Almond Plum Torte Recipe

One of our plum trees was ready for picking this weekend so I just had to give in and make a plum torte. This is my variation of Marian Burros' Original Plum Torte Recipe. No need for plums, any fresh firm fruit will do. Marian herself was said to prefer making her torte recipe with apricots instead of plums.

When I think of tortes, I usually think of almond tortes so I changed Marian’s Original Plum Torte Recipe by using 1/4 tsp almond extract (be careful a little goes a long way) and salted butter. Marian’s Original Plum Torte Recipe calls for 1 tsp vanilla extract, unsalted butter and salt. I prefer skipping the salt and use salted butter to make things less complicated. I also prefer sugaring my fruit to draw out its natural syrup. If  the fruit is too ripe I make a compote out of it to serve on the side of the torte. Either way it is a crowd pleaser. 

This torte recipe is delicious with Bosc pears in the fall.

Buen provecho!

Laura

SERVINGS
6-8

INGREDIENTS

Topping

• 2 cups of sliced fresh summer fruits such as strawberries, apricots, peaches, or plums
• 2 Tbs sugar

Note: Be sure to use ripe fruit that is not too mushy. I made the mistake of using overly ripe plums the first time and my torte was a disaster. Another time the fruit was not ripe enough and was too sour. Make sure fruit is sweet! 

Torte

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal 
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 stick salted butter, softened (8 Tbs)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp almond extract (be careful, much more concentrated than vanilla extract)

MAKE IT

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the Topping

1. Place sliced fruit in a bowl, sprinkle 2 Tbs sugar on top and set aside while you make the torte.

Note: plums can taste quite tart when baked so be sure to sugar them unless you enjoy puckering up. The sugar will draw water (syrup) out of the fruit which prevents a soggy torte. You can toss the syrup or make a delicious drink out of it with some sparkling water.

For the Torte

1. Butter springform pan
2. Mix the sugar, flour and baking powder
3. Add butter
4. Mix in eggs and almond extract until smooth.
5. Spread the torte mixture over the bottom of the springform pan.
6. Arrange fruit over the top.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 50 minutes.
8. Once torte cools, remove the springform pan.

Tip: Try to keep fruit away from edge so the sugar doesn’t get burnt by springform pan. 

Start with 12 small firm plums.

Plums are a fruit that truly benefits from a sprinkling of sugar.

I mix my torte by hand and form a well for the eggs, just like making homemade pasta!

Line springform pan with parchment paper for a foolproof cake removal.