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Black Cake
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In this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother's death and her hidden past--a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake. Charmaine Wilkerson's debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names, can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.
We can't choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become? In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett's death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child, challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage, and themselves.
Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor's true history, and fulfill her final request to "share the black cake when the time is right"? Will their mother's revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?
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What a beautiful debut novel by Charmaine Wilkerson! The descriptions of the island, development of characters, and writing prose flows so perfectly through it all. She also does an excellent job intertwining multiple narratives that span various timelines. During a recent Author Interview I attended with Wilkerson, she explained that “Black Cake” is a symbol of what we inherit – and that’s exactly what this book is primarily about; family, loss, love, culture, and connection. This book will make you want to laugh and cry…. and then hug your family afterwards.
I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy literary fiction with a slice of some family drama and and a sprinkle of mystery.
For those who love books-to-screen adaptations, Black Cake is also being made in to a TV series that will be available on Hulu in the near future. I’m pretty excited to see to visual production of Byron and Benny!
PS. Eleanor’s famous Black Cake recipe mentioned in the book is below. It can also be found on Read with Jenna’s Instagram post here.
BLACK CAKE RECIPE
3/4 lb. flour
1/4 lb. breadcrumbs
1 lb. dark brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 or 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. mixed spice
2 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. butter at room temperature
1 dozen eggs
5-6 cups fruits
Mix all dry ingredients. In an separate bowl mix on low: sugar and butter until smooth and fluffy.
Add 1 egg, mix 1 ½ minutes, add 1/3 ounces flour – breadcrumbs mixture. Repeat until all eggs and flour are gone.
Mix the blacking: Make the blacking by cooking brown sugar in a saucepan on low heat until it is caramelized. You will need more than you think!
Chop up half the fruits in a blender.
Combine and add in the mix.
Grease 2 tin pans, cut wax paper to fit containers.
Fill to 3/4 full with batter.
Bake: Place pans in 350′ F oven. Add a separate pan filled with water. Bake for 2 hours or less, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out dry. Sometimes much less. Depends on oven and weather.
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About Charmaine Wilkerson
