DRIED CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease and flour a 11x9-inch pan.
• Blend sugar and canola oil together in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer. Add eggs, flour, prunes, allspice, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add buttermilk, pecans, and vanilla extract and combine. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
• While cake is baking, mix buttermilk, sugar, butter, and vanilla extract together in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until it begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Pour glaze over cake when it comes out of the oven.
• Let glazed cake cool completely, about 30 minutes. Cut into squares.

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of one large 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or 2 smaller 8 x 4 loaf pans.
• In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the salt, baking powder and baking soda to combine. Add the brown sugar, all the dried fruit, and nuts and mix thoroughly with your fingers. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla extract until light. Pour the egg mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon or your hands until all the fruits and nuts are coated with batter. Scrape into the prepared pan (pans).
• Bake until the top is deep golden brown and the batter clinging to the fruit seems set, about 1 hour for smaller loaves, 10-15 minutes longer for a large loaf. Tent loosely with foil if the cake appears to be browning too much. Cook completely in the pan(s) on a rack.
• When completely cool, remove the cake from the pan(s). The cake keeps, wrapped airtight in foil or plastic wrap, for several weeks at room temperature or at least 3 months in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen for at least 6 months.
• To serve, cut into thin slices with a sharp heavy knife.