Apple, Rum & Raisin Cake

My friend Radhika is on a baking spree these days and she shared recipe of Apple, Rum & raisin cake, its on my  top priority on the "to bake" list. Here she used olive oil but it an be substituted by butter. thanks a ton Rads for the wonderful recipe!

Ingredients

1/4th cup (60 ml) Overproof (dark) rum

120g raisins

2 cups (300 gm) plain flour

1.5 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4th tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch ground cloves

3 cups (440 gm) castor sugar (i took little less as i dont like it too sweet) 

1 cup (250 ml) light olive oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

3.5 cups peeled cored & diced apples (roughly 3-4 depending on their size)

100g roasted pecans or walnuts coarsely chopped

icing sugar for dusting

Luscious homemade caramel sauce optional to serve.

Method

Soak rum & raisins together in a small bowl & leave them to sit at least 30 mins (or keep it overnight).

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C. Butter a cake tin, line the base with butter/wax paper or dust the tin with flour. Set aside.

Put the flour, baking soda , salt, nutmeg, cinnamon & cloves into a bowl & whisk them together for 40 seconds with a balloon whisk.Keep this dry mixture aside

Put the sugar & oil into the mixer bowl & beat them on medium-high speed for 5 mins. Until they're thick; splash in the vanilla extract towards the end, add the eggs, one at  a time, beating well after each one is added.

Now use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir the dry mixture into the egg mixture until they are thoroughly combined (batter will be very thick). Stir in the rum & raisin mixture, chopped apples & nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin & smooth the top.

Bake for 1hr 15 mins to 1 hr 30 mins or until a fine skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the tin on a wire rack for 15 mins. Carefully loosen the cake around the sides, with butter knife & invert it onto the rack. Leave it to cool completely.

Before serving dust it with icing sugar. Serve with homemade caramel sauce if you liked