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Baking & Desserts

may 14, 2020

The Everything Torte

This is our version of Marian Burros’ beloved Plum Torte recipe, first published by The New York Times in 1983. Why "Everything"? Because it suits every occasion, makes optimal use of almost any fruit, and it bakes beautifully in a multitude of different pans.

You get to skip a lot of the usual cake making rules this time. You must still properly prepare your pan, and cream the butter and sugar together into pale yellow fluff. Those steps are essential. But then? There’s no adding of eggs one at a time, no sprinkling in of flour, no stopping and starting your mixer. Nope, this time simply add the eggs, vanilla and dry ingredients all in one go, and mix on low speed until the batter comes together. Scrape that bowl, and into the pan it goes.

Here are some tips and variations:

The cake batter is thick, and there’s not a lot of it. This is correct.

Fruit matters! Choose some that’s juicy, and tart as well as sweet. Use enough to cover the surface of the batter. We used 1 lb. (3 generous cups) of whole pitted cherries in today’s torte.

Baking time varies depending on the type of pan you choose. We baked the torte shown above in a shallow 9½-inch tart pan, so its surface was exposed to more air circulation, resulting in extra browning and faster baking (40 minutes). When the cake is firm and a toothpick inserted between the fruit comes out clean, it’s done.

Variations: The plums called for in the original recipe are superb. We have successfully substituted apples, pears, apricots, cherries, summer berries (strawberries were a little too watery), cranberries and Concord grapes! We have swapped cornmeal or almond flour for ⅓ of the flour. Almond extract instead of vanilla. Orange zest instead of lemon. Different spices or chopped nuts sprinkled on top. We have doubled, tripled, even quadrupled the recipe, baking it in multiple pans for big parties.

Whew! See why we call it "The Everything Torte"? We hope you love it as much as we do.

Show off your cakes on social media using #TCKatHome, or email us with questions or feedback. We’re here to help.

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The Everything Torte

Marian Burros' Plum Torte

Author Jen Nurse

This recipe for a humble one-layer cake has been swooned over for decades. We call it "The Everything Torte", as it suits practically any occasion, can be baked in a variety of pan shapes, and is delightful when made with most any juicy fruit in place of the plums. I've tried apricots, nectarines, cherries, berries, pears, & jammy Concord grapes, all with success. Sometimes I cut bigger fruits into generous wedges, but grapes and pitted cherries and berries should be left whole—the fruit plays the starring role here. Each time, the same baking magic happens: the cake rises, the fruit turns jammy and partially sinks into the batter, and the torte emerges from the oven golden brown and fragrant. The torte is pretty baked in a 9 or 10-inch fluted tart pan, and I've even made it in a Pyrex pie dish and a standard loaf pan.

Adapted from: Marian Burros in the NY Times, Autumn 1983
Yield 8 to 12 Servings

Ingredients

For the Pan

2-3 teaspoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon flour

Plum Torte

115g unsalted butter, at room temp (½ cup)

150g granulated sugar (¾ cup)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 lemon, zest of whole, juice of ½

2 large eggs, at room temp (about 100g)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

*125g all-purpose or GF Flour (1 cup)

1 teaspoon baking powder

450g Italian plums, pitted and halved (8-12)

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Turbinado or other coarse sugar, for sprinkling

*Exchange up to ⅓ of the flour for almond flour or cornmeal.

Directions

Heat the oven to 350℉. Grease and flour an 8- to 10-inch springform pan, or another pan of your choice (see headnote).

Beat the butter, granulated sugar, salt and lemon zest together on medium-high speed in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer periodically to scrape the paddle and bowl.

Add the eggs one at a time while beating on medium speed. Wait for each egg to be fully incorporated before proceeding. Briefly beat in the vanilla. Stop the mixer and remove the bowl. Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl, on top of the butter/egg mix. Resume beating on low speed just until well combined. Scrape the paddle and bowl as needed.

Spread the thick batter evenly in the pan. It will seem sparse, especially in a 10-inch pan. Arrange the plums skin side up, completely covering the batter's surface. Sprinkle with lemon juice, then cinnamon, then turbinado sugar (or another large-grained crunchy kind, if you have it—plain sugar works just fine, too). Place the pan on a baking sheet to catch any batter the might leak out during baking.

Bake for 30-50 minutes (depending on the type of pan you chose), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake top is golden brown. Cool in the pan on a rack for 1 hour, then remove the pan sides before serving.

The cake is also excellent after sitting at room temp overnight, and wrapped leftovers keep well for several days. It freezes well after baking, too.

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