Just an amusing story, and the recipe at the center of it:

During the holidays every year of my entire life my mother has made prune
cake and fruitcake from recipes passed down to her from generations past.
Because of my mother's declining health over the past few years, she has
passed these recipes on to me, and I've kept up the traditions as much as
possible. This year, we decided to not have the fruitcake, as so few of our
family members like it as much as we do, and we didn't want to go to the
expense or trouble of making it for just mother and me. But I did make the
prune cake, because I look forward to it each year, as does my dad. As far
as I am concerned, it's the best cake in the world. Not many of my other
family members like it, but that suits me fine, as there is usually plenty
left over for me and my dad.

So that brings us to the big family Christmas dinner at my house the Sunday
before Christmas. The dessert table was full of all the desserts I'd made...
pies, candies, cookies, etc.... and the prune cake, which I'd made the day
before and managed through sheer force of will to avoid sampling simply
because my father bet me I wouldn't be able to go without sampling it. I
KNOW the cake was on the dessert table because when my nephews asked what
kind of cake it was, I told them it was a prune cake and got the predictable
10-year-old boy's response to the word "prune". So I KNOW it was here then.
I haven't seen it since. There were 23 people here that day and it was
chaotic, especially for me as the hostess. After dinner and the festivities,
everyone gathered up their dishes (dinner was potluck, except for the meat
and desserts, which I provided) and went home happy and replete. I tossed my
leftovers into the fridge and fell out, exhausted, not giving a thought to
much of anything.

The next day, it occurred to me that I'd not even had time to eat any prune
cake, and went in search of it. It was gone. Pan and all. Mildly irritated,
I figured one of my sisterlings must have packed it up with their stuff. I
started calling. Nobody would own up to having my cake.

So now it's turned into this big joke in my family. The Mysterious
Disappearing Prune Cake. Mama says maybe this house is haunted like the last
one we lived in. But I don't think ghosts eat, do they?

So tonight I made another and it's warm from the oven right now, and
delicious. It needs no icing and is even better on days 2 and 3. You should
try it. It's good.

Miss Jean, who loves a mystery, but not when it involves my prune cake and
my best sheet cake pan.

Mama's Prune Cake Recipe

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup cooked prunes, chopped
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Stir in nuts. Pour into greased
and floured 13X9X2 pan. Cook one hour at 350 degrees F.

Miss Jean saw Sally selling seashells by the seashore and told us all
about it on Sat, 03 Jan 2004 02:34:26 GMT:


Maybe you have some very large and well-fed mice? lol Either that or
your dad stashed it so he could take it home and eat it all by
himself! Sounds like an interesting recipe... I like prunes but nobody
else in the family does.
~Karen AKA Kajikit

Nobody outstubborns a cat...

Visit my webpage: http://www.kajikitscorner.com
Allergyfree Eating Recipe Swap: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Allergyfree_Eating
Ample Aussies Mailing List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ampleaussies/

"Miss Jean" wrote in message thlink.net...
Just an amusing story, and the recipe at the center of it:

Thanks for the story and the recipe. Does anyone remember eating any
of the prune cake? Did they eat it and just don't want to admit how
good it is?

Does the prunecake make you "go"?

Just curious,
-L.

"-L." wrote in message
m...
: "Miss Jean" wrote in
message
thlink.net...
: Just an amusing story, and the recipe at the center of it:
:
: Thanks for the story and the recipe. Does anyone remember
eating any
: of the prune cake? Did they eat it and just don't want to
admit how
: good it is?
:
: Does the prunecake make you "go"?
:
: Just curious,
: -L.
===========

I'm guessing not (about the "go") unless somebody has a very
senstive *system*. My basis of this would be because in a
different sort of way, her cake reminds me of the Weight
Watcher's Prune Bread that is actually quite good and it didn't
seem to have the "go" effect.

Below is the Weight Watcher's recipe along with a variation that
I came up with that was quite tasty, too.
Cyndi

W.W. Prune Bread (w/my edited version of Tropical Cake)

12 chopped prunes ( or 3/4 c chopped Dates)
3 oz oatmeal flour
4 TBS flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 TBS fake brown sugar ( or 1/4 c Brown Sugar)
1 1/3 c non-fat milk powder
1 1/3 c water
4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp Black walnut extract
(1/4 c Coconut)

Chop prunes in the water. Mix together. Bake in a sprayed pan @
350 for about 15 minutes.

1 milk / 1 fruit / 1 bread / 3 extras- original recipe

"Kajikit" wrote in message
...
Miss Jean saw Sally selling seashells by the seashore and told us all
about it on Sat, 03 Jan 2004 02:34:26 GMT:


Maybe you have some very large and well-fed mice? lol Either that or
your dad stashed it so he could take it home and eat it all by
himself! Sounds like an interesting recipe... I like prunes but nobody
else in the family does.
~Karen AKA Kajikit


Karen,

Dad didn't get it. He told me if he'd taken it, he'd have bragged about it
when presenting me with my empty pan. All of which is true. It IS a great
recipe, and isn't really heavily prune flavored. Make yourself one. I
promise you can eat the whole thing by yourself, it's so good. And it keeps
very well.

Miss Jean

"-L." wrote in message
m...
"Miss Jean" wrote in message
thlink.net...
Just an amusing story, and the recipe at the center of it:

Thanks for the story and the recipe. Does anyone remember eating any
of the prune cake? Did they eat it and just don't want to admit how
good it is?

Does the prunecake make you "go"?

Just curious,
-L.

-L.

One of the sisterlings ate a piece. LOML ate a piece. And my dad ate a
piece. Last time I eyeballed the cake there was more than half left. That
was about the time I was cutting a piece for my dad. Actually, those listed
above, along with my mother and myself, are the only ones in the family who
like prune cake. I didn't get any, and my mother had to give up prunes
because she is on a renal diet, and prunes have a high phosphorus content.

Nope, prune cake is a "no-go" food, unless you eat the whole thing, in which
case you SHOULD have to go, prunes or not.

Let me know if you try the cake.

Miss Jean

"Rick & Cyndi" wrote in message
newscEJb.48923$I07.147374@attbi_s53...
"-L." wrote in message
m...
: "Miss Jean" wrote in
message
thlink.net...
: Just an amusing story, and the recipe at the center of it:
:
: Thanks for the story and the recipe. Does anyone remember
eating any
: of the prune cake? Did they eat it and just don't want to
admit how
: good it is?
:
: Does the prunecake make you "go"?
:
: Just curious,
: -L.
===========

I'm guessing not (about the "go") unless somebody has a very
senstive *system*. My basis of this would be because in a
different sort of way, her cake reminds me of the Weight
Watcher's Prune Bread that is actually quite good and it didn't
seem to have the "go" effect.

Below is the Weight Watcher's recipe along with a

RECIPE SNIPPED EXCEPT THIS LINE
4 TBS fake brown sugar ( or 1/4 c Brown Sugar)

What, pray tell, is fake brown sugar?

Is this something I need?

BTW, the prune bread sounds interesting, too

Miss Jean

"Dog3" wrote in message
4...
"Miss Jean" deliciously posted in
hlink.net:


The next day, it occurred to me that I'd not even had time to eat any
prune cake, and went in search of it. It was gone. Pan and all. Mildly
irritated, I figured one of my sisterlings must have packed it up with
their stuff. I started calling. Nobody would own up to having my cake.

My dog didn't sneak into the house by any chance, did she She steals
food when given the chance. Perhaps the Xmas mouse nabbed it.

Michael

Michael,

Unless your dog is a 10 week old black lab puppy, it didn't sneak in here.
Someone dumped this little pup out at my house three days after Christmas.
I'm trying to find him a home. We have 4 dogs in the house already, one of
which is only 8 days old. And lab pups are a serious handful. Anybody want
him?

Anyway, my dogs don't eat off the table, so I know it wasn't them either.
They know better than to come between mama and her food. So.... the mystery
continues......

Miss Jean

"Miss Jean" wrote in message
hlink.net...
:
: "Rick & Cyndi" wrote in message
: newscEJb.48923$I07.147374@attbi_s53...
: "-L." wrote in message
: m...
: : "Miss Jean" wrote in
: message
:
thlink.net...
: : Just an amusing story, and the recipe at the center of
it:
: :
: : Thanks for the story and the recipe. Does anyone remember
: eating any
: : of the prune cake? Did they eat it and just don't want to
: admit how
: : good it is?
: :
: : Does the prunecake make you "go"?
: :
: : Just curious,
: : -L.
: ===========
:
: I'm guessing not (about the "go") unless somebody has a very
: senstive *system*. My basis of this would be because in a
: different sort of way, her cake reminds me of the Weight
: Watcher's Prune Bread that is actually quite good and it
didn't
: seem to have the "go" effect.
:
: Below is the Weight Watcher's recipe along with a
:
: RECIPE SNIPPED EXCEPT THIS LINE
: 4 TBS fake brown sugar ( or 1/4 c Brown Sugar)
:
: What, pray tell, is fake brown sugar?
:
: Is this something I need?
:
: BTW, the prune bread sounds interesting, too
:
: Miss Jean
:
: ========

giggle

"Fake Brown Sugar" is like the Sugar Twin brand or any other
'diet' type version of brown sugar.

Sorry, I didn't even think to explain it... LOL

Cyndi

Miss Jean, who loves a mystery, but not when it involves my prune cake and
my best sheet cake pan.

Mama's Prune Cake Recipe

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup cooked prunes, chopped
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Stir in nuts. Pour into greased
and floured 13X9X2 pan. Cook one hour at 350 degrees F.

1.)Please give directions for "cooked" prunes. Probably the same as
stewed prunes, but ya never know.

2.)Ever soak the prunes in some tasty booze?

3.)How does it taste when you use 1 cup butter, instead of veggie oil?

Greg Zywicki

"Rick & Cyndi" wrote in message news:pcEJb.48923$I07.147374@attbi_s53...
Below is the Weight Watcher's recipe along with a variation that
I came up with that was quite tasty, too.
Cyndi

W.W. Prune Bread (w/my edited version of Tropical Cake)

12 chopped prunes ( or 3/4 c chopped Dates)
3 oz oatmeal flour
4 TBS flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 TBS fake brown sugar ( or 1/4 c Brown Sugar)
1 1/3 c non-fat milk powder
1 1/3 c water
4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp Black walnut extract
(1/4 c Coconut)

Chop prunes in the water.

Took me a while to find the water.

How do you chop prunes in water? Food processor? Mezzaluna in a bowl
of water? Very tiny knives?

Oatmeal flour is an unusual ingredient. Good idea, though. Do you
make it yourself by grinding up oats? Do you toast the oats first?

Greg Zywicki wrote:

Oatmeal flour is an unusual ingredient. Good idea, though. Do you
make it yourself by grinding up oats? Do you toast the oats first?


Drifting off the topic of prune cake and on to the topic of oat flour--

I use oat flour all the time. I take old fashioned oatmeal and spin it
in the food processor with a steel blade to make oat flour. I use it in
place of half the white flour in cake and cookie recipes. I can't quite
describe the change in taste because it is subtle but nice.

I've never toasted the oats and think I'll experiment with that.

--Lia

"Greg Zywicki" wrote in message
m...
Miss Jean, who loves a mystery, but not when it involves my prune cake
and
my best sheet cake pan.

Mama's Prune Cake Recipe

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup cooked prunes, chopped
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Stir in nuts. Pour into
greased
and floured 13X9X2 pan. Cook one hour at 350 degrees F.

1.)Please give directions for "cooked" prunes. Probably the same as
stewed prunes, but ya never know.


Cooked prunes, in this recipe, just means put a half a box of prunes in a
small sauce pan with a little water and bring them to a simmer, and simmer
for a couple of minutes. They are basically just rehydrated and softened.


2.)Ever soak the prunes in some tasty booze?

Never tried soaking them in booze, as my mother is teetotaler baptist. What
would you suggest I try? I might like that.


3.)How does it taste when you use 1 cup butter, instead of veggie oil?

I don't know, as I've never made any substitutions in the recipe other than
trying other kinds of nuts, depending on what I have on hand. If you try it
let me know. But it seems like the oil is important for the texture.


Miss Jean


Greg Zywicki

"Greg Zywicki" wrote in message
om...
: "Rick & Cyndi" wrote in message
news:pcEJb.48923$I07.147374@attbi_s53...
: Below is the Weight Watcher's recipe along with a variation
that
: I came up with that was quite tasty, too.
: Cyndi
:
: W.W. Prune Bread (w/my edited version of Tropical Cake)
:
: 12 chopped prunes ( or 3/4 c chopped Dates)
: 3 oz oatmeal flour
: 4 TBS flour
: 1 tsp baking powder
: 1/2 tsp baking soda
: 4 TBS fake brown sugar ( or 1/4 c Brown Sugar)
: 1 1/3 c non-fat milk powder
: 1 1/3 c water
: 4 tsp cinnamon
: 1/2 tsp Black walnut extract
: (1/4 c Coconut)
:
: Chop prunes in the water.
:
: Took me a while to find the water.


** Sorry - I suppose I could rearrange the ingredient list... I
haven't bothered though.

:
: How do you chop prunes in water? Food processor? Mezzaluna in
a bowl
: of water? Very tiny knives?
:

** Food Processor. A blender would probably do the job too...

: Oatmeal flour is an unusual ingredient. Good idea, though. Do
you
: make it yourself by grinding up oats? Do you toast the oats
first?

** Toss Quaker Oats into the food processor and whirl until it's
of a *flour* consistency.

"Miss Jean" wrote in message ink.net...
"Greg Zywicki" wrote in message
m...

2.)Ever soak the prunes in some tasty booze?

Never tried soaking them in booze, as my mother is teetotaler baptist. What
would you suggest I try? I might like that.

Rum, or coconut rum, or brandy, or Grand Manier, or whiskey, or Port.
I can't think of any other appropriate liquers or aperitifs.

Greg Zywicki