Original plum torte

Marian Burros’s famous plum torte is, in fact, a very simple plum cake. It became one of the most iconic recipes ever published by The New York Times. The recipe first appeared in the newspaper in 1983 and quickly became a favourite with readers, who repeatedly asked for it to be published again. Its popularity was such that when the editors announced in 1989 that they would publish the recipe for the last time, they were met with an outpouring of protests from readers. And it’s easy to see why – the cake is incredibly simple to make, with a delicate, buttery crumb, while the plums soften as they bake and release their juices, which gently seep into the cake. It’s one of those recipes you’ll want to come back to every summer :).

Ingredients for the plum torte:

• 115 g butter
• 150 g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 150 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 12 small or 8 large purple plums

Additionally:

• sugar, for sprinkling
• lemon juice, for drizzling
• ground cinnamon, for sprinkling

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until fully combined. Sift the flour and baking powder directly into the mixture, add the salt, then gently fold with a spatula until just combined.

Line the base of a 22 cm springform tin with baking paper. Transfer the batter to the tin and smooth the surface. Arrange the plums on top, skin-side up, placing the halves next to one another. Once all the plums have been arranged, lightly drizzle the surface of the cake with lemon juice, then sprinkle with cinnamon and additional sugar.

Bake the plum torte at 180°C for about 45–55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Enjoy!

Recipe source: nytimes.com.