Emily Dickinson's Black Cake

This is the actual fruitcake recipe attributed to Emily Dickinson, the same poet who wrote about death and dashes and rarely left her house. Turns out she also baked a seriously intense black cake loaded with over two pounds of dried fruit and a generous pour of brandy.

Black cake is the Victorian ancestor of modern fruitcake, and it earns its name from the dark color that comes from molasses, brown-edged raisins, currants, and candied citron all baked low and slow for hours. The spice blend of cloves, mace, cinnamon, and nutmeg fills the kitchen with a fragrance that smells like the holidays distilled into one pan.

A shallow pan of hot water on the oven floor during baking creates steam that keeps this dense cake from drying out over the long cook time. Remove it for the last hour so the crust can set and firm up.

Chef Tips

• Line the pans with waxed paper and grease them well. This cake is heavy and will stick to bare metal.
• Beat the butter and sugar until truly light and fluffy. The creaming step is the only leavening boost this dense cake gets beyond the baking soda.
• Toss the dried fruit in a tablespoon of flour before folding into the batter. This prevents it from sinking to the bottom during the long bake.
• Wrap the cooled loaves tightly and brush with additional brandy every few days. Black cake improves dramatically over weeks of aging.

Variations

• Soak the raisins and currants in the brandy overnight before adding for even deeper, boozier flavor.
• Substitute rum for brandy for a more Caribbean-style black cake.
• Add ½ cup of chopped walnuts for a nutty layer of texture.