Let's face it: Prunes have a bad reputation, conjuring up images of nursing home fare and snacks for the intestinally challenged. Even with the recent rebranding of the fruit as dried plums, a prune by any other name is still...a prune. But don't let that dissuade you from making this rocking fabulous cake. It's astonishingly delicious.
Brown Sugar Prune Cake -- made from a c. 1950s recipe -- would be lovely for breakfast (baked in muffin tins if you want to convince yourself that muffins are not cake) or a wonderful snack any time. It's even good enough for a dinner party dessert.
Begin by cooking the prunes in a bit of hot water until soft. Drain and set aside.
Mix the batter ingredients.
Spoon into a prepared 8 x 8 inch pan, either greased and floured or lined with parchment paper.
Bake, cool, cut and enjoy!
I followed the recipe exactly, but used butter instead of margarine. For the nuts, I used walnuts. The final instruction (continued on the back of the card, not pictured) is to sprinkle the top with brown sugar. That step is not necessary; the cake is plenty sweet without this step.
