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Sister Nell's Prune Spice Cake

This cake is good with brown sugar frosting or simply drizzled with a glaze or dusted with confectioner’s sugar.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups pitted prunes, quartered
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsps. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp. ground cardamon or allspice
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 and a quarter cups sugar
• 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (rind)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
  
  Brown Sugar Frosting (optional):
  
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Butter and flour a 10” springform pan or a 10” Bundt pan and set aside.

Sift together the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine the butter, sugar, zest and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed five minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating and scraping well after each addition. On the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour. Don’t overmix.

Fold the prunes in by hand. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and spread batter to edges. Bake 50-55 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Run the tip of a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it.

Makes one 10” cake.