Secret Ingredient cake, I can't tell you, you have to try it first! (Iny's Prune Cake & Buttermilk Icing.)

I am a fan of Ree Drummond and watch her on Food Network, The Pioneer Woman whenever I can.  She recently made this cake for her daughter's birthday and I thought if a teenager likes prune cake it has to be good!  Right then I knew I would adapt and make this cake.   Good old boy, my husband, LOVES prunes and he's got the flu.  I thought this might tempt him and it did.  He loved it and ate it right down.  It is the only thing he has eaten right down in 4 days.

I doubt I will tell the family they are eating a prune cake (Sounds too healthy,) maybe it will be a spice cake. This is a tasty array of spices, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg, some of which are known antioxidants.  All in equal portions which I find unusual.  The end result is delicious!  This recipe also calls for 1 cup of canola oil instead of butter or shortening which is another plus.  Last but far from least the cake used 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk, another healthy alternative.  It is a sweet cake and truthfully you could cut back the sugar at least 1/3 to 1/2 cup in the cake portion I would think as the sweet caramel frosting melts into the cake and sweetens it too.  I am going to try that next time and there will be a next time!  One last comment I want to make is that this is an unusually light cake, much to my surprise.  I had expected a dense heavy cake, not that that would have been a bad thing.  It was just a surprise to me given the ingredients.


Ingredients for Iny's Prune Cake with Buttermilk Icing:

Butter for greasing the pan
1 C. prunes  (I used pitted, it's easier.)
1 1/2 C. flour
1 t. soda
1 t. allspice
1 t. cinnamon  (I use Vietnamese)
1 t. nutmeg  (I use slightly less if grated fresh from the pod, it's usually a bit stronger.)
1 C. canola oil
1 C. sugar
1 t. vanilla
3 eggs  (large)
1 C. buttermilk

Icing ingredients:

1 C. sugar
1/2 C. buttermilk
1/2 stick (1/4 C.) butter
1 T. light corn syrup
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. vanilla

The cake:  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. and butter well a 9" x 13" baking dish.  ( I got to use the brand new red one I got for Christmas! Added bonus!)

Put the prunes into a small saucepan and cover them with water.  Bring them to a low boil and cook them for about 8 minutes until they are soft and mash-able.  Drain them and place the soft prunes on a plate.  Mash them with a spoon, it is OK to leave some chunks.  Set aside and start the cake batter as follows.

Sift together the flower, soda, and spices.  Mmmmm.........smells heavenly.

Using the mixing bowl combine the oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs.  Mix well.  Add in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk mixing until well combined.  If you are hand mixing the batter may be slightly lumpy.   Secretly stir in the mashed prunes so your family is unaware of the magic secret ingredient you are adding.  What they don't know won't hurt them in this instance.

Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake 35-40 minutes.  Do not over bake the cake.

When the cake has about 5 more minutes to bake, make the icing.  (I set the timer for the cake to go off 5 minutes early to alert me and then set it to bake an additional 5 minutes.)

Serve warm.

Combine all of the icing ingredients in a heavy bottomed medium sized pan and bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat.  No need to stir.  Boil 5-7 minutes until a light caramel color.  IMPORTANT,  The icing should be the color of caramel but NOT firm and sticky.  It needs to be pourable.

Pull the cake out of the oven and note it smells absolutely wonderful!

While the cake is very warm pour the icing evenly over the top.  Work quickly as it will start to soak into the cake.   Spread the icing evenly with your spatula....do yourself a favor when finished, lick the spatula!  You will smile.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  It can sit on the counter, it only gets better.

Note, if you do not have buttermilk add 1 T. vinegar to 1 cup milk and stir.

Infinity Scarf (Circle) Large Double Loop in 2 Widths and Fabrics.

Both fabrics are in the same color family but one is smooth and glistening and the other is ribbed with a shimmer.

This double looped scarf would be lovely to set off any neutral color.

The ribbed texture of this double looped scarf really gives it a different appearance.

The first Infinity (Circle) Scarf I tackled measured  12" by 60" overall to start and turned out very nicely.  See "Sew an Infinity (Circle) Scarf", posted 11/3/12.   It made a single loop.  This time I have been pondering how to enlarge to a double loop.  I had 2 more beautiful pieces of fabric laid out and laundered that are a lightweight knit, both robin egg blue but of different textures.  One is for my sister Linda's birthday and the other will go into a box I have made up of goodies for my best friend Diane.

It seems to me 90" would be a suitable length to form into a circle and then be able to double the loop with enough slack to further knot if desired.  The width of 15" again would be fine but I may do one scarf a bit wider, say 18-19 " just for a change.

Because the fabrics are not 90 inches wide or long and I have determined that is the length I want to start at I am going to use two cuttings and seam them for the overall length.

The first scarf is made of two cuttings 15" x 45".  Sew one 15"  end to the second piece right sides facing with a 7/8" seam using a stitch suitable for knit fabric.  Now you have one piece of fabric 15" x 90".

Fold the fabric in half RIGHT sides facing each other and pin the long edge together.  Mark the fabric 4" from the ends as you will NOT sew here.

Starting 4" from the end sew a 7/8" seam along the long edge on the WRONG side of the fabric.  STOP 4" before you get to the end,  Turn the tube as if it were sock so the RIGHT side of the fabric is now on the outside.  Pin the two remaining 15" ends together, RIGHT sides facing each other then sew a 7/8" seam to close.  After finishing this step all that is left is a 8" opening.  Fold the seam allowance down and pin the seam closed.

Slip stitch the opening closed by hand.  This makes a nearly invisible closing for the scarf.

The second scarf is done the same way except I increased the width of the panel to 19" for a bit more width to the finished scarf.

I hate that I don't have anyone available to model these terrific scarves!

We've had a White Christmas & Happy New Years to all 2013.

Sledding on our front hill the morning after Christmas.

Hello there to everyone.  We have returned with colds and coughs and are laying about like old dogs!  We had a lovely Christmas and New Years with family and friends and hope you did too.  Given the intensity with travel and company I have not devoted a bit of attention to anything except whatever has been at hand.

The schedule has been hectic with everyone coming and going.  I do believe that everyone had a Blessed Christmas season.  We got to visit with Jacob at the Burress Christmas held this year at my sister Linda's home.  He continues to make slow but definite progress and we see miracles happen and blessings continue as our prayers are answered in the Lord's time.  Thank you for your continued prayers for his healing.

I am going to take another day to try and play catch up and get to feeling better than it will be cranking up the sewing machine and preparing "slow carb" meals as I have decided to repeat my diet of last year.  I have only gained back 3-4 pounds of the 35 I lost so I thought a 10-12 week diet each New Year might be a good thing to continue.

Again Happy New Year to you all and thank you for looking in on this blog.  I look forward to your comments and e-mails in the coming year.

Diane