I love that this is a special recipe for Kelly. It is very sentimental for me, too. When I was growing up in Midland, Texas, the Lucas family moved in next door when I was about ten. They had four boys, a great dad, and a mom who could cook like nobody’s business. Her given name was Pauline, but we only knew her as Poddy. She was adorable, and so quick to share a recipe. From the minute we tasted this cake we were in love with it. My mom made it often – especially around the holidays. From time to time she drizzled the cake with the lemon icing. It is a delightful flavor combination. Most of the time, however, a simple dusting of powdered sugar was all the “presentation” that was required! There’s just something about the warm flavor of the spices – cinnamon, cloves and allspice, that is comforting and homey. When I went off to Texas Tech University, Mom would frequently send the cake to me. Not too long ago, my college roommate, Carolee, and I caught up on Facebook. One of the first things she mentioned was the memory of us sitting in the middle of the floor in our dorm room devouring this yummy cake. I’m always amazed at how a special food or meal evokes such happy memories. It must be “all the right ingredients”!
I hope you love this cake as much as Kelly and I do.
Prune Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 ½ Cups Sugar
- 3 Large Eggs
- ½ tsp Table salt
- 1 Cup Canola oil
- 1 Cup Buttermilk full fat
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 2 Cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Ground cloves
- 1 tsp Ground allspice
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 Cup Chopped pitted and stewed prunes*
- 1 Cup Chopped pecans
Icing: (optional)
- 8 oz Butter melted
- 1 Box Powdered sugar
- 1 Lemon zested and juiced
Instructions
- To prepare the cake: Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a bundt pan well with Baker’s Joy (or grease and flour). *Simmer prunes in water to cover for about 10 minutes. Drain and let cool. Remove pits if necessary, and chop. Reserve for later.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the sugar, eggs, and salt until pale yellow. Gradually add the oil. Stir the baking soda into the buttermilk (it will bubble up), and add into the mixer bowl. Stir together the flour, spices, and baking powder. Gradually add into the mixture while beating slowly. Beat to combine. Add the reserved prunes and pecans. Mix well. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about an hour, or until the top is browned and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely. Drizzle with icing if desired. This cake keeps well and freezes beautifully.
- To prepare the icing: Combine all the ingredients and stir until smooth. (To insure smoothness it’s a good idea to sift the powdered sugar to prevent lumps!) Drizzle over the cooled cake.