slice of prune cake with whipped cream

Chef Dustin Valette’s Simple Almond Cake with Prunes

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Chef Dustin Valette of The Matheson and Valette in Healdsburg California, grew up in Sonoma County surrounded by prune orchards, an area once known as “The Buckle of the Prune Belt.” We took his Warm Plum Almond Cake recipe, made with fresh prune plums, to make this year-round version.

This original Warm Plum Almond Cake recipe made the pages of Wine Spectator magazine, alongside a story about Dustin’s childhood walking among prune orchards in the Alexander Valley. Dustin pairs his summer plum cake with a plum-orange gastrique and vanilla Chantilly cream.  While some things change in the year-round version, it still gets a prune-orange gastrique and the same Chantilly cream.

Here’s what you need to make this Almond Sponge Cake with Prunes.

The almond flavor in this fluffy sponge cake comes from almond paste, which you can buy in the baking section of grocery stores or make yourself. Almond paste combines finely ground almonds and almond extract with a bit of sugar and egg white, for layers of flavor. To make this cake, you’ll need:

For the almond cake

  • California Prunes
  • sugar
  • unsalted butter
  • powdered sugar
  • almond paste
  • orange
  • vanilla bean
  • eggs
  • all-purpose flour
  • Kosher salt

For the gastrique

  • California Prunes
  • orange
  • sugar
  • vanilla bean
  • fresh lemon juice

Chantilly cream + garnish

  • orange zest
  • crème frâiche
  • powdered sugar
  • vanilla bean
  • sliced almonds for garnish, optional

Prunes make the menu at Valette all year round!

The charucertierie at Valette in downtown Healdsburg is a star on the dinner menu featuring local cheeses, house-cured heritage meats and housemade mustards – including a standout prune mostarda.

If you’d like to try prune mostarda at home, try this version by Chef Kat Turner of Highly Likely Café in Los Angeles. She pairs it with cheese boards too and slathers it on the High Likely famous turkey sando.

The Ultimate Cheese Board with Pink Peppercorn Prune Syrup, Prune Mostarda, cheeses fruit and corn nuts

Let’s get baking – Chef Dustin’s Almond Cake awaits!

a slice of Chef dustin valette's almond cake with prunes sliced with chantilly cream

Spongey Almond Cake with Prune-Orange Gastrique and Chantilly

Recipe inspired by Chef Dustin Valette
Chef Dustin Valette’s warm plum almond cake evokes his childhood memories of strolling through an orchard in Healdsburg, eating summer plums. Our take on this spongey, comforting recipe utilizes California Prunes to offer similar flavors year-round–the rich flavors of the prunes balance the citrus and slight tanginess in the crème frâiche. It’s best enjoyed warm, so make a plan to share with friends!
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings
Calories 362 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

For the cake

  • 2 cups California Prunes sliced in half
  • 3 TBSP sugar divided
  • 4 oz unsalted butter at room temp
  • 4 oz powdered sugar
  • 4 oz almond paste
  • ½ orange zested
  • ½ vanilla bean scraped, seeds only
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • Pinch kosher salt

For the gastrique

  • ½ cup California Prunes about 12, finely chopped
  • ½ orange zested
  • 1 orange juiced (about ½ a cup)
  • 1 TBSP sugar
  • ¼ vanilla bean
  • 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

For the Chantilly cream

  • ⅔ cup crème frâiche
  • 1 TBSP powdered sugar
  • ¼ vanilla bean scraped, seeds only
  • orange zest for garnish
  • sliced almonds for garnish optional

Instructions
 

  • In a medium bowl, toss the halved prunes in 2 TBSP sugar. Set aside.
    baking ingredients for almond cake with California prunes in the middle
  • Combine the softened butter, powdered sugar, almond paste, orange zest, dash of salt, and vanilla bean seeds in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix at medium speed for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue mixing an additional 2 minutes. Remove the bowl, sift in the flour, and gently fold the batter with a spatula just until incorporated–be careful to not overmix.
    smoothing almond cake batter over sliced prunes
  • Preheat the oven to 325° F (165 C).
    Line the bottom of a 9×9-inch (23×23 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, then grease with butter or baking spray. Shingle the sugared prune halves, cut side facing up, along the bottom, overlapping just slightly. Pour over the batter, gently spreading in an even layer to cover the prunes. Sprinkle over the remaining 1 TBSP sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Keep warm while preparing the gastrique and Chantilly.
  • For the gastrique: Combine the chopped prunes, orange zest and juice, sugar, and vanilla bean in a small pot over medium heat. Cook about 10 minutes, until the prunes soften and the liquid reduces to a syrup. Remove from the heat, remove the vanilla bean, and stir in the lemon juice. Adjust with sugar if needed–the mixture should be slightly sweet and bright from the citrus.
  • For the Chantilly: Combine the crème frâiche, powdered sugar and vanilla bean seeds in a chilled bowl, and whisk to soft peaks. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • To serve: Flip the cake upside-down onto a cutting board and remove the parchment paper. Slice and plate the cake, keeping the prunes facing up. Drizzle the prune-orange gastrique over each slice, top with a large scoop of vanilla Chantilly, and garnish with orange zest!
    slice of prune cake with whipped cream

Notes

If you’d like to skip the gastrique and Chantilly cream, the cake is fabulous with whipped cream, ice cream or sweetened mascarpone. 

Nutrition

Calories: 362kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 5gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 22mgPotassium: 432mgFiber: 4gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 754IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 1mg
Keyword almonds, cake
Tried this recipe? Want to save it for later?Share it on social and tag @CAPrunes or #CAPrunes!