Rum Raisin Cake

From the book, Sweet, by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 C/200 g raisins

1/2 C/120 ml dark rum

2-1/3 C/300 g all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t salt

1 C plus 1-1/2 TB/250 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

1-1/4 packed C/240 g light brown sugar

1 t vanilla extract

2 large eggs

3/4 C/200 g sour cream

Rum Caramel Icing:

4 TB/60 g unsalted butter

1/3 packed cup plus 1 TB/80 g light brown sugar

3 TB whole milk

1 TB dark rum

1 C/120 g confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions:

1. The day before you bake the cake, place the raisins and rum in a large container or jar for which you have a lid. Give it a good shake and set aside to macerate. Whenever you walk past the container or jar, give it a shake.

2. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Grease and flour a 9-inch/23-cm Bundt pan.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.

4. Place the butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and lightened. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Turn the speed to low and, with the machine still running, add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture to stabilize the mixture and prevent it from curdling. Finally, add the soaked raisins and rum and mix on low speed just to combine. Scrape the mixture into the Bundt pan, smoothing the top, and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and set aside for 15 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

5. To make the rum caramel icing: when you are ready to serve, place the butter in a small saucepan and melt over low heat. Add the brown sugar and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously, until the mixture comes together. Add the milk, increase the heat and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the rum, mix well and set aside to cool at room temperature. When cool, beat in half of the confectioners' sugar using a wooden spoon. Once incorporated, add the remaining sugar and beat until thick and smooth. Spread the rum and caramel icing over the top of the cake, letting it run slowly down the sides.

Authors' Notes:

We bake this cake in a 9-inch/23-cm Bundt pan. If you don't have the Bundt pan, you can use a 9-inch/23-cm round springform pan; it won't look quite as pretty, but will still work well.

The raisins need to be prepared the day before you start baking so that they are nice and plump from soaking up all the booze.

With icing or without, this cake will keep for 1-3 days in an airtight container.