The new Hulu limited series Black Cake takes viewers across the globe, from the sunny shores of Jamaica to the rolling hills of Italy and beyond the jungles in UK.
The visually stunning show blends together real-world locations with meticulously designed studio sets to bring its complex family drama to life.
We know, you are curious to know about the shooting locations of Black Cake. That’s why, we are here to reveal all those stunning places where this murder mystery series has taken place.
Black Cake Filming Locations
According to production designer Awel Jones, filming took place in Jamaica, Italy, England, Wales, and California. However, not every location seen on screen is the exact spot where scenes were filmed.
With a limited shooting schedule and other challenges, the team had to get creative, “knitting some various different places together” through the power of production design and editing.
Principal filming began on June 6, 2022 and wrapped after five months in October 2022, our sources reported.
Wales, UK
The United Kingdom, especially Wales served as a major production hub. The exteriors and interiors of a dilapidated hospital in Newport provided an eerie backdrop for the Black Cake series.
Natalie posted a heartwarming picture of her in an open field running with sheeps and goats. She also updated that she’s been living in Wales for two months, confirming that the shooting started in Wales around August 2022.
The hotel kitchen was partly shot on location but finished on a set due to illness. Even a Jamaica beach scene took place inside a Welsh studio, with 80 tons of sand trucked in.
England, UK
Production team setup a camp in the town of Bridgewater where they transformed Kings Square and Castle Street into a 1960s London street to film many scenes of this new mystery thriller series.
Locals can also recognize Sedgemoor District Council’s office building, that has been featured in the Black Cake series. Cardiff, Bristol, and London also lent their architectures to help recreate the story’s decades-spanning timeline.
Verona, Italy
A brief Roman moment was actually captured in Verona, Italy. IMDb has mentioned Rome, Lazio as a shooting location of this series so, some scenes might have taken place there as that’s the actual setting of the Hulu original.
Los Angeles, California, USA
California scenes were shot at a real Los Angeles-area house. Inside, the warm, Caribbean-inspired decor reflects Covey’s happy upbringing there. As she journeys across the globe, production design and color palettes visually portray her changing emotions.
Jamaica, Caribbean Island
Most of the Jamaican sequences were filmed on the island itself, capturing idyllic spots like Reach Falls, an ecological park in Jamaica. But many interiors, including the family home, were built on soundstages in Wales.
Jamaica scenes burst with bright hues, dulling as Covey reaches England and Scotland. But the color returns as she finds her way back to California.
Behind the scenes
Natalie opened about the challenges she faced during the production of Black Cake in an interview with ScreenRant.
She said:
Very challenging. Sometimes you have the budget to go to a tank in a controlled environment, but we were actually in Jamaica in the water, and some of the cast members had very limited experience in the ocean swimming. Their comfort level wasn’t great. We had a lot of support. We had water safety people. We had underwater cameras, and we had people on jet skis helping out. It felt very supported, because obviously, safety first, but it was still challenging because the water is doing its own thing. Sometimes there’s a wave, and you’re all bouncing along with the movement of the water.
Through resourceful location scouting and set building, the Black Cake team managed to authentically capture the essence of each setting, transporting viewers alongside the characters on their poignant journey of family secrets, loss, and self-discovery.
Meet the cast of Black Cake
- Stephanie Jacob as Sister Janette
- Rupert Evans as James Everett
- Adrienne Warren
- Chipo Chung as Eleanor Bennett
- Ashley Thomas as Byron
- Mia Isaac as Covey
- Cara Horgan as Mildred
- Tom McKay as Bossman
- Anna Mawn as Beatrice Rossimoore
- Simon Wan as Lin
- Faith Alabi as Pearl Thomas
- Rebecca Calder as Mrs. Quintrell
- Elly Roberts as Irene Whitaker
- Trish Williams as LA Mall Goer
- Karise Yansen as Elly
- Lashay Anderson as Bunny Pringle
- Rachel Lin as Mama Lynncook
- Anthony J. Abraham as Delroy Furgusson
- Anthony Mark Barrow as Clarence ‘Little Man’ Henry
- Kevin Brewer as Officer Cranston
- Ntiarna Xavier Knight as Female art enthusiast
- Kelvin Ade as Male Protester
- Madeleine Bowyer as Sheila
- Ahmed Elhaj as Gibbs Grant
- Imogen Wilde as Nursery Nun
- Nigel Finnissy as Passenger
- Tom Vaughan as Dinner party guest 3
- Jane Paul-Gets as Office Manager
- Shem Hamilton as Jimmy Patterson
- Joel Francis-Williams as Young Black Man In Cuffs
- Rynier Gaffney as Lifeguard
- Margaret Fraser as Landlady
- Valeria Suaste as Younger Dinner Party Guest
- Lucy Gape as Helen Chalmers
- Lynnette R. Freeman as West Indian Narrator
- Lee Panchbhaya as LA Mall Goer
- Lawrence Oswald as Theo Quintrell
- Nicky Bamgbade as Gen
- Jahmone Duhaney as Leonard Pringle
- Izaiah Calder Tintner as Pepper Quintrell
- Abraham Chowdhury as Production Manager
- Sonita Henry as Mabel Martin
- Doug Friedman as Surfer
What is the plot of Black Cake series?
The Black Cake series follows the riveting journey of siblings Byron and Benny as they uncover hidden truths about their late mother Eleanor Bennett’s past after her enigmatic death. Set against the sun-kissed tropics of the Caribbean, the gritty streets of London, and the glamor of Los Angeles, this electric tale spans continents and cultures.
After Eleanor’s passing, she leaves behind two cryptic inheritances – a traditional Caribbean black cake recipe steeped in family history, and a startling voice recording divulging secrets from her youth. These puzzling bequests send Byron and Benny on a revelatory quest to piece together their mother’s mysterious earlier life, challenging everything they thought they knew about their family.
Eleanor’s account reveals her as a headstrong young swimmer who escaped her idyllic island home under the specter of murder accusations. As Byron and Benny uncover shocking revelations, long-buried secrets, and the mystery surrounding Eleanor’s long-lost child, their perception of their lineage and identities unravels.
Passions ignite and plot twists abound on this hypnotic, high-stakes journey. Will the siblings’ bond remain intact as their mother’s elusive past exposes uncertainties that test the foundations of their lives? Or will the truth ultimately tear their relationship apart? The Black Cake series examines the complex ties of family and self-discovery against vivid global backdrops.
