Original Plum Torte

This recipe is from my friend Rebecca who got it from the New York Times. She says it works with almost any stone fruit.

Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

• ¾ to 1 cup sugar

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cup unbleached flour, sifted

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• Pinch of salt (optional)

• 2 eggs

• 24 halves pitted purple plums

• Sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon, for topping

• Preparation

• 1. Step 1

     Heat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

     Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well.

  3. Step 3

     Spoon the batter into a springform pan of 8, 9 or 10 inches. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon.

  4. Step 4

     Bake 1 hour, approximately. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired. Or cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream. (To serve a torte that was frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.)

  Tip

  • To freeze, double-wrap the torte in foil, place in a plastic bag and seal.