The New York Times Plum Torte is an iconic recipe that's incredibly easy to make and is a perfect way to use up beautiful in season summer plums. It's is dense, yet light, super moist, not too sweet and great with a cup of coffee or tea.
This Plum Torte recipe by Marian Burros was first printed in The New York Times in October of 1982 and continued to run every single September for the remainder of the decade. People were upset - so the Times printed it one last time and later included it in the Essential New York Times Cook Book by Amanda Hesser.
It doesn't seem like anything special, but it is - and you'll understand once you taste it. The fruit is sweet-tart and jammy, with just enough firmness to still know that it's a plum.
The deep purple hue bleeds all throughout the batter, and it tastes light but still has a dense chewy crumb that makes it completely addictive. It's elegant enough to serve to company but easy enough for a weeknight.
It's also an extremely versatile recipe. No plums? Make it with literally any other kind of fruit that's in season. I even developed a version of this torte with ground cherries.
Why this recipe works
- Easy, beginner friendly recipe - anyone can make this.
- Made in one bowl, no electric mixer needed.
- Simple ingredients, simple measurements.
- Adaptable with any other fruit.
Essential Ingredients
- Plums - The original New York Times recipe from Marian Burros calls for using small Italian plums (also called prune plums), but I can rarely ever find them. I have made this torte with red plums, black plums, purple plums, pluots and all other types of fruit. It turns out great every time.
Helpful Equipment
- Springform Pan - The original recipe calls for using a 9 inch springform pan, which makes it easy to left the cake out and slice. However, this cake can technically be made in a regular cake pan, a cast iron skillet or even an 8x8" square baking dish.
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Cream butter and 1 cup of sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. You can use an electric mixer, but I find a wooden spoon and a little elbow grease to the job just fine.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, then mix until just combined. Spread the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- Arrange the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter, then use your fingers to gently press them in. Squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the fruit, then mix together the remaining tablespoon of sugar and ground cinnamon, and sprinkle over the top.
- Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes.
- Slice into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or on its own. The cake is also excellent served cold after chilling in the fridge overnight.
Tips for Success
- Depending on how sweet your plums are and how sweet you like your cake, the sugar can be cut down to ¾ cup.
- You will use more or less plums depending on the variety and size, but also depending on your preference. I tend to use more plums for a jammier, fruitier cake, almost like a buckle, but you can always opt to use less.
- If you're not using a springform pan, line your cake pan with parchment paper or foil so you can lift it out after baking to make slicing easier.
- Try this torte with a different fruit altogether! It's a forgiving recipe and works well with just about everything, especially other stone fruit like peaches and nectarines.
- You can replace half of the all purpose flour with almond flour for an even denser chewier crumb.
- The beauty of this recipe is in the simplicity of its flavors. You might be tempted to add vanilla extract, almond extract, nuts or different spices, but I promise it's better as is.
Faq About Plum Torte
A torte is a style of cake that is typically made with more eggs and less flour (or no flour at all). Tortes tend to be richer and more dense than a standard cake.
Store this Plum Torte tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for longer storage - double wrap it in foil then place in a tightly sealed plastic bag and freeze for up to 6 months.
Related Recipes
Did you LOVE this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️ rating and comment to let other readers know! I absolutely love hearing from you and do my best to answer all questions and comments. I love seeing your creations so please tag me on Instagram @ColeyCooks!
PrintThe New York Times Famous Plum Torte (Video!)
The New York Times Plum Torte is an iconic recipe that's incredibly easy to make and is a perfect way to use up beautiful in season summer plums. It's is dense, yet light, super moist, not too sweet and great with a cup of coffee or tea.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon, divided*
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6-12 plums, depending size, pitted and halved**
- Juice from ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Cream together the butter and 1 cup of sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. You can use an electric mixer, but I find a wooden spoon and a little elbow grease to the job just fine.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, then mix until just combined.
- Spread the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- Arrange the halved plums cut-side-down, then use your fingers to gently press them into the batter.
- Squeeze the lemon juice over the fruit, then mix together the remaining tablespoon of sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the top.
- Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes prior to cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature. The cake is also excellent served cold after chilling in the fridge overnight.
Notes
- *Depending on how sweet your plums are and how sweet you like your cake, the sugar can be cut down to ¾ cup.
- **You will use more or less plums depending on the variety and size, but also depending on your preference. I tend to use more plums for a fruitier cake, but you can always opt to use less for a cakier-cake. You can't go wrong either way, trust me.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 299
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 166.4 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 43.7 g
- Protein: 3.7 g
- Cholesterol: 77 mg
Keywords: plum torte, springform pan, new york times, plums
Lucy @ Globe Scoffers
Mmm this looks delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Alex
Dear Coley,
greetings from Ukraine!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I`ve done it for countless times. My family and friends are fan of that!
The best is with plums or with apricots. But I also experimented with apples, peaches and oranges.
The result is always awesome!
Thank you so much!
As you grow beetroots maybe one day you`ll cook
our traditional meal - Borshch 🙂
https://www.1843magazine.com/food-drink/the-world-in-a-dish/the-story-of-borscht
I`ll be glad to share my granny recipe 🙂
Best regards from Ukraine,
Alex..
Coley
Thank you for the comment! I bet apricots would be wonderful in this recipe. I'm going to try it once they come back into season! I would also love to try your recipe for Borscht! Please do send it along 😉
Shelalé
I have used this recipe many times and it always comes out very well. I’m just a little confused about doubling or trebling the quantities. Do the pan size and the cooking temperature remain the same! Would that work?
★★★★★
Coley
Thanks for the comment! Yes, if doubling or tripling the recipe you will need to use a bigger pan. A 9"x13" pan will work for doubling, but for tripling I recommend baking in separate pans. The temperature will remain the same but the cooking time may take slightly longer. It's done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Hope this helps!
Lindsay Foody
Hi There! Can I freeze this plum torte with good results?
Thank you!
Coley
hey! I've never tried freezing it (we always eat it too fast!), but I think it's worth a shot. If you do, please report back!
Ginny
I usually make two, eat one and freeze the other.....with excellent results.
★★★★★
Coley
Wonderful! Thanks for the review, Ginny!
Victoria
That's funny! In the original recipe printed in the NYT in 1982 (I still have the clipping), the author, Marian Burros told the story of how she had several in her freezer, but someone house-sitting for her devoured them all!
Petra
Why would you freez?? Just eat it!!!
Alison Whisnant
What would you recommend in the absence of a spring form pan?
Coley
Just use a regular cake pan or even a pie plate. It may be a little harder to get that first slice out, but it will taste just as delicious. 🙂
Sandra Baird
I am so disappointed, l made this recipe today using the X2 method, put the cake in the oven and found a whole cup of sugar left out, l read the recipe again and again, definately says 2 cups in ingredients but only one in method 🙁
Coley
I'm really sorry to hear this didn't work out for you. The 2x feature on the recipe card is an automated function, so unfortunately it will only double the ingredients in the ingredient list and not in the directions, so that needs to be taken into account when making the recipe.
Millie
plum in the belly button... too funny!!! Thanks for a great quality video that’s worth watching and stands out amongst the sea of boring , shot the same way, food videos. Your video is instructional, elegant, funny, and has personality. Great job!!
Coley
Thanks for such a kind comment! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video. Hope you love the recipe!
Lisa Rubino
Absolutely delicious. I made it with a good amount of plums the first time around and tripled the recipe to put in a 13 x 15 Pyrex dish. It came out amazing. Then I tried this recipe with coconut sugar instead of cane sugar and loaded it this time with plums. It tasted great but i think it was way better with cane sugar for some reason. This simple recipe is a winner hands down. Thank you for sharing.
Sheri Dreghorn
Do you peel the plums before putting them in the cake batter and making them.
Coley
nope! just remove the pits 🙂
Margot
I wonder if using brown sugar will give it a richer taste or half brown half white?
Coley
I haven't tried it, so I can't say for sure. Personally I think this recipe is perfect as it is!
Laura Gardner-Muenchow
Went together really easy! I used both red and purple plums. I remember this from my childhood and it tastes as wonderful as I remember
★★★★★
Coley
So glad you enjoyed!
Toni
I made this last week, and it was delicious! My husband doesn’t particularly like sweets, but he gobbled it up. I now have plans to make this with different fruits. We shall see. It was very easy, but tastes like you are a pastry chef. Definitely my new favorite.
★★★★★
Coley
So glad you both loved it!!
Marie
DELISH!
Substituted fresh peaches and blueberries!
Eat warm...YUM!
Thank you for a "keeper"!
★★★★★
Coley
So glad you enjoyed!
Maja Radić
Hello,
This sounds great.
I would like to make but not sure whether I have to put something in the baking thing (mine is made od glass) in order not to stick. Thank you
Coley
It won't hurt to give the pan a smear of butter before adding the batter
Alison
Can you tell me how you altered the recipe for blueberries?
Coley
Simply replace the plums with a cup or two of blueberries depending on how fruity you want it to be. This is a very forgiving recipe!
Geraldine Ventura
Could I substitute almond flour for half of the flour?
Coley
I haven't tried it, but think it could work. let me know if you give it a try!
Heidi
I have three different types of plum trees in my orchard. This is by far the BEST and EASIEST recipe. Thank goodness I ran across this recipe so that those plums don’t go to waste. All of my friends and coworkers love plum season! It’s only me and the husband here so I make these tortes and dole them out like Christmas presents!
Coley
So glad you love it, Heidi!
Kristen Campbell
i used 1/2 garbanzo flour and it is perfect (for the person wondering about almond flour/ gluten) and italian plums- so good!
★★★★★
Coley
Thanks for the tip about flour! Great to know!
Colleen Simpson
So easy and delicious! A make again for sure!!!
★★★★★
Coley
So glad you enjoyed!
Ghez
My favourite for when I need a dessert! Always turns out. No alternations needed.
★★★★★
Coley
So glad you love the recipe!
jill
thank you for sharing this simple recipe. it looks amazing. any tips on how to pit plums easily? your video shows you just cutting and pulling them apart, but that does not work for me!
Coley
Great question! In my experience, sometimes they're easy to pit and sometimes it's near impossible. I've found that it tends to be easier when the fruit is ripe, but not mushy or bruised. If it's bruised and mushy, the fruit is too soft to grip, and if it's not ripe enough the pit will not release. If this is the case I just cut around the pit. I hope this helps!
NG
Top notch recipe! I added a teaspoon of vanilla powder and a half teaspoon of cardamom. This recipe is much better than you describe! Mine came out like a magazine photo and tasted even better. Teaching my granddaughter cooking lessons. I still have a bunch of plumbs left. This will be a good recipe.for her to learn because it is failsafe and delicious and will instill confidence. Bless you for sharing this! It is a keeper!
★★★★★
Coley
So glad you enjoyed it!
CM
Came out perfect
★★★★★
Coley
So glad!
Kristina
Looks absolutely amazing! 😋
Do you think I can substitute butter with oil?
★★★★★
Coley
I haven't tried it so I'm not entirely sure. If you try, let me know how it works out!
Linda
Can I make this the day ahead to serve on Thanksgiving. Should I refrigerate and let it come to room temperature or just cover it and leave it on the counter overnight.
Coley
Yes, absolutely! I would definitely refrigerate it and either let it come to room temperature or serve it cold (I LOVE the texture when it's straight from the fridge!)
Ina
This cake is beautiful! The crumb is so soft and melts.
I made 1 1/2 dose and baked it in a square pan 23x23cm lined with paper. Took an hour almost to the dot.
. I reduced the sugar by 1/3, added 1/4tsp of almond essence to the batter along with the vanilla and juice of 1 lemon.
The crumb is so tender and light. It is about 3-4cm tall once baked so lots of cake at the bottom.
Lining the plums in lines made it easy to cut very neatly..
Have saved this recipe to use with other fruits.
★★★★★
Coley
Glad you enjoyed it!
Marie
This recipe is just delicious! I usually can’t stand when people change the recipe, but I have to say, if anyone wants to know, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/2c. white granulated sugar is delicious, and I’ve made this twice in the last week. Half plums and half blueberries is so tasty also! Thank you so very much for a wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Coley
SO glad you love the recipe!
Victoria
I still have the yellowed NYT clipping from 1982 and I can't tell you how many times I've made this over the years. It's always a winner! Never had the courage to try fruits other than plums. Why mess with perfection?
★★★★★
Coley
I love that! And I agree - other fruits are nice but plums are definitely the best. 🙂
Melissa
Just a quick question! Can I use frozen plums and if so, shall I defrost first (they do go mushy)? This torte could be the solution to my packed freezer! Thanks in advance
★★★★★
Coley
I have not tried it with frozen plums, but I'm sure they would work. I would defrost them first, at least slightly, as they cake might not bake up correctly if they're still frozen. Please report back if you try!