18 Comments

What a yummy looking torte. I shall make it tomorrow! I so agree about the let down of New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s. Neither of which I’ve much enjoyed. But as ever your historical account is fascinating.

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It's very easy, very quick but so rich you might want to have some single cream with it. That sounds like an extra richness! But it cuts it.

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The best NYEs (and Valentines) are spent alone in the bath with a good book and your drink of choice.

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Sounds like my best NYE celebrations!

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I often make this torte using the original recipe, though I vary the fruit depending on what’s available. It might be “boring,” but it’s an extremely easy way to have a home-made dessert to serve for a non-baker like me. It’s fool-proof.

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I agree on the foolproof aspect of the recipe. I'm not a brilliant baker so it suits me well. But I'll be trying it out with the flavours and almond flour Zora Margolis recommends next time.

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I've always thought that Burros' plum torte recipe was, well, boring. Your impulse is to snazz up the flavor with almond extract. I add cardamom, orange zest, and vanilla extract. during Italian plum season in September. I just made a David Tanis NYT recipe for pear-almond cake, which has the same basic ratios (1 stick butter, one cup flour, one cup sugar, 2 eggs) , but with almond flour. I also enhanced that one with cardamom, which I add to all except chocolate cakes, and a tiny smidge of almond extract, and Meyer lemon zest. Delicious, even when made with allulose non-nutritive sweetener instead of white sugar, which made the cake low-carb.

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I've just made the Plum Torte your way . And it's delicious, particularly with your flavour addictions (though I used orange not lemon zest because I had an orange to use up). But it's surely a frangipane, which isn't a Torte.

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Now I've eaten it, I see it isn't nearly as dense as frangipane. It's very light! Thank you for putting me on this different path. Delicious.

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When I make plum torte, I do use orange zest. And David Tanis' "pear-almond cake" is indeed a frangipane. I made that recipe for the first time a few days ago, and used Meyer lemon zest in it, but I'm sure it would be equally delicious with orange zest.

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Not addictions! Additions! Apologies.

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I love the idea of cardamon! I don't think I use it enough. I'm definitely trying your version.

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The plum torte is a wonderful versatile recipe. I like the variation of it with almond flour and like you I also add almond extract.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/14/dining/marian-burros-plum-torte-recipe-variations.html

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You'll see Zora Margolis also recommends almond flour. I'm following both your examples - although I do think the cake can pass muster as is.

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I have been to Rome in February on more than one occasion, and even when the sun's out the thermometer is in brass monkey territory. I'm not sure whether it's reassuring or depressing to be reminded that men have always loathed women.

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Whipping is challenged as unacceptable for dogs and horses. But folklore has it that "A woman, a dog, a walnut tree, the more you beat them, the better they be."

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Reminds me of the Greek/Turkish proverb (they both blame each other...): a woman for duty, a boy for pleasure, a melon for ecstasy. 🙄

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Streuth.

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