In my family we have a couple of people who love sweet baked goods and a few "not so sweet" baked good preferences. It can sometimes be difficult to plan a dessert that is a good fit for everyone. So, one of my go-to desserts is an updated version of a simple fruit torte my grandma used to make in the 1980's and 90's. She would use the base torte recipe and change the fruit topping to what ever was in season. We've had this torte with plums (a personal favourite), peach slices, apple slices, cranberries, blueberries and raspberries - all are fabulous!
Any way you make it, the torte looks very sophisticated without being overly difficult to make. It is mildly sweet, allowing the natural flavours and sugars in the seasonal fruit to shine through. It's a perfect make-ahead dessert (it can be frozen for up to a week if wrapped tightly), and is also perfect served for brunch or afternoon tea.
Anyone who tries this torte, whether you have a sweet tooth, or not, thinks it's a flavour delight! Now that's a win in my book.
Plum Torte
(adapted from my Grandma, who adapted from a friend, who adapted from NY Times Food)
Ingredients
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature (+ 1 tablespoon to grease pan)
3/4 c demerara sugar (use brown sugar if you don't have demerara)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice (+ 1 teaspoon more for topping)
1 c all-purpose flour (+ 1 tablespoon to prepare pan)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 prune plum halves (10 plums halved, stone removed)
1 1/2 teaspoons turbinado (coarse) sugar for topping
Method
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In an 8-inch spring form pan, rub 1 tablespoon of butter evenly to cover bottom and sides of the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of flour to pan and tap in circular motion to cover inside of the pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until it becomes fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next. Add vanilla, lemon zest and juice.
In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Slowly, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in the mixer. Mix until just combined. It will look like a small amount of batter, don't worry, it will rise a bit during baking.
Add batter to spring form pan and spread evenly, to cover the bottom. Top with plum halves, cut side down, in a circular pattern. Gently, with a pastry brush, top plums and torte batter with 1 tsp lemon juice. Sprinkle top with turbinado sugar - this will create a lovely crust once the torte is baked.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife along the edges of the spring form pan to release the sides. Let cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, remove sides of pan and serve!
Recipe Notes
* My grandma used to swear by spraying her pans, not butter and flouring them. She used a baking spray by Pam. Use whatever you are comfortable with.
* Depending on the fruit you are using, omit or add cinnamon to taste. You could also add ground ginger, almond extract instead of vanilla or swap in orange juice and zest for the lemon.
* I've experimented with adding almond flour to the recipe (1/2 c almond flour & 1/2 c AP flour, instead of 1 c AP flour), however you could also use portions of whole wheat flour and spelt flours in your dry mix.
* If using cranberries or smaller berries, I like a 4 cup ratio to top torte.
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