Description
Ina Garten’s rum raisin apple cake balances sweet, boozy flavors with tender fruit and rich spices. Moist crumb and complex notes make this dessert a memorable centerpiece for gatherings with friends and family.
Ingredients
Scale
- 360ml / 1 ½ cups applesauce
- 115g / ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 200g / 1 cup white sugar
- 125g / 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 125g / 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 85g / ½ cup golden raisins
- 85g / ½ cup raisins
- 60g / ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 80ml / ⅓ cup dark rum
- 2 tsps baking soda
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Rum Infusion: Submerge raisins in rum within a sealed container, allowing them to marinate overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours to intensify their flavor complexity.
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F and meticulously prepare a 23×33 cm / 9×13-inch baking pan by thoroughly greasing with butter and dusting with flour to prevent sticking.
- Batter Creation: Cream butter and sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, ensuring complete incorporation after each addition. Integrate applesauce to enhance moisture, creating a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
- Dry Ingredient Integration: Combine flour varieties, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cocoa powder in a separate bowl. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredient blend into the wet mixture, stirring until a consistent batter forms without overmixing.
- Final Mixture: Drain rum-soaked raisins and gently fold them into the batter along with chopped walnuts, ensuring even distribution throughout the mixture.
- Baking Process: Pour the complete batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly to ensure uniform texture. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean and free from raw batter.
- Cooling and Serving: Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack, enabling it to set and develop its full flavor profile before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Rum Infusion Technique: Soak raisins in rum overnight to dramatically enhance their flavor depth and provide a rich, boozy undertone to the cake.
- Precise Mixing Method: Cream butter and sugar thoroughly until light and fluffy, adding eggs one at a time to ensure a smooth, well-incorporated batter that guarantees a tender cake texture.
- Spice Balancing Strategy: Carefully measure and blend dry spices like cinnamon and nutmeg to create a complex, aromatic flavor profile that complements the apple and rum notes.
- Cooling and Resting Wisdom: Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack, which helps set the structure and allows flavors to meld, resulting in a more developed and harmonious dessert experience.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 36g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 60g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 55mg