Prune Bundt Cake

why do prunes have a bad rap?

inside the prune abyss

prune cake! don't be a hatin' on my prunes

Spiced Prune Cake from this month’s issue of EVERYDAY FOOD:

-2 cups all purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

-1 cup pitted prunes

-2 cups sugar

-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

-1 cup of vegetable oil

-1 teaspoon ground cloves

-1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

-1 teaspoon salt

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-1 cup plain yogurt (recipe called for buttermilk, but i used yogurt instead)

-3 large eggs

-1 cup coarse chopped walnuts

-powdered sugar for dusting.

Oven Temp: 325 degrees

Butter & Flour a nonstick Bundt Pan (12 cup capacity). Add some flour to cover- tap out excess.

Boil some water-pour over the prunes to cover & let sit for 10 minutes. Drain & chop. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour/sugar/cinnamon/cloves/nutmeg/salt/baking soda- Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk oil/eggs/yogurt & eggs.

Add wet contents to dry contents. Add the prunes & walnuts.

Spoon into pan- bake until toothpick is clean. (1 hour 45 minutes- 2 hours).

Immediately invert onto baking rake. Dust with powdered sugar when cooled.

***this was delightful! A wonderful Autumn treat. I think it would be great paired with vanilla ice cream & a caramel sauce. My husband ate a piece while sipping his Honey Rum we got in the Canary Islands.  Don’t hate prunes. They didn’t kill anyone.***

  • Melisser

    I wonder if I’d like this.. I’m not sure how I feel about prunes.

  • Tracy

    do you like raisins?

  • reya

    I love prunes! And this looks like a recipe made for autumn. Adding it to my my to-bake list.

  • Kat

    I was very leary about the prunes. But this cake is D-liscious! The best part is how the outer surface gets carmelized (that’s why you bake it for 2 hours) so it’s crunchy/chewy outside with a moist inside. We had it for Thanksgiving dinner, and breakfast, and with tea in the afternoon. It’s hard to stop eating. I guess after hydrating the prunes, they just turn into sumptuous, soft and rich flavored fruit – prunes are plums you know. So it’s the perfect holiday flavor when combined with the other spices (nutmeg, cloves, cinnammon). And it beats fruitcake any day!

  • karn

    What oil? How much oil? It’s not on the ingredients list!!!

  • Tracy

    wow! thanks for catching that. It was one cup!! I’ll fix it above.

    Good luck!!

  • Emma Young

    I love prunes! There’s definitely some nostalgia influences wrapped up in this love – but regardless – prunes are simply delicious. I often stew them in milk with a cinnamon stick, for an after supper treat. I can’t wait to test out this recipe, yum. Thanks!

  • Kalon Sloan

    sorry to say but this was a complete disaster for me and my usually trusty Bundt pan…the cake welded itself to the pan and would not budge despite all the tricks I tried. I didn’t sub anything. I baked for 1 hour 30 minutes. Used my usual flour and oil spray. when I finally gave up and started to scoop it …actually pry it…out of the pan I broke the plastic knife. I am going to turn it into a parfait/trifle with some sweetened creme fraiche…will still be good but not the presentation I was hoping for. so sad.

    • Kalon Sloan

      This is a follow up to my comment from yesterday re the cake sticking to my pan. No one minded being served chunks of this delicious cake with the creme fraiche. I now realize that the very nature of the cake…the way it forms a thick, almost crunchy carmelized edge…doesn’t work in my somewhat intricate bundt pan. I will definitely make it again, but in a different pan. It really is delicious.

      • Tracy

        Thanks for the update! It’s definitely sticky! I hope you find the right pan for the job!

  • Kalon Sloan

    During this time of isolation I have been making about a bundt cake a week, sharing them with my nearest and dearest. Everyone that I shared my first attempt at this cake with… the “chunked” one that stuck to my intricate pan….. said it was their favorite, so I bought a simple, traditional bundt pan. Today I used it and the cake slipped right out with beautiful, smooth, burnished sides….YAY! Thank you for this great recipe.

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