A wonderfully rich and moist spiced cake from a recipe by Mrs. Hayes. This large-batch cake is packed with cooked prunes and flavored with hot coffee, mace, and cinnamon for a deep, complex flavor.
Author
Mrs. Hayes
Recipe
| Measurements | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| 2 ¼ Cups | Prunes, Washed |
| 2 ¼ Cups | Sugar |
| 1 ¾ Cups | Crisco or other Shortening |
| 1 ⅛ Cups | Hot Coffee |
| 4 ¼ Cups | Flour |
| ¾ tsp | Salt |
| 1 ½ tsp | Mace |
| ½ tsp | Cinnamon |
| 2 ¼ tsp | Baking Soda |
| 4 | Eggs, separated |
Instructions
- Prepare the Prunes: Place the washed prunes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until they are soft and tender. Drain, remove the pits, and chop or mash the prunes.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a large (10-inch) tube pan or a 9x13 inch pan.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, mace, cinnamon, and baking soda.
- Mix Batter: Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture in three parts, alternating with the hot coffee in two parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined.
- Stir in the prepared prunes.
- Fold in Egg Whites: In a separate, clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the stiffened egg whites into the batter in two or three additions.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
