Cake aux raisins. Heritage

It was the very first time I saw this recipe that it caught my eye—because of the ingredients, and also the way it was prepared. Very different from other classical cakes, what the French call cakes en moule. Here, instead of whisking butter with sugar or mixing everything in one bowl, it called for making a crumble-like mixture that was later combined with the rest of the ingredients. It did seem a bit suspicious, especially after making an apple tart from the same book that turned out to be a complete and utter disaster. I did reduce the amount of raisins used, and added a bit more from me, yet the heart and soul of the recipe remained—and it turned out to be absolutely fantastic. Moist, dense and light at the same time, full of texture from the sponge, raisins and almonds. I’ve been making it again and again.


140 g raisins or corinths
80 ml cognac (or rum) + water

400 g all-purpose flour (T65 in France)
1/3 vanilla pod, seeds or vanilla powder
10 cardamom pods, seeds crushed
a pinch of sea salt
200 g cold butter, chopped into pieces
150 g golden caster sugar
10 g baking powder
200 ml full-fat milk
50 ml double cream
2 medium eggs, at room temperature
1 organic orange - zest and 80 ml juice
60 g flaked almonds

syrup:
liquid from soaking raisins
60 g golden caster sugar


Mix the raisins with cognac or rum and top with water so they are fully coated. Leave to rest for 4 hours.

Mix the flour, vanilla, cardamom, and salt with the butter to form a breadcrumb-like texture, then refrigerate for 4 hours.

Preheat the oven 175°C hot and line a 12 cm x 26/27 cm loaf pan with baking paper.

Strain the raisins, reserving 150 ml of the liquid.

Remove the breadcrumb mixture from the fridge. Add the sugar and baking powder, then mix. Add the milk, cream, eggs, zest, and juice. Mix until smooth. Fold in the raisins and almonds.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Using the back of a fork, make a long line down the centre of the batter, from one side to the other. Add small 5 mm strips of butter along this line.

Place the pan in the oven, one rack below the middle, and bake for about 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, combine cognac liquid with 60 g of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, allowing the sugar to dissolve. Once dissolved, increase the heat to almost the highest setting and simmer until the syrup has reduced by about one-third. Remove from the heat and let it cool.

Once the cake is ready, remove it from the oven. After 5 minutes, pour the syrup over the cake, one tablespoon at a time. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan. Then, gently lift the cake out using the baking paper and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Serve the cake warm or cold, either on its own or with a dollop of crème fraîche. The cake is best eaten on the day it is baked, when the outside is crisp and the inside remains moist. However, if you can’t finish it on the same day, wrapping it in cling film will help to keep it moist.