Recipe - Armagnac Prune Cake

12 ounce Pitted prunes
2 cup Water
One fourth cup Armagnac or Cognac
1 One half cup Vegetable oil
2 One fourth cup Sugar
5 lg Eggs
2 tablespoon Vanilla extract
3 cup Allpurpose flour
1 tablespoon Baking soda
2 One half teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon Ground allspice
One half teaspoon Ground cardamom
One half teaspoon Ground cloves
1 teaspoon Salt
1 One half cup Buttermilk

GLAZE
1 One half cup Sugar
One fourth cup Unsalted butter
One half cup Armagnac or Cognac
2 tablespoon Light corn syrup
2 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Baking soda

OPTIONAL
Vanilla ice cream

FOR CAKE: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 F. Butter and
flour 12cup bundt pan. Combine prunes, water and Armagnac in heavy medium
saucepan. Simmer until prunes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain prunes,
reserving One fourth cup cooking liquid for glaze. Coarsely chop prunes.

Beat oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. In
medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, spices and salt to blend. Mix dry
ingredients into dry mixture. Add buttermilk, beating until batter is
smooth. Fold in chopped prunes. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake
cake until tester comes out clean, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Transfer to rack
in pan.

FOR GLAZE: Combine reserved One fourth cup prune cooking liquid, sugar, butter,
Armagnac, corn syrup, lemon juice and baking soda in heavy large saucepan.
Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 2 minutes.

Pierce cake in several places with long toothpick or wooden skewer. Slowly
pour 1One fourth cups glaze over hot cake. Reserve extra glaze. Let glazed cake
cool in pan 30 minutes. Turn cake out onto platter. Cool completely.

Cut cake into wedges. Serve with vanilla ice cream, passing additional
glaze separately as sauce.

Bon Appetit April 1991 Typed for you by Karen Mintzias