- 1/2 cup rum
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted, cooled and chopped coarse
- confectioners' sugar for dusting
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9- by 3-inch tube pan, knocking out excess flour.
- In a small saucepan heat rum and raisins over moderate heat just until hot. Remove pan from heat and cool mixture. Strain mixture through a sieve and reserve raisins.
- Into a bowl sift together flour, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat butter with granulated and brown sugars until light and fluffy and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in applesauce and add flour mixture, beating just until batter is combined. Stir in reserved raisins and nuts and spread batter in pan.
- Bake cake 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean, and cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely. Dust cake with confectioners' sugar.