I'm learning lost PLA casting in plaster and I've found that adding just a few percent of Portland cement and a few percent of sand really helps with the strength of the mold. The cement really slows down how quickly the mold dries though. I let it cure for a week, then put it in front of a space heater for a day and that blows warm air over it and helps remove moisture. Then goes into an old pottery kiln and heats to 110°C for 4 hours, then up to about 180°C for 2 hours, then up to 350°C for another 4 hours. I let it cool in the kiln overnight, then the next day it's ready for casting. It makes an almost exact copy of the surface finish on the 3d part, and there is no noticable voids in the cast part.
I also find it's a lot safer to surround the mold with sand (bottom and sides) before pouring the aluminum. It seems to hold any cracks in the mold together, but will also prevent any spilled aluminum from running all over the place.