At first glance, when I saw the recipe for New York Times famous plum torte by Marion Burros, I was surprised by the thousands of rave reviews. The recipe looks good, but is deceptively simple. But I trusted there was a reason for the hype, and I am glad I did. My mind is moving towards fall, so making this spiced version was the perfect use of some rapidly ripening plums I had on hand.
The amount of plums you use will depend on their size. Fit as many in as possible. The batter won’t seem like enough to handle all the plums, but it cooks up beautifully. The torte is a bit sloppy when warm, so be sure to leave some time for it to cool and set up before slicing.
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 6-8 plums (depending on size), pitted and halved
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a springform pan (8-10 inches) with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until smooth and pale. Beat in eggs. Add flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix until just combined.
- Spoon batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Arrange plums, cut side down, over top of batter, fitting as many as you can in one layer. Sprinkle top of torte with brown sugar.
- Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, until plums are soft, batter is cooked, and top is golden brown. Remove and let cool before serving.
Notes
Adapted from New York Times
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