Prune Cake with Buttermilk Glaze (a.k.a. Spiced Plum Cake)

Recipe from Hazel Cooksey (Alice's Maternal Grandmother)

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

In our family, it’s not Christmas without this cake.  It was my father’s favorite cake, my husband’s favorite cake and my son’s favorite cake. All three of them have plotted ways throughout the years to get my mother to make this cake for other holidays as well.  It’s just the most moist, perfectly spiced cake ever!  (We all agreed that the name of the cake seems to turn some people off from even tasting it, so before posting this recipe, we decided it should also be called Spiced Plum Cake, since, after all, prunes are just dried plums.) The cake can be made well in advance of the holidays.  It also freezes well.  

**Note:  Do not use uncooked prunes!  It takes about twenty minutes of simmering.  They must be soft.  If they're not cooked they don't mix in well.  Here’s how to cook the prunes:  Place pitted prunes in a saucepan.  Cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat and allow prunes to simmer 20 minutes.

Ingredients

¾ cups canola oil

1 ¾ cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup cooked** prunes, finely chopped 

1 cup chopped pecans

**Note:  Do not use uncooked prunes!  It takes about twenty minutes of simmering.  They must be soft.  If they're not cooked they don't mix in well.  Here's how to cook the prunes:

Instructions

Mix in the oil, sugar, eggs and buttermilk in a large bowl.

Sift together the flour, soda, cinnamon, ground cloves and the nutmeg

and then add to mixture

Add the vanilla, prunes, and pecans.

BAKE 40 minutes at 350º in pre-heated oven.  With a toothpick, poke holes in the cake while it’s still warm.

Buttermilk Glaze for Prune Cake

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

½ tsp. baking soda

½ cup buttermilk

1 Tablespoons dark Karo syrup

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

In a medium size pan, cook to a soft boil the sugar, soda, buttermilk, and Karo syrup. 

Remove from heat and beat in the butter until slightly thick.

Pour while hot over warm cake.