ALCOHOL ALERT!

Yes, it's dessert time! Ordinarily, I will serve a rum raisin apple pie and a cake at family Christmas dinners, so I decided to combine the two.

Rum Raisin Apple Spice Cake (with Rum Whipped Cream)

½ Cup raisins
2 tbsp. dark rum (or warm water if you're not using rum)
2 Cups AP flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 Cups white (granulated) sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. warm water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 apples – peeled, cored, chopped

1. Put the raisins and the rum (or water) into a small saucepan; bring to a boil, then cover and take it off the heat and let stand 1 hour. Butter a 10-inch tube pan. Whisk together the flour, spices and salt; set aside. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C).
2. Cream together butter and sugar; mix in the eggs and vanilla. Stir the baking soda and water together, add to the sugar mixture. Stir in the flour mixture, apples and strained raisins. Pour batter into the pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour or until the tester comes out clean. Cool in pan. When cool, shake pan to loosen the cake and invert onto a plate.

Rum Whipped Cream

1 Cup heavy cream
¼ Cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tbsp. rum (leave out if you're not having rum )
Add the heavy cream and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip until it forms soft peaks. Add the rum and mix in.


Verdict: OH, MY PANCREAS!!!!1!!! Very delicious, and a dollop of the whipped cream goes great in coffee!