What Rum Alternatives Can I Use For The Venetian Carrot Cake?

Our answer

Nigella's Venetian Carrot Cake (from KITCHEN) is a gluten free cake made with carrots and ground almonds (almond meal). It is studded with pine nuts and rum soaked raisins. Usually when a recipe states rum it means the darker type of rum. Dark rum is aged in oak barrels and usually has a slight caramel or butterscotch flavour. Some darker rums have more of a molasses flavour. White rum is not aged in the same way so does not have the same flavour and is usually used as a mixer in cocktails. Bourbon would be a good alternative, or whisky, and aged versions will have a deeper flavour.

For a non-alcoholic option apple juice could be used, or fresh orange juice. As both of these contain more sugar than rum make sure that you keep an eye on the raisins as they simmer, as the sugar in the juice could caramelize on the bottom of the saucepan if it boils too hard and for too long.