contributed by Judy Bracken, Newsletter Editor

I had a lot of plums from my tree this year, and this was a good way to use them. I think you could probably substitute peaches, cherries or other stone fruit for the plums, depending on what you have. It’s easy to prepare; make a double recipe and freeze one for later!

Ingredients

  • ¾ to 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter or butter flavor coconut oil, softened
  • 1 cup unbleached flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  •  Pinch of salt (optional)
  • 2 eggs
  • 24 halves pitted purple plums
  •  Sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon, for topping

Preparation

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well.
  3. Spoon the batter into a springform pan of 8, 9 or 10 inches. A quiche dish works well too, but make sure to butter it first. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon.
  4. Bake 1 hour, approximately. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired. Or cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped or ice cream. (To serve a torte that was frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.)