Rum Raisin Coffee Cake with Peaches and Almonds

Rum soaked raisins, flaked almonds and a sweet and juicy fresh peach went together nicely in this easy to make crumb cake...as I had no sour cream, buttermilk or yoghurt to use I added Balsamic vinegar to milk to sour it and used that instead. A good way to use the last couple of tablespoons of my peach infused Balsamic vinegar, and it added some peach flavour to the batter.

The other inspiration for the cake was the fact that I wanted to use the raisins in the cupboard...and of course, the fresh summer peaches!

Place 1/3 cup of  raisins in a bowl and soak in 2 tablespoons of rum and leave to steep for about an hour.

Start by turning the oven on to 350F, and lightly greasing a 9" X 13" baking dish.

First, sour the milk by combining it with the vinegar:

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

Leave it to stand and sour while you start the cake batter.

Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer:

2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar

Add:

4 ounces cold butter, cut into pieces

Mix on a low speed with the paddle attachment, until the consistency is that of breadcrumbs.

Remove:

1/2 cup of the crumb mixture

Combine it with:

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Set aside.

To the remaining crumbs, add:

1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix to combine.

To the milk and vinegar, add:

1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk to combine.

With the mixer running on a low speed, gradually add the wet ingredients, stopping the mixer when the ingredients are just combined.

Add the soaking raisins, and any rum that has not been absorbed, to the batter. Stir in by hand.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and spread evenly.

Peel and slice:

1 peach

Place the peach slices on top of the batter.

Sprinkle the almond crumble evenly over the top of the peaches.

Bake until the cake is done (a skewer will come out clean) and the crumble is golden and crispy.

This took about 45 minutes.







Allow the cake to cool before cutting; serve with coffee or dress it up with whipped cream or ice cream and serve it for dessert!

• This cake also makes a great breakfast cake, serve it instead of muffins. You can also bake the batter in muffin pans if you like. The baking time will be a lot shorter, probably around 18 - 20 minutes.
• The longer the raisins are left to soak, the more rum they will absorb. Consider soaking them in the fridge overnight if you can.
• Other dried fruit can be used; the raisins can also be omitted. I liked the chewiness they added to the cake.
• The peach can be diced and mixed into the batter. Other fruit such as plums, apricots, nectarines, apples or pears will work as well.
• The crumble ingredients can be changed...try using things such as toffee bits; chocolate chips; other types of nuts; coconut; different spices.
• As I mentioned, I used milk that I added Balsamic vinegar to in order to sour it. Lemon juice can also be added to the milk for the same reason. If you have buttermilk, sour cream or yoghurt, use 1 cup of that instead. 
• The cake can be frozen after it is baked. It can be eaten room temperature or warm.