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–+ servings
A slice of prune cake on a piece of parchment paper.
Kate Ramos

Café de Olla Cake

California prunes add moisture and richness to this festive (but simple) cake flavored with the essence of my favorite Mexican coffee drink: Café de Olla. Rich espresso, cinnamon, and clove turn this old fashioned prune cake into a stunner of a dessert.
Adapted from Old Fashioned Prune Cake from California Prunes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10 -12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Calories: 5
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Video Notes

Ingredients
  

For The Icing

Equipment

Method
 

  1. Soak prunes. Place the chopped prunes in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak 20 minutes, then drain.
  2. Prep. Heat oven to 300°F and grease a 10-inch round baking pan with cooking spray. Cover bottom with a piece of parchment paper and grease that as well.
  3. Mix wet ingredients. Combine oil, buttermilk, sugar, eggs, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth.
  4. Mix dry ingredients. Combine flour, espresso, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, and salt in a separate medium bowl. Whisk to break up any lumps.
  5. Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the prunes being careful to not overmix.
  6. Bake. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes or until springy and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs still attached.
  7. Stir icing. Make the icing while the cake is baking. Whisk together powdered sugar, buttermilk, and orange zest in a large bowl until smooth. The icing should be very thick so it doesn't run off the cake but still thin enough to drizzle. Start with 5 tablespoons of buttermilk, then add another tablespoon if necessary.
  8. Decorate. Let cake cool 15 minutes then run a knife around the edge of the cake pan and flip cake onto a plate or cake stand. Drizzle with icing and serve warm or room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 5kcalCarbohydrates: 1gSodium: 24mgSugar: 1g

Video

Notes

  1. Make Ahead and Storage. You can make this cake up to a day in advance and leave, covered, on the counter. It tastes even better the next day. It also freezes well. To freeze: bake the cake but do not make the icing. Cover well with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator, make the icing, and decorate the next day.
  2. Almond extract. The addition of almond extract in the wet ingredients adds a delightful nutty flavor to the cake. If you prefer you can substitute vanilla extract.
  3. Prunes. Make sure to drain the softened prunes before folding them into the batter to avoid excess liquid.
  4. Serving suggestion. For an extra indulgence, serve the cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delightful dessert combination.

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