Plum Torte

By all accounts, this is one of the most popular recipes of recent history.  Published first in 1982 in the New York Times, the recipe has been requested (or demanded) yearly by readers every fall.  Its popularity likely stems from its simplicity, and of course from the delicious end result.  It's made with a few basic ingredients and these delicious little Italian plums, which meld into the torte creating a wonderfully gooey plum-cake amalgam.  

I first came across this recipe late last fall, when Italian plum season had just ended.  I waited and waited to make the recipe, having been told that regular purple plums just wouldn't do, until finally another friend assured me that these fancy little Italian plums weren't necessary, and the torte would be just fine (great even) with purple plums.  Hurray!  Springtime plum torte, here we come!

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup unbleached flour, sifted 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/2 cup butter  
• 2 eggs 
• 7 to 12 Italian plums, pitted and halved; or 4 to 5 purple plums, pitted and cut in quarters
• 1 teaspoon (or more to taste) sugar for topping
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350°F. 
2. Sift together flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. 
3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy and light in color. 
4. Add eggs to butter mixture, one at a time, scraping down the bowl in between.
5. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture; mix just until combined.
6. Butter a 9-inch springform pan; add the batter to the pan and smooth the top. 
7. Arrange the plums, skin side up, all over the batter, covering it almost completely. 
8. Sprinkle the top with sugar and a light coating of cinnamon. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
9. Bake about 45 to 50 minutes until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into a center of the cake comes out clean (minus a bit of plum juice). 
10. Let cool on rack, and serve plain or with whipped cream. 

The NY Times article indicates that you can also refrigerate or freeze the torte if you like. To freeze, double-wrap the torte in foil, place in a plastic bag and seal.  To serve a torte that was frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees F.

Purple plums are beautiful this time of year.

Added a few more plums, sugar, and a bit too much cinnamon.

This torte is fabulous, and I have read (here and elsewhere) that it can be made with a number of fruits, including peaches, blueberries, cherries, even currants.  It was apparently called Fruit Torte, originally.  However, when using the plums (and possibly other fruits as well) it's best if you make the torte a day in advance, to let the fruit, juices, and cake come together creating one lovely union.

This recipe is simple, delicious, and now part of American culinary history (see again, the NY Times article).  As a cook from Tarrytown, NY is reported to have written, "The appearance of the recipe, like the torte itself, is bittersweet... Summer is leaving, fall is coming. That's what [the] annual recipe is all about."  Enjoy (any time of year)!

UPDATE: (Oct 2014) I finally prepared the torte with the Italian plums that the recipe calls for, and I actually think I prefer the regular old purple plums.  The Italian plums I had weren't as sweet as I recall the purple plums to be.  So, this just goes to show you, substitutions in recipes can be a good thing!