Say 'goodbye, summer' and 'hello, fall' with this easy to make Okanagan Italian Plum Torte
One of the most popular recipes from the New York Times is Marian Burros’ Plum Torte, which was printed every September from 1983 until 1989. This delicious and easy to make cake has over the decades had many variations including being made with other fruit such as blueberries, apricots and pears along with endless spice combinations.
Now an iconic recipe shared endlessly in food blogs around the world, the original recipe with its simple ingredients still remains the best. The only thing that makes this recipe even better is the use of local Okanagan Italian Prune plums which are available in late August and early September.
Okanagan Italian prune plums are small egg-shaped black plums with thin skin and have a natural cloudy look of a blueberry. They have a beautiful sweet flavour and are perfect for this easy to make and delicious torte.
Italian Plum Torte
Adapted slightly from Marian Burros original Plum Torte recipe first printed in the New York Times in 1983.
Ingredients:
1 cup white granulated sugar plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
12-14 Okanagan Italian purple plums, halved and pitted
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Sugar for sprinkling
Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F.
Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl or in a kitchen-aid mixer until fluffy and light in colour. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl then add to sugar and butter along with 2 eggs. The batter will be thick.
Spoon the batter into an ungreased 9-inch springform pan and smooth the top.
Mix plum halves with fresh lemon juice, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for approximately 45 to 60 minutes, until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center part of the cake comes out clean. Cool on rack.
Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Claire Sear is a Vancouver based food, drink & lifestyle writer.
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