Prinny's Prune Cake

                             I get asked for this one a lot! It's a great gift cake and goes well with coffee or tea.

Ingredients
  •   1 c oil (I use organic Canola oil)
  •   2 cups granulated sugar (I used organic cane sugar)
  •   3 eggs (I use extra large organic eggs)
  •   1 cup buttermilk
  •   1 teaspoon baking soda
  •   1 teaspoon vanilla
  •   2 cups flour (I use organic pastry flour)
  •   1 teaspoon each: nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice
  •   24 pitted prunes
  •   1-2 cups diced walnuts
  •   Powdered sugar

Directions
  •   Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  •   Prepare Bundt pan: Oil and flour a large Bundt pan (I'm using a silicon one)
  •   Cut up 24 prunes into small pieces and set aside (I use one can of the Sunsweet ones as they are moist and I sometimes add more than 24.)
  • Measure out 1-2 cups diced walnuts and set aside
  • Sift 2 cups baking flour with 1 teaspoon each of nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice and set aside (I use organic pastry flour).
  • In an electric mixer combine:
          1 cup oil
          2 cups sugar
          3 eggs (1 egg each time beaten w/fork before being added)
          1 cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon baking soda (I measure the buttermilk first and add the soda to it using a 2 cup 
          measuring cup as the mixture will expand. I also prepare it just after I prepare the flour mixture so it can rise a bit)
          1 teaspoon vanilla
  • When well mixed, add in the flour mixture, the prunes and the nuts and mix to evenly distribute.
  • Pour into your prepared Bundt pan.  
  • Bake for 60 minutes and check to see if done by the finger test (if you touch it and no indent is left it's done). If not done then, leave it in for another 5 minutes (it usually takes 65-68 minutes for me).  
  • Check for doneness with toothpick and by pressing your finger slightly to the top to see if it “bounces” back. If the toothpick comes out clean and the cake bounces back when pressed, it's done.
  • Cool 10 min. before taking out of the Bundt pan. Cool another 15 min. before dusting with powdered sugar.

Store in foil in the refrigerator. It will keep for 2 weeks if not eaten before!

                              Note: My recipe appears in Passionate Cooks online cookbook as Prinny's Prune Cake, p. 227
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