Purple Plum Torte From Marian Burros

Such an easy win! This takes no time to mix up. Small number of ingredients. One bowl. Delicious. I started checking for doneness at 40 minutes, which was important. I will make often. So easy to substitute a different fruit, add extract or spices, etc. Love it.

A few notes- the cake is basically a big cookie (with an extra egg). Prune plums are quite different than the plums we usually see in the US; they are sweeeter and are freestone, which is very helpful for baking purposes. I don't know what modern food writers have against sifters, but they're a much better way to combine dry ingredients than a whisk; not only do they combine them more evenly, they will separate out lumps (pro kitchens may have good enough storage conditions and fast enough turnover that they don't get lumps, but in home kitchens they're very common in baking soda and powder) as well as any foreign matter that may have found its way in (less of a problem than it used to be).

My family has been making a variation of this recipe since the 1920's. My mother and I have always made it for Rosh Hashanah, which usually coincides with the short time that the plums are available. Our recipe is made in a pie plate with the plums skin side down and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. I freeze the cut plums, so I can make the cakes through the year when the plums aren't available.

The New York Times published an article in their food section this week celebrating 40th anniversary of the publication of this recipe, possibly the most popular recipe they've ever published. The article itself is behind their paywall, so only subscribers can read it, but they did include a YouTube video explaining the recipe and some delightful options. Readers who worry about how strictly they have to adhere to the exact words of the recipe will find this very helpful.
Have a look. Have fun:
https://youtu.be/W1qpZWkrQMA?feature=shared

A scrumptious cake that both my husband as well as myself loved. I didn’t have a springform pan so you an 8 x 8 pan square pan instead. The only other change I had to make was I had no Turbinado sugar on hand so had to sprinkle with a combination of Demarara sugar instead. This was my first time using Prune Plums and I love the flavor they bring to this cake.

We like less sweet desserts and, next time, I’ll reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup. Gotta say, so jammy, delicious and hard to stop eating. I had it with my AM cappuccino and it was fantastic.

I've made this several times now. It's one of those recipes that is so little fuss, ingredients and work that it surprises how perfect and delicious the result turns out to be. I use a 9” regular cake pan with parchment on the bottom. It comes out of the pan perfectly and is pretty to look at on the platter. The plums become jammy and delicious.

This is such a forgiving recipe that I’ve made dozens of times with all kinds of fruit. It’s always delicious. Today I’ll try figs and blueberries, just because.

Have made this many times and it’s always a hit. Yesterday I used 1/3 cup each white, whole wheat and almond flours. The almond flour lends to a beautifully golden finish and shorter baking time. The plums sank and made for a secret delight to unsuspecting diners. All good. Delicious. Now I am thinking a little cornmeal might add a crunchy bit of texture.

Made with peaches today and some more spices to the cake batter (cardamom, cinnamon, ginger) and the whole entire thing was eaten within hours by my family of four-two of whom are only five and dont often even like fruit cake too much. Only change Id make is peeling the peaches the skin is a bit annoying as I sliced them. Gorgeous.

Wow, I'm not sure why it took me so long to try this delicious recipe. It was perfection! I've made it several more times with equally delicious results. I've used cherries, halved it, baked in a loaf pan, baked in a large muffin pan, and am looking forward to trying with some fresh Arkansas peaches. Thanks, Merrill, for passing on this lovely gem of a recipe by Marian Burros!

My kids broke the knob off my oven just as the plums were becoming ripe. Argh! So I improvised and made this in my BBQ, in a buttered cast iron skillet, and I t came out great! I added a drizzle of almond extract To the batter and sprinkled the top with crumbled almond paste. Baked at around 350 with indirect heat for about 40 minutes. It had crusty edges and soft tender insides. I may actually make it this way again even once my oven is repaired.

Used less plums and added a Bartlett pear cut in eighths. It comes together so quickly!! I erred and didn't put the flour in with the eggs, but added by hand ;-) Thank you for sharing the recipe....

Go -To recipe when I'm lucky enough to find Italian prune plums.
Used whole wheat pastry flour, plant butter and put down a layer of slivered almonds under my plums. Took almost a full hour in my 9' springform. Worth every minute.

I have made this cake dozens of times, almost never with the plums. I have made it with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. With apricots and with peaches. I typically make it with 50% white sugar and 50% dark sugar. I typically use 40% white flour, 40% whole wheat flour and up to 20% almond meal. I've made it with the lemon zest on top and without the lemon zest on top. When I made it with plums, I did it skin side up and skin side down and it didn't matter. The batter rises, the fruit sinks and gets crushed and very jammy and none of these variations have ever failed. It is a supremely easy recipe to make. Be fearless in making your variations. There are no serious mistakes (except using strawberries-too much moisture). Enjoy every bite of it.

I'm trying to make some tasty treats for my partner who has a newly restrictive diet which has taken away a lot of the treats he's used to having. Has anyone made this gluten free? Or butter & gluten free? I've been reading about replacements, but I'm curious if anyone here has successfully done so. Thanks in advance!

Bon Appetit published a variation in their September 2018 issue and doubled the recipe, but dropped the sugar, and added an egg yolk,some lemon zest and fruit brandy. This base recipe has the ability to mutate! Love it.

Made this today exactly as written and it was good, but nothing to write home about or even make again. Super basic cake.

I just tried this recipe tonight and I am so glad that I found it! I can definitely see this one getting brought out for all kinds of occasions (and non-occasions!). I did add a couple of capfuls of vanilla extract and I didn't have any turbinado sugar, so I used regular granulated sugar which ended up baking into a delightful little crust over the top. I skimped a bit on the plums (a few of them managed to get eaten before there was time to make this recipe), next time I plan on adding a bit more fruit than it calls for, not less. I've put away a lot of fruit into the freezer this summer and I'm looking forward to trying this recipe with mangos, cherries, and peaches!

Definitely a keeper!

I had heavenly modify this recipe, as I didn't have the specified Italian prune plums that were called for so I substituted it with regular plums. I also didn't have turbinado sugar so I used regular white sugar. I did not sift my flour but I did make sure to cream my butter for a solid 7mins (5mins using my standup mixer and 2min by hand as the paddles didn't get the small amount thoroughly mixed) as this usually dictates how fluffy your cake will come out.
When it came to pouring the batter into a 9in springform, I was concerned that the batter wouldn't be enough to even cover the 9in springform so I decided to use a 9in tart pan. This appeared to be the just the right size as it's not very deep but as I started arranging the plum slices I knew it was too shallow as I could imagine the cake rising beyond the height of the tart pan. I ended up using only 4 cut up plums and that ended up covering most of the surface area of the batter (arranged these in concentric circles). As this was baked, the cake rose and went past the tart's rim but it did not spill over. The cake itself was very shallow given the amount of batter and the plums on top appear to weigh it down a bit. The ratio of plum to cake is about ~3:8 (0.40) which is perfect for me. Also the plums were pretty tart so adding the sugar on top of the batter and sliced plums helped balance the tartness and sweetness. Overall, I was pleased with the taste but surprised to see how shallow of a cake this ended up being (height was ~1in).

I made this on an 8" pan and it was great, but just barely enough batter. I want to make a bigger cake and was goig to double the batter and use a 10" inch pan. Any thoughts on how I should adjust the baking temp or time?

I love this torte - it's not too sweet, it's moist, and quick to make. I blended the eggs in with the butter and sugar before adding the dry ingredients. I think it makes it easier to mix; just my preference. Delicious.

I love this cake - it's really forgiving. I've made it at the beach with a fork and peaches, blueberries, raspberries (about 1 1/4 cups or so berries or chopped fruit). I butter the springform pan, then coat in cinnamon sugar, bottom and sides. I've never had a sticking problem. I've used plums, peaches, blueberries, etc. All delicious.

Geeze, people! If you prefer the original recipe or a different adaptation, then use that one. This is the version that Merrill took the time to post. Either use it or not, but all this kvetching is nuts.

This IS a tasty recipe but I found the batter so strange, I almost abandoned making it. For anyone worried their batter is too thick, or there is not enough batter, have no fear, it will puff up and spread in the oven. Although my smaller eight inch cakes were still less than two inches tall.

I also think Italian prune plums grown in Idaho must be a different breed. 10-12 of them was more than enough for two cakes. I actually used 15 plums and made three total cakes; one a double-batch in a 10 inch springform which turned out the best of the three, since it was a thicker cake. For that one, I actually chopped the plums smaller than in half, since I found them hard to cut in the tender cake. But I still placed them skin side up around the surface. I am curious if anyone has had success just mixing in chunks.

Know also that it's difficult to remove the cake from the base of the springform, so I took to loosening it with a hard plastic spatula as soon as the cake was cool enough to handle. I might try parchment rounds in the future.

Just made this and it's divine. I added a teaspoon of vanilla to the batter and lemon juice over the plums as per the original version. It's excellent. Next time I'm going to try it with different fruit and a wee bit less sugar.

Marian Burros Adapted Plum Torte...and why the adapted and not the original...or Late Summer Plum Cake...which has the lesser amount of sugar?

I made this cake the other day and about 10 minutes into the baking, I stopped in my tracks and realized I had DOUBLED the butter! I thought of all kinds of crazy ideas but in the end my calm husband suggested I let it bake. And, it turned out good....right on the edge of too rich, but good. We still have lots of plums and I'm going to try again using the correct amount.

I was wondering which you would recommend more: this cake or the Late Summer Plum Cake that you also tried? I am sure they are both delicious but having tested each, do you have a favorite? Thanks!

I've made this twice, once with late summer plums and just last night with early spring rhubarb. Excellent! Perfect with a little vanilla ice cream and you can make it ahead for a dinner party.

Sublime

works well in 8" square disposable aluminum pan

What a delicious cake. It looks beautiful and is not fussy to make. My spring form pan is too large, so I used a regular cake pan that I lined with foil. Perfect.

This is a great cake! I found the recipe in 2004 and it has become a staple; a reliable last minute, go-to dessert recipe. It works with ANY juicy fruit; blueberries, cherries, peaches, plums, etc. And you can use frozen fruit as well, no need to thaw the fruit. It is delicious, not too sweet and the fruit is the star. Always gets raves! It holds up well for several days.

The recipe says serve immediately…is this still good the 2nd day or does is dry out? I want to serve it tonight for my husband and I and maybe try to use it for a small dinner party tomorrow too… Thank you!

Something is missing here. The original Marian Burros recipe that called for lemon juice was one off the most highly requested New York Times recipes. Search out the recipe. It is fabulous.

I've made the Smitten Kitchen's version of this cake twice in the last 2 weeks. It's so easy, simply delicious, even with less than spectacular black plums. It's good the day it's made, but even better when it's had a chance to 'age' overnight, at room temp.

Not quite the same recipe, but close. You omitted the lemon juice and Turbinado sugar was not used, but ok. I always feel that if a recipe is going to be adapted, it should be exact. Wonder what Ms. Burros would say. I'll stick to hers.

I've been making this ever since the recipe was published. The only wrinkle I introduced is to wrap the bottom of a springform pan with aluminum foil so that the torte can be removed from the pan easily. It can be peeled off when the torte cools, or if you freeze it, after you are ready to defrost it at a later date.