Traditionally, dried fruit is soaked in rum for months and then added to dough prepared with sugar which has been caramelized by boiling in water.

The result, also known as "black cake", is similar to a fruitcake, with a lighter texture.

[1] In Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean, fruits are preserved in cherry brandy or rum to be used in the making of black cake.

Black cake is traditionally associated with Christmas and weddings in Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

[citation needed] It is possible to become intoxicated from consumption of an excessive amount of rum cake, and some rum cakes contain even more than five percent of certain grain alcohols,[clarification needed][7] though some are made to consistently contain less than 0.5% alcohol.