serves
12
prep
30 minutes
cook
50 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
12
people
preparation
30
minutes
cooking
50
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
Rum and raisin cake
- 215 g (7½ oz/1¼ cups) raisins
- boiling water
- 150 ml (5 fl oz) light white rum
- 195 g (7 oz) unsalted butter
- 135 g (4¾ oz) soft brown sugar
- pinch of salt
- 220 g (7¾ oz) good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 300 g (10½ oz/about 5) whole eggs
- 260 g (9¼ oz/1¼ cups) self-raising flour
Chocolate topping
- 125 g (4½ oz) good-quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 40 g (1½ oz) honey
- 75 ml (2½ fl oz) cream (35% fat)
To serve
- edible gold metallic or lustre powder
- small block of dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
- reserved rum-soaked raisins
Instructions
1. For the cake, preheat the oven to 165°C (320°F).
2. Chop the raisins roughly, put them in a bowl and cover with boiling water to rehydrate. Soak for 5 minutes before draining. Pour the rum over the raisins and immediately seal the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. (Heating the raisins with the boiling water will enable them to absorb the rum faster.) Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the butter, sugar and salt on medium speed until light and creamy.
4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a plastic bowl in the microwave. Add it to the whipped butter and sugar in the electric mixer bowl and beat until the chocolate is combined, scraping the side of the bowl down as needed.
5. Put the eggs in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and heat the mixture to body temperature while whisking (this helps to stop the cake batter splitting). Gradually add the egg to the chocolate mixture, ensuring that each addition is fully incorporated before adding more, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Once the egg is fully combined, add the self-raising flour and stop mixing once combined. Drain the raisins, reserving the rum, and set aside several rum-soaked raisins for garnish. Add the rum to the cake mixture, followed by the raisins, and fold into the cake batter using a spatula.
6. Spray a 22 x 10 cm (8½ x 4 inch) loaf (bar) tin with vegetable oil and line it with baking paper. Pour the cake mixture into the tin and bake for 45 minutes, or until a metal skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin at room temperature for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. For the chocolate topping, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Put the honey and cream in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate, whisking by hand until combined and shiny.
8. Once the cake has cooled completely, remove the baking paper and spread the chocolate topping on the top surface of the cake. Sprinkle with a small amount of edible gold powder. Garnish down the centre of the iced cake with chopped dark chocolate and a few rum-soaked raisins. A thin slice of this cake is perfect for afternoon tea or warmed and served with ice cream as a dessert. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Recipe and image from (Murdoch Books, RRP $49.99). Photography by Greg Elms.
Rum and raisin chocolate cake. Source: Undefined / Murdoch Books / Greg Elms
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
