Plum Torte

Adapted from The New Elegant But Easy Cookbook by Marian Burros and Lois Levine (Simon & Schuster, 1998).

Makes 8 servings

Marian Burros’s plum torte is the cake that tells me fall is not far behind. The prune plums that appear briefly at the end of every summer are the ones you want here, and they herald the change of season on a sweet note rather than a bittersweet one.

This recipe is a real treasure and is subject to all different kinds of variations. You are limited only by your taste and imagination.

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup plus 1 or 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup unbleached flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
Pinch salt
24 halves pitted Italian prune plums (You can use larger plums; 6 will usually do, halved, skin side down)
1 teaspoon cinnamon, or more to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter with ¾ cup of the sugar. Add the flour, baking powder, eggs, and salt to the butter-sugar mixture, and beat to mix well.

Spoon the batter into an ungreased 8- or 9-inch springform pan. Spread it to the edges with the spoon. It is thick, and you don’t have to get it perfectly smooth.

Cover the top with the plums, skin sides down. Mix the cinnamon with the remaining 1 or 2 tablespoons sugar, and sprinkle over the top.

Bake on a rack in the lower third of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and let cool.

This is fine plain, but it really shines when served with vanilla ice cream, softly whipped cream, thick plain Greek yogurt, or crème fraîche.