If you like rum raisin ice-cream you will love this rum raisin cake. Give it a try!

The inspiration

I love Haagen Daz’s Rum Raisin ice cream – the original!  When we were in college at University of Texas in Austin over 30 years ago, our inexpensive indulgence on our starving student’s budget was a pint of rum raisin ice cream. We would share and finish off in one go. Today, we feel guilty having more than a scoop of ice cream, we are much older and our metabolism has slowed down 😞 yet we can’t resist this ice cream.

Craving rum raisin ice cream but not wanting to stop by the grocery store and get some, I thought I would try making a rum raisin flavored cake. Why not?  It has all the rum raisin flavor of the original ice cream but in a cake form.  The cake turned out awesome!

Rum Raisin Cake 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup softened butter, plus about 1 tsp softened butter for pan
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup rum
• 1/2 cup raisins such as currants, golden raisins, and orange raisins

Directions:

•  Soak the raisins in 1/4 cup rum for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 inch round cake pan or one large bundt cake pan. Butter the pans and line bottom with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper also and flour inside, tapping excess out.
• In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

• In another bowl whip together softened butter, eggs, vanilla, sour cream and sugar until creamy.

• Combine the butter mixture with the flour mixture until well incorporated.

• Add the rum soaked raisins with the rum it was soaked in and mix into the batter.

• Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Once cake is done, let the cake cool for 15-20 minutes before taking it out of the pan.  Wait at least 1 hour or more before serving.
• Cook’s Notes:  To make the cake extra moist drizzle some simple syrup over the warm cake. For a simple syrup warm 1/4 cup sugar with 1/2 cup water on the stovetop until the sugar is dissolved.  Pour over warm cake.
• Garnish with fall-inspired autumnal maple leaves and serve with coffee or tea.

Are you wondering if the Japanese maple leaves on my cake are edible 🍁?

Edible Japanese Maple Leaves

You won’t believe this folks!  In Japan in autumn, Japanese maple leaves are eaten as a snack called momiji or momiji tempura. Momiji is made with Japanese maple leaves that are dried with salt and then battered and deep fried into a crunchy snack. This very unique snack originated in a village in Osaka where it is traditionally made every autumn.  Who knew!!  🍁🍁

Happy Fall Everyone!! 🍁🍂🍁