From The New Elegant But Easy Cookbook, by Marian Burros and Lois Levine.
- 1/4 pound unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup plus 1 or 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup unbleached flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs
- Pinch salt
- 24 halves pitted Italian (prune or purple) plums
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or more, to taste
- Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream the butter and the 3/4 cup of sugar. Add the flour, baking powder, eggs, and salt and beat to mix well. Spoon the batter into an ungreased 9- or 10-inch springform pan. Cover the top with the plums, skin sides down. Mix the cinnamon with the remaining 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle over the top.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired.
- To serve, let the torte return to room temperature and reheat at 300 degrees until warm, if desired. Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream.