Stanford Hospital Prune Cake

Stanford Hospital Prune Cake

Although details are lost of the origin of this recipe which first appeared in the Sunset Magazine in the 1940's. The hospital is in Palo Alto, California.  The cake continues as a favorite. It makes a good coffee cake as well as a dessert.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

2 cups sugar

6 eggs, separated

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 1/4 cup finely chopped moist-pack pitted prunes

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup buttermilk (or regular milk mixed with 1 1/2 

   teaspoons vinegar)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Sweetened whipped cream

*

Directions:

Cream the butter and sugar well.  Add the egg yolks, and beat smooth.  Sift the flour, measure, then sift with the baking powder, soda, salt and spices.  Coat the prunes and nuts with some of the flour mixture, reserve.

*

Add remaining flour mixture a little at a time, alternately with the milk, to the butter mixture, beating smooth.  Then mix in the lemon juice, prunes, and nuts.  Beat egg whites stiff and fold into batter.

*

Pour into three greased and floured 9" round cake pans.  Bake in a 375^F oven about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Serve warm in wedges, with sweetened whipped cream on top; or put layers together with whipped cream.

Serves 12 to 16