Cake layers are flavoured with almond extract and cardamom and held together with a prune filling flavoured with vanilla and cinnamon.
Extra care must be taken when making the filling. The recipe is filled with cautionary notes: stir constantly; don't forget the vanilla; cut each prune to check for pits. This year, we added quartered....
This year, even though each prune had been cut in half, we still heard that unmistakable rattle of pit when we began to puree the prunes. And so began of the painstaking search for stray prune pit(s).
The only sure way to search for stray prune pit(s) is by hand. Alas, finding a pit doesn't necessarily mean that there aren't more shards.
It is not a good idea to use one's toe to search.
In the end, we located one pit and a few shards.
Sadly, the prune pit(s) search was not the end of our problems. I don't know why but we seem to have difficulty remembering to add the vanilla. I'm afraid this is not the first time that we've had to scrape filling off of the cake, put it back into the pot and add the vanilla!!
With the help of the timer, we managed not to burn any of the layers. And at last the Vínarterta is ready for wrapping and storing. Please don't tell anyone that the bottom layer doesn't have any vanilla in it.
