Torte reform
Sweetly bending the rules on an iconic recipe

If you cue up the internet search engine of your choice and type “Marian B,”  the autofill will complete your query: “Marian Burros’ Plum Torte Recipe.” Suffice it to say, I am not the first person to write about this spellbinding dessert, which seems to have more fans than the Boston Red Sox. The recipe was first published by the New York Times in 1983 and re-published by the paper every fall for the next dozen years.

The recipe calls for Italian prune plums. Also known as purple plums, these small, tart fruits don’t often make it to supermarket shelves. So it has always been a mystery to me why the torte is so popular when its key ingredient is so niche. Because the recipe is completely intolerant of any other type of plum.

I once attempted to make the torte with the incorrect type of plum, thinking I could somehow defy a law of the universe that dictates otherwise. Instead of purple Italian plums, I used the big, sweet and watery round plums typically found at the grocery store rather than prune plums, which are firmer-fleshed and have lower moisture content. My wrong-plum experiment was a failure. It was decidedly inferior to a year-old torte that had been made correctly and frozen, which says as much about the torte’s storability as its insistence on only this type of plum.

But in a major shake-up of the Marian B plum torte universe, I have recently discovered that it can also be made with strawberries. This makes the torte accessible to the masses, rather than the few of us lucky enough to inhabit some charming small town with an abundance of backyard plums. Not only that, but a majority of testers, including both of my kids, prefer the strawberry version. I write this in a hushed voice, out of respect for the shockwaves it might create. But it needs to be said. 

This revelation happened at a food festival in Whitefish, Mont., where there was a stand serving elk sausage pizza. There was a strawberry torte in the pastry case, and I ordered a slice. At this point, I was unsuspecting, but when I bit into the torte, I immediately recognized it as the one true torte, only made with strawberries rather than purple plums. And the strawberry rendition was absolutely amazing. Every bit as impressive and perfect as the purple prune plum rendition. In fact, my kids even prefer it to the original.

Given how popular this recipe became, even when made with an ingredient that most Americans could never find, the news that it can be made with strawberries is a game changer. Nobody has any excuses. Everyone should have lots of torte.

One note, it must be made with either purple Italian prune plums or strawberries. No substitutions, as these are the only known fruits with the correct balance of sweet, tart and moisture content. 

Being a torte, there is no crust to worry about. The batter has enough butter that it wouldn’t dream of sticking to the pan, and when sliced, it holds together just fine. So the crust will not be missed. 

The quantities listed are for one 9-inch torte. You will need a 9-inch springform pan to make it.  

Marian Burros’ Plum Torte

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted 

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt 

1 stick butter, room-temperature soft

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

12 purple Italian prune plums, pitted or split in half; or two pints of strawberries, sliced in half.

2 teaspoons sugar + 1 teaspoon cinnamon to sprinkle on top

Pre-heat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. 

Cream sugar and butter in a cake mixer. Add the eggs, followed by the dry ingredients. Mix until fully combined. 

Spread the batter into a 9-inch springform pan. Arrange the plums atop the batter in concentric circles, skin side up. Or if using strawberries, arrange them cut sides down. 

Sprinkle the top of the torte with the extra sugar and cinnamon. 

Bake the torte for 40 minutes. If it starts to brown before that time, test the batter with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the torte is done.

Allow to cool for 20 minutes and enjoy. If you wish to freeze it, let it cool, wrap in foil and seal in a plastic bag.