- 1 3/4 cups packed pitted prunes (about 14 ounces)
- 1/2 cup Armagnac
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 6 kumquats
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Garnish: kumquats (preferably with leaves)
- Armagnac toffee sauce
- Armagnac ice cream
- Preheat oven to 350°F and generously butter an 11-cup Kugelhopf pan (see note, above) or 11-cup bundt pan.
- Halve prunes and in a small saucepan simmer with Armagnac and 3/4 cup water, uncovered, 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer prunes to a shallow dish to cool. Boil Armagnac mixture until reduced to about 1/2 cup and add to prunes.
- Halve kumquats lengthwise and thinly slice crosswise. In a small saucepan bring remaining 1/2 cup water with 1/4 cup granulated sugar to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add kumquats and simmer 10 minutes. In a fine sieve drain kumquats and add to prunes.
- Into a bowl sift together flour, baking soda, ginger, allspice, and salt. Resift mixture into another bowl.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter, remaining 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture and prune mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until just combined.
- Spoon batter into pan (pan will be almost full) and bake in middle of oven 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes and turn out onto rack to cool completely. Cake keeps, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature 1 week.
- Garnish cake with kumquats and serve with warm toffee sauce and ice cream.