I gave a talk to a local chapter of Soroptimists last week and was peppered with requests, among them one from Judy Lee, who yearns for her mother's spiced prune cake.

I found the following recipe in a 1992 column by our late, beloved columnist Maili Yardley; who was writing about old-time bakers. This is Lucy Ross' moist prune cake, said to be particularly delicious.

I suspect, however, it's not what Lee wants. She said her mother's cake was the kind they used for groom's cake — very, very dense, moist and long-lasting. Anybody got that one?

LUCY ROSS' PRUNE CAKE

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolks, beaten until light

3 egg whites, beaten until stiff

2 cups chopped, stewed prunes, pitted and thoroughly drained

1 cup prune juice

1 container vanilla frosting (or make your own buttercream)

Sift together the flour, spices and baking powder. Cream the butter with the sugar until very fluffy. Add beaten egg yolks to butter and sugar. Add 1 cup prunes. Add flour mixture alternately with prune juice. Mix thoroughly and fold in beaten egg whites. Bake in 2 round layer pans at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick or straw emerges clean from the center of the cakes.

Cool on a rack. Fill and frost with vanilla frosting mixed with 1 cup mashed prunes.

Makes 8 servings.