Marian Burros’ Plum Torte

This recipe has been published online on over 3,000 occasions – and in the New York Times every September from 1982 to 1989 – but I am throwing my hat in the ring too, in case you – like me – have an affinity for picking up produce you have no idea what to do with, and are in need of a good idea.  Such was the case at my local market a couple of weeks back when I grabbed a basket of Italian Prune Plums.  They were cute in their tininess, and I was having a purple moment, scooping up a basket of wax beans and a huge bouquet of violet-colored wildflowers to go along with them.  The plums just seemed to “fit” that week and I love nothing more than a good kitchen experiment, so home with me they came.

I originally had visions of stewing them, possibly canning them, and stowing them away to use this winter when flavorful fruit is so hard to come by. BUT – perhaps you can relate on this point as well – we have been experiencing a major heat wave in this part of the country – and the thought of stewing anything, when I already felt as if I was boiling myself was just out of the question.  It’s not the most sound logic in the world, but I figured that baking the plums might be a better option, if only to keep the heat from the oven contained.

I turned to the internet for inspiration and found this recipe (thousands of times), and boy am I glad I did.  I was skeptical that the torte could turn out as well as all of those people before me proclaimed it would, but it definitely exceeded my expectations and then some.  I would even venture to say that it was one of the best things I have ever baked!  I could list off so many reasons why, but most of those have already been said – the prep work is so easy, the cake is gooey and rich while the tart plums melt and get jammy and bleed into the batter, and finally, the sugar forms a crispy sweet crust on top – but honestly, I just think you should go ahead and make it to see for yourself!