HG Cooks
Purple Plum Torte
Recipe by The New York Times
When The New York Times began working on their Essential New York Times Cookbook, released in 2010, they crowd-sourced recipes from their readers for inclusion in what became a James Beard award-winning publication. After receiving hundreds of suggestions for a purple plum torte that was initially printed in the paper's food section in 1983 (and every year during plum season until 1989), the book's authors took note, tested the recipe and a star was born. Though this recipe is dead simple and at first glance seems a little basic, the results are far from ordinary. As local plums come into season, we suggest you give this purple plum torte a try. We won't be surprised if you soon have it bookmarked with your other favourite recipes.
Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon, divided*
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
6-12 plums, depending size, pitted and halved
Juice from ½ lemon
1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan.
Cream together the butter and 1 cup of sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. You can use an electric mixer, but I find a wooden spoon and a little elbow grease to the job just fine.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, then mix until just combined.
Spread the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
Arrange the halved plums cut-side-down, then use your fingers to gently press them into the batter.
- Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes.
- Slice into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or on its own. The cake is also excellent served cold after chilling in the fridge overnight.
Tips: Depending on how sweet your plums are, the sugar can be cut down to ¾ cup + use more or less plums in accordance with their variety and size
