Old-Fashioned Prune Cake
What's a prune farmer's favorite way to eat prunes? Well, for the Mitchell Family the choice is easy: this Old-Fashioned Prune Cake recipe takes the (ahem) cake. A soft, prune-studded spice cake is covered in a buttery-sweet glaze that has everyone going back for another slice (or two.) Not convinced? What if we told you that it's the Pioneer Woman's favorite, too! It's time to get on the Prune Cake bandwagon.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup California Prunes minced (28-30 prunes)
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 cup neutral baking oil or olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 TBSP vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups (250g) gluten-free flour + 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp baking soda (bicarb)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup walnuts roughly chopped
For the icing:
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch coarse kosher salt
Instructions
Bake the cake:
- Place the minced prunes in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 20 minutes, then drain thoroughly.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150C) and spray a 13x9 inch (32x22 cm) metal or glass baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate mixing bowl combine the flour (or gluten-free flour + xanthan gum), baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture alternating with the buttermilk in 3 additions. Stir to combine. Fold in the drained prunes and walnuts.
- Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes until cooked through and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
While the prune cake is baking, make the icing:
- Combine all of the ingredients into a medium-sized saucepan. It will seem like the pot is too big, but the sugar mixture needs room to swell up in the pan. Bring to a boil and cook for 4-5 minutes or just before the softball stage.
- While the cake is hot from the oven and still in the pan pour the icing over the cake. Use a fork to gently poke holes all around the top of the cake so that it can absorb the icing. Enjoy the Mitchell family's Old-Fashioned Prune Cake at your next special occasion!
Notes
Nutrition
Calories: 538kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 6gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 370mgPotassium: 151mgFiber: 1gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 236IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 2mg