An Old Cake Recipe to Love

I have a recipe from a long time ago, more than 25 years ago in fact. I cannot say where it came from. Back then I copied down a recipe if it sounded good, with no concern for where it came from. This cake called my attention because it used pureed prunes in the recipe. I love prunes. It is a spice cake, which is also something I love, so this was a pure match made in heaven. 
 

Prune Spice Cake

It had been a really long time since last I made this cake. I was working on a cookbook for my daughter in law and this recipe was one going into the book for her. I now much prefer to take my own photos of foods I make, but back long ago that was the farthest from my mind. In fact, the recipe had no photo with it when I found it so long ago. I felt it might just be time to remedy these things: making the cake again, and getting photos for the first time.

The cake is a marvel of moistness, from the pureed prunes and ground nuts (a sure bet right there) to the extra sour cream I added in to the recipe. It is rich and dark and moist and spicy. I stopped right where I was with working on the cookbook and went downstairs to make the cake.  

When I thought about what kind of icing to use on this cake, I was just not in the mood for the traditional confectioners' sugar kind. I opted instead for the remake I made of my Grandma's icing recipe, which uses a cooked cornstarch & milk pudding as the base. For the cake I was making when I reworked Grandma's recipe, I called it Honey Butter Icing, and it can be found by clicking on that title. It was the perfect icing for a perfect spice cake. Decadently creamy and smooth, it doesn't seem so sweet as some, though it has plenty of sweetness.

Prune Spice Cake

Prune Spice Cake

Makes one (2-layer) 8 or 9-inch cake,
or one 9 x 13-inch cake

1 cup melted butter
1½ cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking Powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup cooked prunes, pureed
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup sour cream

Prepare pan(s): use either a 9 x 13-inch, sprayed with cooking spray, or two 8 or 9-inch round pans, sprayed with cooking spray, then lined with parchment and sprayed again. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together melted butter and sugar in bowl of electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the prune puree.

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Stir in pecans and the sour cream. Pour into prepared pan(s).

Bake for about 35 minutes or until cake tests done.  



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.