Should I Use White Or Dark Rum For The Venetian Carrot Cake?

Our answer

Nigella's Venetian Carrot Cake from KITCHEN) is a lactose- and gluten-free cake that is studded with juicy raisins that have been plumped up in rum. This cake is moist and tender and very different to the spongy American-style carrot cake.

There are several different styles of rum, the most common being white, gold/amber, dark, spiced and overproof. Dark rum is usually aged in oak barrels for toasty, brown sugar notes. White rum is much lighter, milder and sweeter in flavour. Gold rum is aged for less time that dark rum and is usually a little sweeter than dark rum. These are the rums that would usually be used in cooking. Spiced rum is infused with various spices and overproof (and navy) rum has a very high alcohol content. For cooking and baking we would normally tend to use dark rum. However, for this particular cake it would be fine to use either gold rum or even white rum instead, if you already have one of these at home.