PARTHENIA SHEARON BOYCE lived most of her adult life in Wartrace, Tennessee. Granddaughter MELANIE MARTIN (Nashville, Tennessee) shares that she learned at an early age to eat her “vegetable requirement” at every meal so she could have some of Grandmother’s delicious homemade desserts. And she confesses that a few hours later she’d feign hunger, in need of a snack, to beat her brother and daddy to the leftover pie or cake that would be in Grandmother’s refrigerator! Melanie adds, “My sweet granddaddy never vied for the leftover desserts—I suppose he knew how much I loved them and made the sacrifice. Plus, Grandmother would make it for him anytime.” Melanie shares that this used to be called a prune cake but thinks the name was changed to plum cake to be more appealing.
CAKE:
Vegetable shortening to prepare baking pan
1 cup prunes
½ cup water
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 ½ cups pecans, chopped
ICING:
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan.
2 TO MAKE THE CAKE, place the prunes in the water and let them sit until they are plump and easy to mash, approximately 10 minutes. Drain and then mash the prunes with a fork.
3 In a large bowl beat the eggs for two minutes. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla and mix until well blended.
4 In another large bowl mix the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and baking soda. Add the buttermilk and mix well.
5 Pour the buttermilk mixture into the egg mixture and stir together. Add the pecans and cooled mashed prunes and mix well. Pour into the greased pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6 TO MAKE THE ICING, while the cake finishes baking, place the sugar, butter, buttermilk, corn syrup, and baking soda in a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Over medium-high heat, bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly for approximately 5 minutes. While the cake is still hot, use a toothpick to make holes in the cake, and pour the icing mixture over the cake in the pan. Spread evenly over the top. Cut into squares and serve warm.
MAKES 18 TO 20 SERVINGS.