Jamaican Chocolate Cake

Directions

Preheat oven to 325℉ (160℃). (165’C.).

Generously grease a 5-cup fluted or plain tube pan and dust lightly with flour.

Sift flour, baking powder and mixed spice into a bowl.

Add margarine, superfine sugar and eggs.

Blend cocoa powder with hot water and add to flour mixture.

Beat well with a wooden spoon 2 minutes or 1 minute if using an electric mixer.

Turn mixture into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven 1¼ hours or until well risen and cake begins to shrink from edges of pan.

Carefully turn out cake onto a wire rack and cool.

Combine granulated sugar and ⅔ cup water in a saucepan.

Add cinnamon and heat gently, stirring to dissolve sugar.

Boil 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, add rum and discard cinnamon.

Place cake on a plate.

Spoon syrup over cake and let stand 2 hours.

Stud top of cake with almonds.

Melt chocolate; carefully spooon over cake, spreading to give a smooth even coating.

Let stand several hours.

Pipe (with a pastry bag) whipped cream around bottom of cake.