Plum Torte with Oat Streusel
It wouldn’t be the Jewish High Holiday season if you didn’t see at least one recipe for Plum Torte.
I suppose it’s because the holidays come at around the same time as the harvest for those small, dark purple Italian prune plums and what could be better than dessert made with the newest, freshest, soon-to-disappear seasonal fruit? (Although the torte recipe is so versatile that my niece Rachel Vail, renowned children’s book author, once made it with pears.)
I’ve made several versions over the years, including the NYTimes recipe and my Aunt Beck’s famous apple cake made with plums.
This year I’m baking a new variation for the holidays. If Plum Torte is so delicious, can’t it be even better — and lovelier looking — with a streusel top?
Yes!
Here it is:
PLUM CAKE WITH OAT STREUSEL
CAKE:
Streusel (recipe below)
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons grated fresh orange peel
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
12 Italian prune plums, pitted and sliced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the streusel and set it aside. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and orange peel in the bowl of an electric mixer. In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk and melted butter. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones and beat for about one minute, until smooth. Turn the batter into the prepared cake pan. Top with the plum slices. Cover with the streusel. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the outer ring from the pan and let the cake cool completely.
Makes one cake serving 8 people
STREUSEL:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Mix the oats, flour, brown sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.