives black cake its signature look. Sikaffy’s says theirs is the best. The family-run business, around since 1936, has raised prices slightly this season to keep up with rising costs. Still, will there be enough to meet demand? Meanwhile, baker Jaqueline Banks sources her ingredients elsewhere and has her process down to a science.

 

Jaqueline Banks

“With all black cake, including all cake, the most important part is the foundation. You say foundation is your base, your sugar and butter. You have to cream that right before you add anything else, whatever is coming next, the egg the flour, that have to cream right. And black cake is like a state of art, causse that has its own structure and process, different from the white cake all together. And you have to measure your thing deh, everything has to measure. Because the measurement important, if ih nuh balance yow ah the taste “bucu”, when ih nuh look good and ih nuh taste good.”

 

Though they come from two different backgrounds, Aeisha Robinson shares Banks’ passion and beliefs about keeping the black cake tradition alive. And Robinson is undoubtedly doing something right. In 2024, she beat out sixty competitors to win the title of Best Black Cake of the Year.

 

Aeisha Robinson

“Black cake symbolizes togetherness. Everything comes together in a black cake. I think that is one of the major things about it. If the community would come together the way how the ingredients come together in black cake, I think we would have a better society.”

So, one thing remains certain, the black cake tradition lives on, embraced by young and more experienced bakers, all working to keep the culture alive. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.