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After Hurricane Helene, Annie Forsthoefel, owner of Annie’s Cafe & Produce in the nearby town of Black Mountain, fed her community. On the anniversary of the disaster, she wrote in a newsletter to her customers:
“We’ll be sharing with each of you a free slice of cake — a beautiful southern prune cake, just a little spicy, perfectly sweet and lip-smackin good, baked with nothing but love. Because in the end, love is what carries us through: love for one another, love for the food that nourishes us, and love for this incredible place we are blessed to call home. May every bite be a reminder of the resilience, kindness, and joy that bind us together.”
Here is the recipe for the Southern Prune Cake.
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RECIPE: Southern Prune Cake
- Yield: Serves 10 1x
Description
This old-fashioned prune cake is wonderful. The spices and moistness will make it one of your favorites. Even if you don’t like prunes, you will love this cake. Most people never even realize it has prunes in it and they love it. It’s a very popular cake for a reason. If you have never tried this classic, you should!
Ingredients
The cake
- 1 cup pitted prunes, chopped (I used 25 prunes cut in about six pieces each)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
The topping
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tbsps dark corn syrup
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 6 Tbsps butter or margarine
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- I do not use a mixer with this cake. You will need 3 bowls: 1 large mixing bowl and 2 smaller bowls. Put your chopped prunes in one of the small bowls, cover with the buttermilk, and set aside.
- In the large bowl, add together the oil, sugar, and eggs, mixing well with a spoon.
- In the other small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg, and use a wire whisk to mix well.
- Pour the prunes and milk into the large bowl with the oil, sugar, and eggs. Add the dry ingredients and mix well with a spoon. (I use a wooden spoon.) Add the vanilla extract and mix.
- Spray a 9-by-13 cake pan and add the batter. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the center of the cake is done.
- While the cake is baking, combine all the topping ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Or, put them in a bowl in the microwave. Let the topping cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Once the cake is done, poke holes in it and pour the topping over the cake while it is still warm.
This recipe was first published by Judy Yeager on The Southern Lady Cooks. See more recipes and videos on their website.
