Thursday, December 29, 2011

Portuguese Christmas Bread aka Prune Cake

This is another recipe from my Nana Carrie. She grew up in Santa Clara and the family worked in the orchards and canneries.  Prunes were a staple product of the valley.  Here is her recipe for Prune Cake.  Every year at Christmas time my mom and I chat about making it in regular size loaves, mini loaves and muffins.  The original was meant to be a loaf or "cake."  In current times prunes have gotten a bad rap so I sometimes just tell people it's a portuguese bread.  This year when I revealed my secret ingredient, most people were excited to try something new and even said how much they enjoy prunes.  And really, they are only giant raisins. ;)

Nana's Prune Cake

3C flour
1C sugar
1C oil
1C milk
1C chopped nuts (optional)
1C chocolate chips (a must!)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 lb (20oz) bag of prunes (cook and chop)

To cook prunes: add prunes to a med pot with 2 C water.  Simmer over med-high heat until turning light brown and soft.  Reserve cooking liquid and let cool.  Chop softened prunes in food processor.

Preheat oven to350 deg F.
Mix all ingredients in large bowl.  Use as much of the reserved liquid as needed to create a smooth pancake like batter.  The batter should have a light brown color.
Transfer to a loaf pan.**

** I also like making mini loaves and the recipe will make 5 mini loaves.  You can also bake in a 9x13 cake pan.  My mom recently made them into mini muffins.

Bake @ 350 for 45-50 minutes or until center comes out clean.*

* mini muffins: bake for 30-40 minutes.



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