Helen Goh’s Recipe For Ricotta, Rum And Raisin Cake | The Sweet Spot

This is simply a barroom for nan long, ambling tail-end of an Easter lunch. It’s mildly scented pinch orangish and vanilla, lightened by ricotta, and studded pinch rum-soaked raisins that bring bursts of sweetness to each slice. Ideally, they’d beryllium soaked overnight to plump them into thing luscious, but if clip gets distant from you, return a shortcut: put nan raisins and rum successful a microwave-safe bowl, zap for 20–30 seconds, past time off to cool and absorb. The cocoa glaze is optional; connected days erstwhile you want thing simpler (or lighter), a generous sifting of icing sweetener is each this barroom needs. Serve pinch a mini solid of grappa aliases thing likewise warming for a softly cleanable measurement to bring a feast to a close.

Ricotta, rum and raisin cake

Prep 10 min
Soak overnight
Cook 1 hr, positive cooling
Serves 8-10

130g raisins
80ml dark rum
125g room-temperature unsalted butter, positive 10g extra, softened, for brushing
220g plain flour, positive other for dusting
160g caster sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 ample orange
Seeds from ½ vanilla pod
200g soft ricotta
3 ample eggs, astatine room somesthesia
3 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp good oversea salt

For nan optional cocoa ganache glaze
100g acheronian chocolate (60-70%), finely chopped
80ml double cream

The time earlier you want to cook nan cake, put nan raisins successful a screw-top jar and move complete nan rum. Seal tightly and springiness nan jar a bully shingle whenever you walk it, truthful nan raisins plump up evenly.

The adjacent day, grease a 22-23cm bundt tin pinch nan 10g softened butter, past particulate lightly pinch flour, rotating nan tin to overgarment nan interior. Turn it upside down complete nan descend aliases bin, and pat firmly to region nan excess.

Heat nan oven to 185C (165C fan)/360F/gas 4½. Put nan butter, sugar, orangish zest and vanilla seeds successful nan vessel of a guidelines mixer fitted pinch nan paddle attachment, past hit connected medium-high for astir 2 minutes, until ray and creamy. Lower nan velocity to medium-low, adhd nan ricotta and hit conscionable to incorporate. Scrape down nan sides of nan bowl, past adhd nan eggs 1 astatine a time, scraping down nan sides and bottommost of nan vessel aft each addition. The substance whitethorn look a small curdled astatine this stage, but it will travel together erstwhile nan barren ingredients are added.

Sift nan flour, baking powder and brackish into nan batter successful 3 to 4 stages, beating connected debased aft each summation until conscionable combined. Turn disconnected nan machine, adhd nan rum-soaked raisins (including immoderate remaining rum), past fold done gently.

Scrape nan batter into nan prepared tin, level nan surface, past cook for astir 35 minutes, until a skewer inserted into nan centre comes retired clean. Cool nan barroom successful its tin connected a rack for 15–20 minutes, past move retired and time off to cool completely.

To make nan optional glaze, put nan chopped cocoa successful a mini heatproof bowl. Heat nan pick successful a mini saucepan until conscionable steaming, move this complete nan chocolate, time off for a minute, past operation slow until soft and glossy. Leave nan ganache to cool slightly, past move it complete nan cooled cake.