TWD: Prune Armagnac Cake or "I Get No Respect"

Prunes. Say it with me now.

Prunes.

Why is it that this little snack is so hated? Why do people turn their noses at the sight of them? Why are they hidden on the bottom shelves at supermarkets, where no man’s hand has ever ventured?  Why do marketers across the world call this product by a different name: “Dried Plums”, in order to increase sales?

Is it their sticky, sweet coating? The fact that you eat them to help push along the digestive system?  Their odd resemblance to the product of that digestive coaxing?  

I was not going to let these little prunes have the best of me.  Lyb of And Then I Do the Dishes (click for recipe) chose this cake and I was going to make it!  I have heard about the Prune and Armagnac combination endlessly and was curious as to what all of the excitement (for prunes!) was all about.

I tackled it head on. I decided to make a roll cake and fill it with a Prune and Armagnac Buttercream.

I was not scared.

The verdict on the taste of prunes in cakes can be summed up with this little story.

“Do you want a caramel crunch bar?” I asked my boyfriend, Jack, hoping he’d polish off the last ones so that they would stop beckoning me from the freezer, after he finished his dinner.

He looked at me as if I had asked him the dumbest question in the history of dumbest questions. “No, I want a piece of chocolate cake.”

Obviously.

I laugh, but am slightly nervous at his reaction. He doesn’t know that this cake contains prunes. On the outside, it just looks like a delicious chocolate cake. On the inside, it is studded with tiny little bites of this shriveled “grandma fruit”.

He sliced himself a piece of cake and set it aside on his desk as he completed an assignment for his class.  I impatiently looked back and forth between my boyfriend and the piece of cake, curious as to what his reaction would be.  His face is the perfect indicator to the success (or failure) of my cooking/baking. If it was good, I’d get a smile and he’d say “That’s really good” with a slight laugh.  If it was excellent, his face would light up and he’d look at me with wide eyes and exclaim “Baby!” And if not… well, I’d get a nod and a forced smile.  

Finally, I grabbed the fork, plunged it into the cake, and put the forkful of chocolate cake in my boyfriend’s mouth.

He smiled at the gesture, thinking I was being sweet by feeding him while he worked so hard.  As he chewed, his face began to shrivel, much like the hidden fruit that he was surely chewing at that moment. He looked at me, brows furrowed. Confused, he pushed a piece of the prune through his pursed lips, as if to ask “What the hell is this?”

“It’s a prune.” I informed him.

Horror flooded his expression as he choked down his bite of food.  “Why would you do that?” he demanded to know. “Why would you ruin a chocolate cake with prunes? It’s not even an attractive sounding food.”

Needless to say, we have not eaten any more cake.

(I did try a bite of this cake. I thought it was pretty good, but it's not one of the Dorie desserts that makes me want to curse my slow metabolism and force willpower upon myself. The prunes didn’t bother me, but they didn’t improve the taste or experience, either.  I thought it was a pretty good chocolate cake recipe, but not one that stood out so much that I had to make it again, though I did like the addition of the prune buttercream.  And it was my first roll cake, so at least it was somewhat successful!)

I think if prunes could talk, they would quote the late Rodney Dangerfield.

“I get no respect.” 

Check here for more prunes!

Prune and Armagnac Buttercream:

1/3 cup water
2 cups granulated sugar
5 egg whites, room temperature
1 lb. unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened

6 prunes, pitted and chopped fine
¼ cup water
¼ cup Armagnac,

Cognac

or other brandy

For the prunes:

Heat prunes and water until water is almost evaporated.  Remove from heat and add Armagnac. Standing back, light the Armagnac with a match.  When the flames die out, put prunes and liquid in a bowl and let cool.

For the buttercream:

Combine  1/3 cup water and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until it reaches 250° on a candy thermometer. Put egg whites in the clean bowl of a standing mixer and whisk on medium-low speed for 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and whisk whites to soft peaks, about 1 1/2 minutes. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar while continuing to whisk, then increase speed to medium-high and whisk until whites form stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Carefully pour syrup into whites, whisking until cool, about 10 minutes. Add butter, bit by bit, whisking constantly until buttercream is shiny and fluffy, about 8 minutes. (Mixture may curdle, but will eventually come together.)

Using half of the buttercream, mix in prunes and any remaining liquid.  

Comments

[Cathy]

Wow, you cake looks brilliant! The buttercream . . . the roll. I'm sorry it didn't do it for you guys. To my great surprise, the prunes didn't bother me. They didn't completely disappear, but they were relatively unobtrusive. I am not 100% sure they are needed at all, though. Oh well - I guess we can't love them all!

[Megan]

And that, my friend, is the exact reason why I left those dastardly prunes out of a perfectly good cake!

[Wendy]

I love the roll cake. How very cool. The prune-armagnac buttercream sounds delicious. I actually like prunes.

[mike]

Ok - THAT is very cool! I love the roll. A jelly roll cake is something I've never done, and always wanted to. Love the idea! I liked the prunes myself, but couldn't find Armagnac anywhere and used Cognac. That's a really neat idea.... I love it when people think outside the box. Or outside the cake. Nice work!

[farah]

Well no one can blame you for not trying :), your cake looks great!

I actually really like prunes but that wasn't enough for me to make this cake ;)

[Amanda]

Wow beautiful roll cake, I never would have thought of doing that. I don't like prunes but thought they added a nice texture to this cake

[iahawk89]

Very cool looking cake! I'll eat it! I actually like prunes. Go figure.

[Tangled Noodle]

This looks perfectly delicious to me! I don't find prunes by themselves to be appealing but chocolate makes everything better. 8-)

[OysterCulture]

This recipe sounds wonderful and I heartily agree with your line of questioning about why prunes are so unpopular. I've recently seen themrenamed in advertisements to dried plums.But I have to say, I never heard the ter "digestive coaxing" before,and cannot wait to bring it up in conversation.

[LyB]

You did a fantastic job on the roll cake! I wish I'd have thought of Prune and Armagnac Buttercream, it sounds delicious. But, I like prunes. ;) I'm sorry you didn't like it much, but I'm glad you tried it. Thanks for baking along with me this week!

[peggy]

We loved this cake even with the prunes. But I did not tell my co-workers what was in it and they guessed raisens. So all was good. Your cake is beautiful!

[Maria]

Awesome job on the cake!!

[Jennifer]

Your posts always crack me up!!!!

Beautiful job on your cake...it is gorgeous!!!

P.S. Hello, my name is Jennifer, and I am a prune hater.:(

[Madam Chow]

Incredibly creative and hilarious (as usual!). I LOVE prunes. Maybe people like me make up for all the folks who don't!

[Sabrina]

You did a fantastic job!!!!! WOW! Great idea too!
I didnt make it this week. Not because I don't like prunes. I am one of the select few who actually really like prunes.

[Spike]

well, it looks beautiful. Sorry you guys didn't like this one

[Susan]

So smart with the buttercream- it looks fantastic all rolled up.
I can see that whole scenario going down - can hear it even. Poor Jack.
Prunes are a grandma fruit for sure. Nice call.

[Melissa]

Your cake came out so pretty. It's such a shame you did all the work and didn't like it. I hate it when that happens!

[Jennifer]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I thought the prunes in the cake sounded good! (And when I made it, I thought they tasted good, too).

You are brilliant and brave to make the buttercream AND a jelly roll cake. I've never made "real" buttercream, or attempted to do a roll cake, either!

[Sihan]

a roll cake! how innovative. and you sure are harsh with your bf. haha. i force feed my boyfriend too sometimes when I'm eager for him to try something. haha.