This family recipe comes to us from a Sweetalk Community member, Brenda Andrews. This classic Prune Cake recipe keeps and freezes well. It can also be baked in mini-loaf pans and given as a gift. Don't let the name "Prune Cake" bother you. After all, prunes are just dried plums.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Well grease and flour a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan (or mini-loaf pans). Set aside.
Beat together sugar, oil, and eggs. Sift together flour, spices, and salt. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk. Add buttermilk mixture alternately with flour mixture to sugar/egg mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in prunes and pecans by hand.
Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake 1 hour to 1-1/2 hours, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let rest on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely, top side up, on wire rack.
NOTE: To make stewed prunes, place a package of pitted prunes in a saucepan and barely cover with water. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until prunes are soft and most of liquid has evaporated, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool. Using fingers, break apart prunes until you have 1 cup. Reserve remaining prunes to eat on toast for breakfast.