Prune Cake

This was the cake I asked my mother to bake me for my birthday each year. Most people would turn up their noses at any food with prunes in it, but oh are they wrong! This cake is wonderful. When my mother had to go to the nursing home, I found her recipe written in the back of an old cookbook. I was so excited and have been baking it ever since. In fact, then I started making it for her. By the way, I lost my Little Mama when she was 95 years old. She was a wonderful cook and passed it down to me.

Original recipe makes 1 Bundt cake

Ingredients

Cake:
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
 
Icing:
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons corn syrup, such as Karo®

  • PREP

    30 mins

  • COOK

    45 mins

  • READY IN

    1 hr 25 mins

Directions

  1. Combine prunes and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until prunes are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a fluted tube pan (such as a Bundt®).
  3. Mix flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, allspice, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Combine vegetable oil, 1 cup buttermilk, and eggs in a separate bowl; pour them into the flour mixture. Mix until fully incorporated. Use an electric mixer to blend in the drained prunes; the mixer will break them up a bit. Stir in the chopped pecans.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven until a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove cake from oven and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes on a wire rack.
  5. To make icing, combine 1 cup sugar, margarine, 1/2 cup buttermilk, vanilla extract, and corn syrup in a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for a full 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Invert cake onto a platter and pour hot icing over the cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 631 kcal
Carbohydrates: 73.2 g
Cholesterol: 32 mg
Fat: 37 g
Fiber: 3.1 g
Protein: 5.8 g
Sodium: 336 mg

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