A Tale of Two Tortes: Brown Sugar Fig & Lemon Plum

plum torte

a slice of plum torte

fig torte

If you were to look over some of my recent posts - gooseberry tartlets, sour cherry compote, lavender drop scones - you might begin to doubt the truth of my past claims that I'm not generally the biggest fan of dessert.  While it remains true that I don't eat much of it, I have been on something of a sweets-making bender lately. I suppose it's because baking is so therapeutic - it forces you to slow down and only think about what you're doing, not about the million-and-one other tasks clamoring to be finished (or begun).

I think these tortes are perfect both for those of you with a voracious sweet tooth and for those of us who feel a little goes a long way. They're not cloying or overly sweet; in fact, much of the sweetness is provided by the fruit. A little slice with a cup of morning coffee or tea is just the thing.  Technically, I suppose these would more properly be called "cakes" rather than "tortes," as I used flour and not ground nuts, but thanks to the presence of fruit - and because I just thought torte sounded more fun!- I decided to go with it.

For the plum torte, I based my recipe - with some tweaks and substitutions - on the so-called "Original Plum Torte" recipe which ran in the New York Times in 1992.  I went in a slightly different direction with the ingredients for my fig version, but the technique remains the same.  A word on the plums: You don't want to use really sweet  juicy ones, as they'll make the batter too wet. Instead, go with Italian plums, also known as prune plums:

Aren't they cute?

For the plum torte, you'll need:

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp almond extract

a pinch of salt

2 eggs, beaten

24 plum halves, pitted

For the topping:

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp spicy Saigon cinnamon

1/4 tsp vanilla powder

1 Tbsp lemon zest

For the fig torte, make the following substitutions and additions:

Use 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup dark brown sugar rather than 3/4 cup regular sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract rather than almond

1 Tbsp honey in addition to the sugar

Of course - rather than plums, use figs!

And for the topping, omit the cinnamon and double the vanilla, and rather than use lemon zest, use 1 Tbsp limoncello liqueur

The method  is the same for either torte. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. Slowly add in the flour until incorporated, and add all of your other ingredients except the fruit and the toppings. The batter is going to be very thick. Spread it evenly into a tart pan:

Add your plums:

Or your figs:

Mix together the topping ingredients (except the limoncello for the fig torte; you'll drizzle that on after you've sprinkled the dry ingredients on the torte) and sprinkle it evenly over top:

Pop it into a 350 degree (F) oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until it sets and a toothpick comes out clean. I know that you're usually supposed to wait until these sorts of things cool before you dig in, but I thought these babies tasted best while still warm.  (If you were wondering why there aren't as many photos of the fig torte, well, let's just say it was a victim of its own warm deliciousness.) As for choosing my favorite  ...  deciding between the slightly tart yet lemony-sweet plum or the vaguely spicy (thanks to the buckwheat honey I used) and moist fig would probably depend on my mood. By all means, make them both and tell me what you think.

Enjoy!

fig cross section

luscious plums