Rum-Raisin Visiting Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup (about 160 g) raisins
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) water
• 2 tablespoons dark rum
• 12 tablespoons (6 oz/170 g) unsalted butter
• 1 smallish apple (about 160 g), such as Fuji, Gala, or Golden Delicious
• 1⅓ cups (266 g) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¾ teaspoon pure almond extract
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1½ cups (204 g) all-purpose flour
• About 3 tablespoons sliced almonds, for the top
• 2 to 3 tablespoons raw, turbinado, or sanding sugar, for the top

Instructions

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray, or butter and flour it, then line the bottom with a parchment circle.
2. Put the raisins and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until the water has almost evaporated, about 6 minutes.
3. Keep the pan over steady heat, add the dark rum, and cook while stirring until the liquid boils away. Scrape the plumped raisins onto a plate or into a bowl and let them cool.
4. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan over very low heat, then set it aside to cool slightly.
5. Peel and quarter the apple, remove the core, and cut the fruit into roughly ½-inch chunks. You should have about 1 cup; set aside.
6. Put the sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking vigorously after each addition. Give the mixture a few extra beats after the final egg, then whisk in the salt, almond extract, and vanilla.
7. Switch to a flexible spatula and gently stir in the flour in three additions, mixing only until it disappears. The batter will be thick.
8. Work in the melted butter in four additions with a motion between folding and stirring. Continue until all the butter is absorbed and the batter is thick, satiny, and smooth. Fold in the cooled raisins and any liquid that collected with them.
9. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Scatter the apple chunks evenly over the batter, followed by the sliced almonds. Finish with an even dusting of raw, turbinado, or sanding sugar.
10. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the cake has risen in the center, the top is deeply browned, and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge, invert the cake, remove the parchment, then turn it right side up on another rack and cool to room temperature.