Walnut Cake (Calabria)

Desserts

Ingredients

Dried Prunes - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 4 tsps

Grated rind of 1/2 lemon

Red wine - 1 cup

Butter - 6 tbsps

Granulated sugar - 1/3 cup

Eggs, separated - 2

All purpose flour - 1 cup plus 2 tbsps

Baking powder - 3 3/4 tsps

Butter and fine dry breadcrumbs for cake pan

Confectioners sugar

Soak the prunes in hot water for about 1 hour to soften them. Slit them carefully all around the middle and remove the pits. Dissolve the first quantity of sugar with the lemon rind and red wine, and drop in the prunes. Cover the pan and simmer over very low heat until all the liquid has been absorbed. Allow to cool.

Cream the butter with the sugar and beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Sift the flour and baking powder together twice, and beat gently but thoroughly into the butter. Beat the egg whites and fold them gently into the batter. Pour immediately into a deep cake pan, buttered and coated with breadcrumbs. Arrange the prunes on top and bake in a moderate oven (375F) for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the sponge is firm and a pale golden color. The cake will rise and the prunes will sink. Turn the cake out on to a rack, dust with confectioners sugar and leave to cool before serving.