Prune Espresso Spice Cake

What can I say about this cake?

This is one of those cakes that is great with coffee or tea in the a.m.
It is a comforting cake and great for company.
It is sort of old fashioned.
yet a bit modern and complex.
People, young and old like this cake.
It tastes best on a grey, winter day.

I don't know what else to say, except I just had a piece, and this is what came to mind.

Why are you afraid of prunes?
They are just dried plums.
They get a bad rap here in the States, yet are heroes and the stars of so many desserts in France.
I love them.

The original recipe wants you to soak the prunes in espresso, then grind them up in a food processor with the coffee to make a puree. I decided to keep them in tact, using the hot espresso that they were soaked in.

I am also a lazy baker, as you know, and dumped everything into one big bowl, instead of the proper separation of dry and wet.
Bad girl.

I also made a delicious orange glaze and added sliced almonds to the top, because it looked kind of plain. But the taste is anything but plain!

This is a top 10 cake.

Prune Espresso Cake (adapted from Food52)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried prunes, quartered
1/3 cup hot espresso or strong coffee
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup maple syrup
2/3 cups whole milk
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter and flour a 10" spring form pan.

In a small bowl, plump up the prunes with the hot espresso or coffee for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Mix the flour and spices and baking powder in a large bowl.

Add in the espresso and the soaked prunes.
Next add in the melted butter, sugar and egg. Mix to combine.

Add in the maple syrup, vanilla (which I forgot to add!) and milk to the batter. Beat with a rubber spatula until the batter is light and fluffy.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.

After about 20 minutes, remove the cake ring from the pan and cool completely on a rack.

While the cake is still warm you can glaze it with a cup of powdered sugar and a few teaspoons of orange juice (whisk to make a glaze) and add some sliced almonds to the top, or just dust w/ powdered sugar when the cake has cooled.

Great warm, and even better the next day.

Enjoy!

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