A cake I like to make every fall using rum applesauce. If I am not going to bake the cake within a few days, I divide the applesauce into separate containers and put them in the freezer until I’m ready to bake. I’ve used the rum applesauce in muffins as well. We have an apple tree that’s planted in a large pot in our backyard, so I take great pleasure in being able to say that the cake is made from our own apples! But if we didn’t get a good crop I rely upon our farmer’s market for fabulous in-season apples. The cake makes a really lovely fall dessert, so moist and yummy! Or as an afternoon treat with a good cup of coffee sounds pretty good too!
Makes 1 – 8 or 9” Cake (approximately 8 – 10 servings)
Rum Applesauce:
6 large cooking apples (about 3 lbs.)
1 lemon
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
3 Tbsp. dark rum
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Peel, core and thinly slice the apples (8 cups); put the slices into a large saucepan. Add ½ tsp. lemon zest to the pan, set the lemon aside. Cover the pan and stew the apples over low heat until very tender, approximately 30 minutes. If you find the apples are dry add a dash of water so they don’t burn or stick. Mash the apples with potato masher and add 2 tsp. lemon juice. Stir in the sugar, rum and butter over medium heat, simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature before using to make the cake. The applesauce and be made amd kept in the fridge up to 5 days.
Make the Cake:
1 ¼ cups rum applesauce
½ cup walnut halves, (2 oz.)
½ cup raisins, (3 ½ oz.)
½ cup currants, (3 oz.), rinsed & blotted dry
1 ½ cups unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. ground cloves
¼ lb. softened salted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Spray an 8 or 9” springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. You can use a square pan if you wish.
Chop the walnuts and toss with raisins, currants and ¼ cup flour in a small bowl. Set aside. Sift the remaining 1 ¼ cups flour with the baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer, until lightened; gradually beat in the sugar. Add the egg and mix until creamy. Add the flour and applesauce, alternating, in 3 batches. Fold in the raisin-nut mixture. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 50 to 60 minutes or until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean; checking after 40 minutes of baking. Cool completely on a wire rack and remove from the springform.
Vanilla Rum Icing:
You can make this with a mixer, but I always use the food processor. It’s faster and makes a really creamy icing.
6 Tbsp. room temperature butter
2 cups icing sugar
2 ½ Tbsp. or more, milk or cream
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. dark rum, or to your taste
Place the butter and icing sugar in the bowl of the processor. Add the milk or cream, vanilla and rum. Process until creamy adding more milk or cream as required. Spread over the top and sides of the cake.
Helpful tip: When serving as a dessert, I don’t ice the cake, instead I whip cream until soft peaks form, then whip in golden sugar to taste.
