Apple Rum Raisin Cake

Like a crisp Fall day, Apple Rum Raisin Cake will tickle your senses. A moist and very flavorful cake studded with rum soaked raisins, fresh sweet apple chunks and crunchy walnuts it's a great cake to add to your holiday spread this year! 

It does seem a little early to start thinking about the holidays, but with Halloween at the end of this week, all thoughts will soon turn to menu planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know, for me, once Halloween has passed, I begin planning out our Thanksgiving menu. This cake is an awesome addition to any holiday dessert table and I know it will be on mine this year. The flavors really make it stand out as a special occasion cake! 

Rum soaked raisins really are the star of the show in this cake recipe. They soak up the delicious rum and plump up to help keep this cake moist, as do the fresh apples. Both flavors are accented with cinnamon and nutmeg and just a touch of cocoa. The cake is drizzled with a vanilla rum flavored icing that just takes it to the next level. 

I made the cake in a bundt pan for presentation, but you could also make it in a 9" x 13" pan instead. This dangerously good cake uses applesauce for part of the butter in the recipe. Even with the substitution, this recipe is more on the indulgent side, but that's ok...everyone needs an indulgence now and again. 

If you don't cook with alcohol, you could certainly make this cake alcohol free by subbing out some of the ingredients as mentioned in the directions and still have a delicious cake! I used light rum, but dark rum or spiced rum would work in here too! 

Like most of the recipes I share, this one is easy to make.  Even if you aren't a baker, you can pull this recipe off and be a hero! I sent this cake off with Joe to work and it was gobbled up in no time. The empty container came back home with lots of compliments and requests for more tasty treats to come their way for taste-testing! HA! 

Apple Raisin Rum Cake

By Renee's Kitchen Adventures

Moist flavorful raisin rum cake dotted with fresh apples and walnuts. Perfect for your Thanksgiving dessert table!

Ingredients

• For Cake:
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup rum (or apple juice, if keeping it alcohol free)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 TBS cornstarch
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 TBS unsweetend cocoa powder
• 2 cups chopped fresh apple
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• For Icing:
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. rum extract
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 -2 TBS milk
• 2 TBS finely chopped walnuts, for garnish

Instructions

1. In small bowl, combine the raisins with the rum (or apple juice). Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH for 1- 2 minutes. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a non-stick bundt pan with cooking spray with flour in it. Set aside.
3. In large bowl, combine the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then mix in the applesauce and vanilla extract (if omitting the rum from the raisin mix, also add 1 tsp. of rum extract at this time)
4. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
5. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until incorporated. Fold in the raisins and any liquid that has not been absorbed into the batter. Fold in the apples and walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 30 - 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out of cake cleanly. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack to cool completely.
7. Once cake is cooled, transfer to a platter. Prepare icing by whisking together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, rum extract and milk until smooth. Pour over cake, sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts for garnish. Serve once icing is set.

Yield: 16 servings

Prep Time: 00 hrs. 15 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 35 mins.
Total time: 50 mins.
Tags: cake, raisins, rum, apples, dessert, Thanksgiving, Christmas 

Adapted from Allrecipes 

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