Looks can be deceiving. And if you look at the list of ingredients for this Italian Plum Torte you might easily think 'doesn't look like anything special to me'. That reaction would be, as they say 'a fatal mistake'. Okay that may sound a bit overdramatic, maybe only a teensy-tiny bit. Because this rather ordinary list of ingredients torte is anything but. Given the number of textures (a little bit crunchy, a little bit custardy-like, a little bit cake like) and flavors in this Italian Plum Torte, it is almost impossible to believe it isn't one of those highly technical cakes. The kind requiring hours and hours of preparation, having a lengthy list of ingredients, and directions so complex it would be easier to put together a piece of furniture from IKEA without the instructions rather than bake the cake. While this Plum Torte has only been around for the past 33 years, it has all the makings of a classic, timeless dessert.
So why did I gussy it up with flowers and fruit? In the absence of a virtual taste test or access to scratch and sniff software, I was hoping this Italian Plum Torte would grab your undivided attention. No, that's not entirely true. I wanted you feel almost compelled to immediately run out to the market to pick up some Italian Prune Plums so you could make it. More than likely you have all of the other ingredients in your refrigerator and pantry. Shamelessly I wanted to draw your attention away from all of the other recipes posted to foodblogs, appearing in new issues of cooking magazines, or tabbed in any recently purchased cookbooks. At least temporarily until you had a chance to bake and eat this torte.
Other than telling you how easy and inexpensive it is to make or how the yellow flesh Italian prune plums turn into brilliant fuchsia colored pools of sweetness, I resorted to appealing to your visual sense in an effort to influence you and potentially set off a shortage of Italian prune plums.
Italian prune plums (sometimes called Empress Plums) are a petite, egg-shaped fruit characterized by a deep purple, often powdered blueberry colored smooth thin skin, and yellow flesh. Unlike other clingstone plums (meaning the pit is difficult to separate from the flesh), these plums are free-stone (meaning very easy to pit). Italian prune plums are firmer and less juicy than other plums. Which means they hold their shape better in baked goods and yield a more intense flavor. Having a relatively short season, they arrive in late summer and all but disappear by the end of September, early October. This means you only have the next couple of months to make this Italian Plum Torte. Once you taste it, you are more than likely to want to make it again. If for whatever reason you decide to put off making it until the Italian prune plum season is almost over, the year long wait will seem excruciatingly longer.
Unlike other stone fruits, the cutting and pit removal of these prune plums is almost effortless. Thanks to these plums, my stone fruit cutting confidence has been restored.
The base of the torte is a nothing more than a simple butter cake made with only five ingredients. When butter, sugar, eggs, salt, flour and baking powder combine to create incredible scrumptiousness, why mess with perfection. Before making this cake I considered adding some vanilla to the cake batter. However, my instincts said that wasn't such a good idea, at least not with this cake. Trusting my instincts served me and this cake well.
At the risk of leaving just one plum half out, forget trying to make a pattern with the plums. In other words do as I say (I really mean suggest) not as I did. Not just because there is no such thing as a torte with too much fruit. As this cake rises beautifully around the shrinking, flavor intensified plums (think 'plum puddles') any well intentioned design gets a little lost in the baking.
Allegedly an early version of the recipe called for one tablespoon of cinnamon. Apparently this was an error as the intended amount was one teaspoon. Over the years the recipe was published by the New York Times and other foodbloggers, the amount of cinnamon seemed to switch back and forth between one tablespoon and one teaspoon. Deb Perelman (
SmittenKitchen) thought one tablespoon worked. And if you are a lover of cinnamon, I think she may have been right. I took the midway approach and used two teaspoons. The next time I might use a generous two teaspoons or go all in with one tablespoon. Use whatever works for your cinnamon loving palate. Squeezing a little lemon juice (about 2 teaspoons) over the top of the cake gives it a sprinkle of pixie dust before the torte goes into a preheated 350 degree (F) oven.
It takes slightly less than an hour (my baking time was 58 minutes) for the Italian Plum Torte to bake. And you only have to wait about 45 minutes before you can cut your first slice.
Some cakes/tortes are best on the day they are made, others are best the next day. It's almost impossible to have to decide which camp this Italian Plum Torte falls in. So I won't. If you are lucky enough to have any leftovers the next day, let me know what you think.
If you take the eggs and butter out the night before and get up a little earlier than usual, you can make the Italian Plum Torte for breakfast. Regardless of the time of day or day of the week you decide to make it, your life needs a slice (or two). Really it does.
Recipe
Italian Plum Torte (an ever so slight adaptation to Marian Burros's Plum Torte recipe published in the New York Times)
Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (recommend Rumford Baking Powder)
Generous pinch of kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
8 Tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
12 small purple Italian Prune Plums, cut in half, pits and stems removed
2 teaspoons or up to 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
2 - 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1-2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Set aside.
4. In a medium sized bowl, cream together one cup of sugar and butter until light and fluffly (approximately 3-4 minutes).
5. Beat in eggs, one at a time until blended.
6. Mix in dry ingredients until combined. Do not over beat.
7. Scrape batter into a 9" springform pan. Using an offset spatula, smooth the top.
8. Press cut plums into the cake batter (skin side up).
9. Sprinkle top of cake with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
10. Squeeze 1-2 teaspoons from a 1/2 lemon over the top of the cake.
11. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until top is golden and/or a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Note: My baking time was 58 minutes.
12. Remove from oven, place on rack and allow to cool.
13. Cut into slices.
14. Store torte at room temperature. Be sure to cover any leftovers.
Serving suggestions: Serve as is, sprinkle top with confectionary sugar, and/or serve with some cinnamon ice cream.
Notes: (1) Use a 9" springform pan, it's the perfect size. If your pan is non-stick, even better. (2) Some say you can replace the prune plums with regular plums. I am not so sure. (3) This torte would be perfect for breakfast, brunch, as a lunch dessert, or served as an afternoon indulgence.
