An Ode to Purple Plums and Marian Burros' Recipe for Plum Torte

Fall has arrived  and I have been happily cooking away in my kitchen with my new-found treasure Zwetchgen, a small unassuming purple plum that is called Italian plum in this country. In their natural state these plums have very little flavor and taste bland—but once  baked, they transform into a treat , perfumed, tart, and sweet. I made several batches of my plum butter and I am thrilled to have them in my pantry (garage). The flavor is amazing, rich and earthy. But I also made several cakes. ​

Every September, from 1983-1989 the New York Times printed Marian Burros’ recipe for plum torte. Here is a link to the recipe (and I love reading all the comments). I have made this cake twice now, and have adjusted the recipe to my taste. I also baked a tart with a custard that my Swiss friend made for me in Switzerland. It was delicious and I hope to post it one of these days. My French girlfriend made a tarte aux quetsches, unfortunately I didn't get to taste it.  Zwetschgenkuchen in Germany is usually baked with a lot of plums and a yeast-based sheet cake. Marian Burros’ Plum Torte recipe is a no-fuss, easy-to-make dessert. It is similar to other cake recipes with fruit that I have made many times. My tasters approved, but my fussy husband thought it was a little dry.

I also like using plums for my galette. Click for the recipe here.

The original recipe called for a cup of sugar. I only used ½ cup, but to make up for the lack of sweetness, I sprinkled the top with 4 tablespoons of turbinado sugar that gave the cake a crunchy crust. Apparently, this cake freezes well when double-wrapped in foil and placed in a plastic bag. But I have not tried this. If you want to be fancy, you can grind the lemon zest with the sugar in a food processor.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

½ cup white sugar 
½ cup softened butter
1 cup unbleached flour
1tsp baking powder
2 eggs (room temperature) 
a pinch of salt
½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon zest
2 heaping TBS of Greek yogurt
10-12  pitted purple plums 
3 TBS turbindino sugar
​lemon juice
​​

Directions:

​Butter a 9 or 10-inch pan with a removable bottom 
Wash the plums, then pit them and halve them 
Heat the oven to 350 degrees
 
Sift the flour with the baking powder
Cream the butter in a bowl until fluffy. Add one egg at a time, then add the lemon zest (if you didn’t grind it with the sugar), and the vanilla. Mix until well combined. Add the baking powder mixture and yogurt, then mix until blended.
Scrape the batter into a springform pan. Place the plums skin-side up on top of the cake. Sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar and sprinkle with some lemon juice. 

Bake the cake for approximately one hour on the bottom shelf of your stove. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake. 

Let the cake cool and enjoy.

Recipe from Marian Burros New York Times recipe
adapted by © sunnycovechef.com