Plums! (And their inevitable cake...)

Ah, plums. Aren't they a miracle of bluish hazy midnight purple deliciousness?

When late summer begins to hint at its transformation to early autumn, the elliptical Italian Prune Plums make their annual appearance. In our CSA shares, in the farmers' market stalls, and grocery shelves, we are treated to a brief window of plum abundance that I personally look forward to every year with great enthusiasm. My enthusiasm is due primarily to the anticipation of making the recipe I present to you here. By special request, here is Pflaum Torte. It's brilliant in its simplicity, and it is old school grandma awesome. (And it freezes like a champ for an easy "pull it out of the freezer and bring it to X,Y, or Z holiday party, go go go" in the harried holiday months we know are coming but don't want to think about just yet.)

Special Equipment:

A 9 inch Springform Cake Pan

An Electric Mixer

A Rubber/Silicone Scraper

 Ingredients:

1 stick of Butter, softened

1 cup, plus 1/4 cup Sugar

1 cup Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 pinch of Salt

2 Eggs

12-14 Italian plums, halved and pitted (Probably just 12, but if you're like me, you'll need to eat at least 2 before they make it to the cake!)

1 1/2 tsp. ground Cinnamon

1 tsp. strained fresh Lemon Juice  

Step 1: Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar.

Step 2: Add the 1 cup flour, pinch of salt, 1 tsp. baking soda and 2 eggs and mix into a thick batter.

Step 3: Butter and flour a 9 inch springform cake pan, and pour in the batter.

Step 4: With the rubber scraper, smooth the batter into an even layer.

Step 5: Halve and pit the plums and then gently press them, skin side up, into the batter.

Step 6: Once all the plums are on, sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar,  1 tsp strained fresh lemon juice, and 1 and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon over the plums. 

Step 7: Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 1 hour, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely, then remove from pan, slice, and serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

Pflaum Torte: 2015

Go out and get the plums. Do it now! In a few weeks they'll be gone, and you'll have to wait a whole year before you can have this cake! Unless of course you happen to be at a pot-luck with me in the coming months. Yes, I did bake 4 of these today. All in the oven at once. I'll soon be wrapping them in parchment paper and foil to slip into freezer bags, after which I will tuck them away in my freezer to hold on to the plum-tart-taste of summer's end for sometime mid-winter. 

Enjoy! 

Love, Terina