Prune Cake

By lindaauman

From Lisa's Carolina Kitchen: My Nana Cain passed away when I was only three, so most of what I learned about her was through stories and pictures. I used to enjoy sitting in the kitchen and listening to my mother talk about her while she was cooking. My Nana was said to be a phenomenal cook. The following is one of my all-time favorite recipes that I have from my Nana, written in her own script. I would love the days when my mother baked this special cake because it made the house smell all warm and delicious.

Ingredients

• ICING:
• 1 cup Wesson oil
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1 cup Buttermilk and
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of stewed pitted prunes
• 1 cup chopped pecans.
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Details

Adapted from facebook.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325.

STEWING the PRUNES:
In a small saucepan, place the prunes and just barely cover with water. Bring to a low boil and simmer until soft and mashable; about 8 minutes. Drain the water and mash the prunes - will be chunky. Set aside.

Combine oil, sugar, buttermilk, eggs and mix well.

Next, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat together well.

Fold in prunes and pecans.

Pour in a 9 X 13 Pyrex pan and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Do not overcook.

ICING:
When the cake has about 5 minutes left to bake, make the icing:
Combine buttermilk, butter, sugar, corn syrup, baking soda, and vanilla in a saucepan. Stir to combine. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat. Continue boiling until the icing turns a light caramel color, 5 to 7 minutes. The icing should be the color of caramel, but not yet firm and sticky.

Take the cake out of the oven and pour the icing evenly over the top. Spread to coat evenly.