Original Plum Torte

Our two plum trees fared pretty well this year. This summer, I bought a tree pruning kit, and gave our red plum a good trim. Each fruit was larger than in previous years, but the harvest was modest. However, the Italian blue plum tree, which I did not prune, produced a LOT of fruit.

Instead of making the plum pound cake which I typically do every year, I turned to another tried and true recipe from the New York Times.

This one can’t be easier: just creaming butter and sugar, then beating in eggs, flour, and baking powder. Top with cut plums, lemon juice, cinnamon and sugar. Bake. Enjoy.

We liked this so much that I made it over and over again during the month. One time I used cardamom instead of cinnamon. Another time, I overbaked it. If you watch the video, there’s ideas for more variations. It doesn’t really matter. This cake really is foolproof, easy, and delicious. Just don’t skimp on the plums, they shrink and fall under the puffy batter so try to cover the entire surface with fruit.