Iny's Prune Cake

Iny's Prune Cake (Iny's Prune Cake with Buttermilk Icing) is a recipe appearing in The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl.

Official description
I was fortunate enough to happen upon my great-grandmother Iny's prune cake recipe a couple of years ago. It was written by her frail, small hands, and I rushed out to buy the ingredients the same day. Marlboro Man [author's hunsband] will never eat this, I thought later that day, as I mashed up the cooked prunes according to Iny's instructions. Anything with the word prune in it, I reasoned, would instantly be marked off the list.

Marlboro Man returned from working cattle a little while later and noticed the warm cake sitting on the kitchen counter. Before I had a chance to tell him what it was, he'd cut himself a big piece and gobbled it up. Then he gobbled up another piece. Then he had more for dessert that night.

Since then, I've made this cake more than a dozen times, and have never let my dear husband in on the ingredients. And today, I'm tired of living that lie.

''Honey, it's me. That delicious, gooey coffee cake I make for you so often? The one you gobble up in seconds? It's called Prune Cake. Please forgive me. Love, your wife''

Ahhh. I feel so much better now.

Recipe
Cake
 * 1 cup prunes
 * 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
 * 1 teaspoon baking soda
 * 1 teaspoon nutmeg
 * 1 teaspoon cinnamon
 * 1 teaspoon allspice
 * 1 cup sugar
 * 3 eggs
 * 1 cup canola oil
 * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 * 1 cup buttermilk (if you don't have any, add 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar to just under 1 cup low-fat milk and stir together)

Icing
 * 1 cup sugar
 * 1/2 cup buttermilk (see above)
 * 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
 * 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
 * 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
 * 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 300*F and butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

Place the prunes in a small saucepan.

Cover them with water. Bring to a low boil and cook until soft and mashable, about 8 minutes.

Drain the water and mash the prunes on a plate. It's okay to leave little chunks behind. Gives the cake some character! I just love cakes with character.

Set the prunes aside and make the cake. Sift together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. Mmmm... smells like the holidays.

In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and splash in the buttermilk. Stir until just combined. The mixture will be slightly lumpy.

Now throw in the mashed prunes. And if your honey walks in as you're completing this step, shield the bowl with your body and stir quickly. What he doesn't know won't hurt him. [sic]

Pour into a buttered baking pan and bake at 300*F (a low temperature) for 35 to 40 minutes. Grandma Iny was adament: do not overbake the cake. You want it to be nice and moist.

When the cake has about 5 minutes left to bake, make the icing: combine the sugar, buttermilk, butter, baking soda, corn syrup, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine.

Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat. No need to stir.

Continue boiling until the icing turns a light caramel color, 5 to 7 minutes. Important: The icing should be the color of caramel, but not yet firm and sticky. It needs to be pourable.

Pull the cake out of the oven. Try not to faint, as it smells absolutely divine.

While the cake is very warm, pour the icing evenly over the top. Work fast, as it will quickly start to soak into the cake.

Spread to coat evenly then please, do yourself a favor: lick the spatula. It'll make you smile. Serve immediately, or feel free to let the cake sit on the counter for a while before serving. It only gets better with age.