The Famous New York Times Plum Cake That Is Still Beloved 40 Years Later
It might be a little unexpected, but one of the most popular recipes to come out of The New York Times is its plum torte, a cake-like pastry topped with plums and cut into triangles. The recipe was written about by food columnist Marian Burros, who has worked for the publication since 1981. The original plum torte recipe was published annually starting in September 1983 through 1989. It was supposed to stop in 1989 — but due to readers' outcry, the recipe continues to be published around September each year, and lives on the New York Times Cooking site.
What makes this recipe so popular? We think it might be how simple it is to make, yet how delicious it is. Plums are also in season through late October, which might be why it's published around September. The recipe only uses eight ingredients, including 24 halves of pitted purple plums, which are obviously the star of the dish. It's also ready in just over an hour, so you don't have to spend too much time in the kitchen for this dessert.
How the iconic plum torte is made
For the most part, this recipe has remained unchanged throughout the years with one exception. The original recipe called for one cup of white sugar, which was later reduced to ¾ cup in 1989, according to The New York Times. Now the recipe suggests using between ¾ to 1 cup of sugar, depending on your tolerance for sweetness. The other ingredients include unsalted butter, unbleached flour, baking powder, salt, plus more sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon for its golden-brown topping.
We'll let you head to The New York Times for the official recipe, but here's a basic outline. You start by creaming the butter and sugar then adding sifted flour, baking powder, salt, and eggs. After that's mixed together into your batter, spread it into a springform pan. Then you sprinkle it with cinnamon, sugar, and lemon juice. Then the torte cooks for one hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The Times recommends letting it cool, or if you just can't wait, serving it lukewarm with a dollop of whipped cream.