High-Altitude Autumn Plum Torte

The last of the local summer fruit has disappeared from my high altitude region, but at the final farmer’s market in Breckenridge, I visited the somewhat sad-looking produce booth (yes, we only have ONE at our “farmer’s” market – it’s really quite shameful), and was immediately drawn to a big pile of gorgeous, deep purple plums. I snapped up a couple baskets and planned to make a galette with them (sort of a rustic, unformed pie – we’ll make one of those soon!), but then I read in the New York Times food section about this recipe for a plum torte that had developed such a cult-like following that readers protested en masse when the NYT stopped publishing it annually. And any dessert that has a cult following deserves at least a try, right? Even if high altitude dictates you have to change it a little.

The plums I bought were dark purple Italian prune plums grown in Palisade, CO, but you can use any variety here, including the red-skinned plums I tend to see more frequently in the mountain grocery stores. As an aside, my very first job at age 9 or 10 was picking red plums in Santa Rosa, CA for the grower down the road from my childhood home. He paid me $5 a bucket, and it was hard, dirty work.

Circa 1979. Not actually a prison laborer.

You guys. This recipe. It will convert even those who say “ewwww” when faced with plums (some folks understandably associate them with prunes, a food squeamishly taken by many for medicinal purposes only). My fiance David, who will gamely try anything I make but doesn’t really eat dessert much, had one slice, immediately went back for seconds, and then had to ask me to ration it so he wouldn’t eat the rest all in one sitting. It’s really that good.

This recipe is just  … luscious. I don’t use that word lightly here. This is not a light, fluffy cake. The batter needs to be substantial in order to cradle the plums, which sink in and practically caramelize into intensely sweet/fruity pockets surrounded by a velvety, almost pudding-like cake. It’s almost more pie than cake. Pie-cake!

I didn’t make many adjustments for high altitude. This is not a recipe that worries about a high rise or a light crumb. I reduced the sugar by a couple tablespoons, added a bit of flour, and reduced the baking powder by a quarter-teaspoon. It rose up nicely and didn’t collapse, although it does settle and become even denser as it cools.

I tried to be all fancy and made a bourbon maple syrup sauce to drizzle on the torte, but I’ve gotta be honest … it was just overkill. Too sweet and just unnecessary. The dish is perfect on its own, and really needs no accompaniment (though a dollop of barely-sweetened, freshly whipped cream wouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings).

It’s pretty, too, and displays beautifully on a cake stand, so think about making this if you’re having friends over for dinner and want an impressive-looking dessert. Or just make it for your family. Or for yourself, on one of those nights that you just decide that dessert is going to be dinner. No judgment.

High Altitude Autumn Plum Torte

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• Author: Butter and Air
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 45 min
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: Sweets, High Elevation

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Description

Lusciously-textured and warmly spiced, this Autumn Plum Torte recipe is a simple yet stunning dessert for high altitude bakers. Adapted from the New York Times’ recipe for Original Plum Torte by Marian Burros

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Ingredients

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TORTE

• 10–12 small plums, pitted and halved (or quartered if they are larger)
• 1 cup + 2 TB (4.75 oz) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup + 2 TB (6 oz) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (4 oz/1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

TOPPING

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 TB granulated sugar

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° and set rack in middle of oven.
2. Grease and flour a springform pan (I used a 9″ but an 8″ would work as well).
3. Make the topping:  stir together 2 tsp cinnamon and 2 TB granulated sugar. Set aside for sprinkling later.
4. With a stand or hand-held mixer, cream butter and sugar until thoroughly combined.
5. Add eggs one at a time.
6. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt directly into butter/sugar and mix just until combined. The batter will be very thick.
7. Spoon batter into prepared springform pan and spread evenly out to sides of pan. Arrange plum halves, cut-side down, on top of batter.
8. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
9. Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and slightly pulling away from edges of pan.
10. Cool on a rack. The torte can be served warm but is excellent at room temperature and gets even richer and more pudding-like as time goes on; we liked it best the next day.

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