In 1983, a longtime food reporter for The New York Times, Marian Burros, wrote about the plum torte. Since then, it went on to become the most requested NYT recipe in history. I had the pleasure of tasting a gluten-free version of this popular torte when my friend Susi Dokken shared her yummy twist with me. In the written recipe below I’ve also added a touch of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla (I just have a hard time baking without either because they add such a depth of flavor).

In the video below, Susi shows us step-by-step how to make this soft, buttery, and outrageously delicious dessert. We used Cup4Cup, my favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour, that yields outstanding results and already contains xanthan gum. But feel free to use whatever brand you have on hand and add a teaspoon of xanthan gum if your brand doesn’t have it.

Nealy’s Flexible Flips

Play Around With Fruit Toppings

While the traditional recipe calls for 24 halved pitted plums (which is what we used in the video above), you can have fun and play around with whatever fruit is in season. Try apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apples, pears, or whatever else you love! The possibilities are endless.

Play Around With Spices

The original torte calls for a little cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top, which is insanely delicious. But I encourage you to play around with other spices that fit your taste preferences. Pumpkin pie spice would be delicious and so ooh, so would about two teaspoons of grated orange or lemon zest.

Change Up The Pan

In the video above, you can see that our torte came out wide and thin. While I personally loved the texture and thin slices, you can easily make this dessert in a smaller pan to create a thicker torte. Experiment between an 8-inch, 9-inch, or 10-inch springform pan. Don’t have a springform pan? Don’t worry! You can also spoon the mixture into Pyrex or any dish you use to bake cakes.

Plum Torte Recipe

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