summer torte

Jo I know you recently posted that somewhere else because I immediately copied and pasted it and sent it on to my daughters.
It looks just wonderful and is the simple type of fruit dessert that I love! Thanks for posting it again with the photo. Looks lovely!

SharonCb

that looks incredible! I am making it as soon as my blackberries get ripe sometime next week!

Jo, it's so good to "see" you here again! Thanks for the recipe, it looks stellar!

That looks gorgeous! Copying and pasting!! Looks delicious -

Lori

You sold me on it.

Select-Copy-Paste.

Jim

Thanks for that recipe Jo. I made it yesterday with mangos. Yum! I had a tart pan that I received as a gift and I have been meaning to try. This was easy to make.

This vacation is going to kill me if I don't stop baking.

Jo, your torte is beautiful and I am sure it tastes as good as it looks!

I picked up some peaches at the co-op yesterday, I think I know what I'll be making with them!

Oooh, Joan...yours looks fabulous too!

Linda

Joan,

I am adding mangos to my shopping list. Your torte looks decadent! I am glad you liked the recipe.

Jo

joanm - how many mangoes did you use for your torte?

And, jojoco, if using berries, do you just use enough to spread a single layer over the top of the dough? Just trying to figure if 1 pint will do.

Thanks -

I used 2 mangos and the slices were big. I made a note to cut the slices in half and jam more fruit in there next time. I also only cooked mine for 35 minutes, it started getting too dark. I figure since I had a 10 inch low sided pan that could be why it cooked quicker.

Hey Jojo it IS good to see you again, thanks for posting this great recipe!

Your pasta salad recipe is one of my summer standbys!

This is wonderful because I have a tart pan and I dream of making tarts but I am quite dough challenged. I just cannot take the time and effort to produce a nice one in my tiny kitchen. But I could do this!! Any recipe where the directions say, "Spoon globs . . . " I'm all over it!

So a question for the Jos. How did you get the "globs" to create such an even pattern?

Oh Jo, what a gorgeous torte. Both of them. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I've cut and pasted and can't wait to try this.

Ann

We were invited to a dinner last night. I stopped at the grocery store at 6:00 to pick up whatever was ripe (nectarines in this case). The torte was in the oven within 15 minutes of getting home.
After I spoon the globs into the pan, I take a knife and spread it around to cover the pan. Then I put the fruit on top of it. That is it. It does take a few minutes to spread the batter because it doesn't want to stick, due to the greasing. For the record, the original recipe didn't call for greasing, but I didn't want to risk sticking.

This looks like the apple cake my mother has been making ever since I can remember. Never thought of using other types of fruit. I will definitely try it with peaches or plums. Blueberries or rhubarb should also be good.

What lpink said,except I don't have a tart pan :) Thank you so much for sharing this!

Sue

Hi JoJo,
Just took it out of the oven. Made mine with peaches and blueberries. Smells great. Thanks
Kim

kim,
Pix please! That combo sounds divine.

Oh, wow. Sweet cherries are just now ripening here, and I feel some baking coming on.....

Annie

Sorry JoJo, two cameras, problems with both.
Picture spirals of peaches with the berries scattered between. It did look pretty good if I say so myself:)
It was so easy to make, easier to eat. Thanks for the recipe.
Kim

My neighbor just brought over a bag of freshly picked apricots, my favorite fruit.
Thanks for sharing the great recipe!

Lpink, that is so funny. I got this beautiful tart pan as a gift and I have been afraid to use it because I have a fear of dough. This recipe is idiot proof. I sprayed my pan and just poured the batter in. It was like a thick cake batter. I tried to get it up the sides but it would slide down. 5 minutes in the oven and it went up the sides all by itself. It's very tasty as well as easy. Go heavy on the fruit.

JoJo,
Would it work with apples? If so, should I pre-cook the apples?
TIA

"So a question for the Jos. How did you get the "globs" to create such an even pattern?"

Yeah, I don't get it either. If the fruit is on top of the batter, how did the batter end up on top of the fruit, so neatly no less?

LOL Joann, "fear of dough." That's me, Doughphobic. It's not that I'm afraid of the actual dough really. It's just the making of the dough and then the shaping of it is just too fussy for my personality. I don't have the dexterity or the patience. I do occationally make a pie though. But there is probably no way I am ever going to freeze butter, shred it all up to just the right consistency with flour, and then carefully and elegantly press it into a prepared tart pan and prebake. Maybe some day when my ship comes in and I get to have my dream kitchen and the time to spend it it, but until that time, I'll stick with buckles, cobblers and crisps, for the most part!

Oh yum, Elery just picked 22 pounds of fresh sweet cherries for $1.25 a pound and he's currently pitting them while I'm slaving away at work. Ahem. Yeah, well.....

I asked him to leave some out for this torte, I can see it in my very near future.

Annie

food, I have no idea how it works, but I was always dumbstruck by tape cassettes and lps too. I hope I have made it clear that once you put the globs on the pan, you spread them out with a knife.

Jo

LOL, Jo, I'm still amazed by FAX transmissions and calculators too. (grin)

Annie

Yes you made that clear. What wasn't clear to me was that there is no dough put on top of the filling during assembly. I guess I'm dense.

You're not dense. I would guess that it is a result of the baking powder action combined with the weight of the fruit.
Jo

I made this recipe on Sunday with peaches and raspberries. I took it out of the oven a little prematurely, tho and so the middle wasn't quite done, but the edges were fabulous!

I'll definitely make this often, it was super easy! But next time I'll make sure to give it the full 45 minutes in the oven!

Foodonastump....don't fret about how the dough gets from bottom to top, just make it and you'll be pleasantly surprised! LOL

Linda

I'm with foodonastump - this has me stumped. But some recipes just do this, you put in the layers and by the time it comes out of the oven, the layers are reversed. Witness brenda55's cajeta cake for example. That was one great recipe and the layers flipped!

I'm definitely going to save this recipe. Thanks for posting!

I have mangos going bad on my counter so I just cut up 3 to make this again. When I pulled out the pan I found the instructions from Pampered Chef. It seems I am supposed to lower the oven temp by 25 degrees because the pan is dark. That could explain why mine was done quicker. I will try it tonight with the lower temp. Ignore my note about it only taking 35 minutes. Operator error :->

I stopped between steps to take picures since there was so much curiosity.

I wanted to use 3 mangos

The glop

After spreading it out

I couldn't fit all the mango

The mango star

I wonder if it is cool enough to cut yet :->

I love vacations when I am not counting points!

I had to cut it to get the final picture.

And yes, I have too much time on my hands. LOL

I can report back that 45 minutes worked great when I lowered the temp for my pan.

Joan,
Thanks for giving the pictorial step-by-step. The finished product looks great. The only thing I do differently is that I do not spread the batter up the sides of the pan. I just cover the bottom. One less step!
Jo

Gorgeous! Thanks for the step by step! I am saving up my smallish raspberry harvest day by day this week with the hopes of making this torte over the weekend. I have some frozen cherries to fill in the gaps.

Here's mine! It was great. Unfortunately a friend came over and ate it all up. I'll have to try again today.

I wish there was such a thing as the "Smellernet" and the "Tasternet".

One word.... YUM!!

I have made this recipe three times since last Thursday!

Thurs night I made a strawberry/blueberry torte and I made two on Sat for a cookout ... one was peach/blueberry and the other was apple.

I do think that I need to go a little heavier on my fruit (esp the apple). I cut the apple somewhat thin to make sure that it cooked through. It was really good, but I certainly could have made the fruit thicker. It seemed to work best with more "juicy" fruit like the strawberries and peaches.

Definitely a keeper.... so easy and yummy.

One question...

My fruit seems to stay on the top... from the pictures it looks like your fruit sinks to the bottom and the "cake" rises above the fruit and makes the beautiful designs.... any suggestions?

Glad you liked the recipe. When I make it, the fruit absolutely sinks a bit. I think part of the reason is because my slices are perhaps more slab-like. When I cut a plum, I get 6 slices. Other than that, I would just double check the expiration on the baking powder. Not much else to suggest. But glad it generally worked.
Jo

Would it be too, too decadent to make this just for me? And eat it all up in 2 days?

HAHA lindac!! My mom has decided that this is one of her favorite desserts now. She and Dad left today to go out of town for a few days.... and she left a request for me to make one on the day they return!

It's very light.... it was deceiving when I first made it. We all thought it was going to be dry and biscuit-like (I must admit, I was concerned!)... but it is very moist and cake like when you cut into it... and the fruit adds just the right amount of flavor and sweetness.

I did have some whipped cream available on Saturday (for the second batch that I made for the cook-out)... some opted for the cream, some didn't (I prefer without)..

Delicious and OH-SO easy.

(thanks for the hints jojoco.... I'll try the thicker "slabs" of fruit next time).

Lindac,
Why would it take you 2 days, lol?

Kim

I made it too, with these:

I turned them into this:

I made several jars of this, a black forest jam:

I got the recipe from mellyofthesouth, and it didn't set up, so I used it for a sauce, and the end product looked like this:

I sprinkled it with vanilla sugar, and took it to the office. I think someone licked the plate...

Annie

Well, I made it too, but with some Italian plums and it was wonderful! Jusst the cake without fruit is great.

My next one on Friday will be with cherries I have pitted.

Easy, delicious and trully a keeper recipe for someone that is baking challenged.

Peppi

Annie,
That is truly one of the most delectable dessert photographs I have ever seen on gw. Thanks for sharing.

Jo

Jo, sometimes I get lucky. That particular picture was taken in my office, sitting on my desk and the plate was a small paper plate from the break room. I moved the plastic fork.

So much for set up and styling. (grin)

It is a great recipe, and so easy. I'll definitely make that again, so thank YOU.

Annie

I made it yesterday too. I used frozen blueberries and some blueberry jam I'd made earlier in the year. It is delectable!

Thanks, jojoco, for the wonderful, super easy recipe! I'm also sharing it with friends. One in particular lives in Hana, Hawaii, and was seeking ideas for what to do with an abundance of mangoes. I shared Joann's pictorial with her and she's now excited at the prospects.

My nephew and his GF showed up yesterday for an afternoon at the lake. I had just returned from raspberry picking and used a pint to make up this torte to serve them.

It was easy to prepare, impressive to serve, and the flavor of the berries were enhanced, not overpowered, by the cake. I served it with vanilla bean ice cream and they loved it.

Great "go-to" recipe!

I FINALLY got to make the cake last night. Even though at 9:30 pm I had to go to the store to get more eggs, and I forgot and left the oven "pre-heating" the whole time I was out. I made mine with raspberries from the garden. I didn't have a tart pan, I think I got rid of mine after years of mis-use, but I did have a 10 inch springform. I decided to get creative and put a streusel topping on it, because my berries were kind of marginal. I used the topping recipe from Annie's grandma's bluberry crisp, but any streusel topping recipe will do. It turned out good but I did have to bake it 15 min. longer. I can see why people eat this cake up fast, yummo! A great "go to" recipe to make any occasion special, and since the cake is modest sized, you don't end up with a whole bunch of it left over, which I like. Those big 13 inch pan cakes take me FOREVER to eat up, no matter how yummy they are. I wouldn't recommend using all raspberries though, mine were just too seedy.

Hi,I made this for a second time but this time I added a cheese cake batter to it also. Peaches, blueberries and cheese swirled in. Yum. Love this recipe JoJo, excellent the original way and fun to play with also.
Kim

Just got home with nectarines, cherries and blueberries.....what to use! What to use!
Linda C

Why not all three?

I will definitely have to make that one. I seems like it would make a great dessert or something for Sunday breakfast with coffee. And there is so much great fruit coming in right now. Thanks for the recipe and pictures.
Clare

I've got two big peaches and butter setting out to soften so I can make this recipe.

Just figured out this new mini Mac system and uploaded my first photo using this system so now I feel I can do anything! I figured it out all by myself too!!!! I am THE woman - hear me ROAR! Ha!

This is excellent! I did it in a 9" springform - took longer than 45 minutes. I used raspberries and blackberries. Love this recipe. Thank you!

Yum, yum, yummy! I took mine out of the oven just a couple of hours ago. Took my pics first, then took two slices to my mom and dad.

I used a 9.5" springform pan and added about 1/2t. vanilla to the batter. My peaches were large so I only need 1 1/2 peaches to fill the pan.

That looks rustic and beautiful!

I made one today also, with plums. They were big, so it took only two to fill up the tart pan. We were too hungry to to bother with pictures. Great simple, delicious recipe. I'll be making it all summer.

I'm diabetic so I tweaked the recipe to make it lower carb...still wonderful! I used 1/2 cup Splenda plus 2 squirts agave nectar (I think about 2 Tbs), 1/4 tsp salt, and sifted white whole wheat flour. I also used a 9x13 pan to further reduce carbs rather than serving size (I cut it into 12 pieces), but covered the entire pan with peaches (about 6 medium sized). I probably could have taken it out of the oven after 30 min but I let it bake for 45, giving it a nice crunchy crust. Thanks for the recipe, jojoco...will try plums next!

Here's mine, for a picnic today. Thanks so much for posting this!

Hi folks --

I am looking forward to trying this torte, but thought I would post what looks like a similar but slightly lighter recipe that has half the butter, for those who are watching their fat... It is a recipe from Gourmet for a raspberry buttermilk cake... Made it last night and it was easy and fantastic. I'd imagine you could use lots of different fruit in it...

Emily

Here is a link that might be useful: Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

Delicious! I rarely bake, but this one is a keeper! I used a couple of big, fat peaches and some late raspberries. It lasted about two minutes at work. I may try it again with the Splenda. Another variation that I'm thinking about trying would be a peach and about half a tube of crumbled almond paste.

I rarely bake but this recipe got me. I went to the farmer's market Sunday morning, picked up some raspberries and peaches, and made it for breakfast. The two of us ate the whole thing, it was that good. That means half a stick of butter each. But what a cake. Thanks for the recipe.

This one grabbed me,too.Made blueberry on sunday and two today.I do not have a tart pan but an 8 inch cake pan worked perfectly.Sunday made a blueberry with a touch of almond extract and today I did a pina colada with pineapple, coconut and a splach of rum and one with lemon curd and raspberries....heaven!!!!I love a recipe that is forgiving.Thanks for sharing.

Great news, I was afraid I might miss out on this because I don't have a tart pan. I'm not much of a baker (even though I'm making banana bread today), but would there be a difference if I used a metal pie pan vs. a glass one?

Plums...

in a springform pan

I made this last night and it was so good! Mine wasn't nearly as pretty as the ones shown here, but it sure tasted good. Thank you so much for posting the recipe.

Thank you so much for this recipe. I have one in the oven with blackberries and blueberries to test it. If it turns out as good as yours, I plan on making a couple for a family dinner next week of fried shrimp, fried okra and coleslaw. A nice fruity dessert will be perfect!

I used 1/8 tsp. salt as a pinch, I hope that was the right amount. I also just used sugar on top as I don't know if cinnamon goes with those fruits.

Has anyone tried it using the Del Monte Spiced Peaches? I have two jars of those and could drain them and dry them, but don't know how they would be in this. Would you use the cinnamon and sugar or just sugar? Can anyone advise me about this?

Thank you again for the recipe and all the great comments posted.

I made this three times in the last two weeks. Once with plums, once with peaches, once with a combo as well as some blueberries that needed a purpose.

A hit every time!

Thanks Jo, this is now my "go to" desert recipe whenever we have company at the cottage. Easy, delicious, seasonal and oh so good with ice cream!

I don't know about this recipe with canned peaches, but I have made a similar pear cake with canned spiced pears, and it works fine, even better as they are super moist. I think it would be perfect with canned spiced pears, as long as they were well drained.

Has anyone made this with apples yet? Do you think thin slices of raw apple could be used or would it be better to poach apple slices instead?

Might have to get some plums next week!
Teresa

Teresa, check out this post from a few days ago.

Rusty

Here is a link that might be useful: Apple Cake

teresa.... I made it with apples, but I cut them too thin. I've learned from making it multiple times, that it works much better if you have thicker "slabs" of fruit (as another poster suggested).

The thinner pieces of apple dried out a little more that I would have liked. I am planning on trying it again with thicker slices. The apple torte was still delicious and was the favorite of my 9 yr old nieces.... so all was not lost!..... but IMO it would have been better with much thicker slices.

I'm heading off to read the link regarding the Apple Cake and see what it has to say.....

Alright I'm going in.

Here it is just before going into the oven:

And here she is after coming out of the oven:

I'm going to make this tomorrow to have ready when DH gets home from OK. I know he'll love it.

I wonder if this could be made in mini pans? How would you adjust the baking time?

Sally

I made it in mini-springform pans (4.5") and it came out fine. I used a half recipe in two pans (1/4 of the original recipe per pan) and I started checking it at 30 minutes but I don't remember how long it took to cook - definitely less than the 45 minutes.

Me too, took it out at 40 mins.

I bought peaches and blueberries today and can't wait to make this. Jojo, thanks for sharing the recipe.

Fresh Porter Peaches for me! Bad pic... it tasted great and I'll be making again for sure. Thanks Jo!!

David

Thanks so much for the recipe and all of the pics. My daughter wants to make this tomorrow, she gets to pick the fruit. She told me it wouldn't be peaches. Too bad since they're my favorite.

Tracey

I've made this many, many times over the last few weeks.... and want to report on my "trials"....

I have made a few in my 9" springform pan, which turned out great... then I wanted to cook two at the same time and used 9" glass pie plates... which turned out "OK". I've used the springform pan again, with good results...

... but this last time I used a 9" old aluminum cake pan and it was cooked to perfection.

I have no idea what the differences were, but the glass pie plates cooked faster and it was much darker and not as moist.

A question... have you attempted to "dump" this out of the dish so you can serve it on a pretty cake plate? I'm thinking that I need to place parchment or wax paper on the bottom next time...

Also... I would love to make several of these for some of my husbands business clients.... how do you think it would work in the disposable aluminum pie pans?? Any other suggestions on what to cook them in to give away??

Thanks to jojoco for sharing this absolutely EASY and WONDERFUL recipe. I will be making this for years and years to come. So versatile and simple...yet so tasty.

Just a couple of questions please...do you serve this hot, warm, or cold? Can you prepare it in the morning, refridgerate and bake in the evening?

I'm going to try this tomorrow with peaches. I haven't seen such great reviews since the carmel cheese puffs. Thanks to everyone for sharing.

I bake them in the morning and just leave it uncovered on the counter to serve room temp. I found if I cover it, the cake gets soggy very fast. But still good enough to eat!

For the apricot one, I did spread a bit of warmed apricot jam over the raw dough then the fruit and baked. Heaven.

Shaun, that is beee-yooo-ti-fullll!!!!!!!

David, yours looks very rustic and tasty, though. I think I will do a peach one today.

starlight, I agree. I made it in my tart pan when I made with cherries. the top was very brown, and I was able to slide it off the flat bottom to a cake plate. Next time with plums, I baked it longer, but the middle turned out a little gooey - I think I put too much fruit right in the middle? And I couldn't slide it off the bottom. I think parchment is a great idea.

Stacy

Thanks, Cloud and Shaun. I don't have mini spring forms, but I was thinking of those mini aluminum "give-away" pie pans. I may wait to try doing that as a gift till I've had time to practice.

Sally

Made an apricot one for dinner last night and it disappeared before I could get out the camera and put some of canarybirds tips to the test.

It's such a quick and easy recipe with great results. I plan on making it more often.

Cherries coming up next...

I made mine the night before and took it to the office the next day, and it was fine.

I did mine in a springform pan, but I have old cake pans with the "release bar" that I bet would work.

Sally, I don't know about the disposable aluminum pans, I think you're right in that you should try it first. I'm betting that it will be all right, though, because the aluminum pans are flexible enough to pull the cake away from the pan.

Annie

I don't like cake in pie tins, but that may just be my thing. I would bake it in a square pan to give away. 8 inch or 9 inch would do it. A ten inch springform has area of pi(r)squared doesn't it? Sorry, I don't know how to type mathematical symbols. The radius on a 10 inch pan is 5 inches, and pi is 3.25 something or other, so that's roughtly 75+ square inches. An 8 inch square pan is 64 square inches and a 9 inch is 81. 7x11 inch is 77, which might be good if they sell those.

I could be totally wrong on the math here, math is not my strong suite.

You know, usually a thread with this many posts to it is indicative of a bickering bunch. But not this one! Jojo that should tell you that you've posted a winner!

I'm going to make another one with pineapple today. (canned)

She's in the oven! I didnt' have cherries to put in the center of the pineapple so I used Strawberry Syrup. We'll see how it comes out. But here it is before going into the oven (and before sprinkling w/cinnamon sugar)

I'll repost that picture - I saved it to the wrong spot, wanted to keep all food pics together.

Anyway this is the Pineapple Torte before going in

And this is it after baking - look how the dough came thru the holes in the pineapple! How funny!!!

Haven't cut it yet - waiting for dinner time. So we won't know if it's good or not til then!

Eh this one wasnt as delicious as the one w the berries. Should have used chunks instead of slices.

It made for an "interesting" picture though! And that's all I'm sayin', I'm not sayin' any more!
;)

I was thinking about trying the pineapple.... do you think that it would have been better with more/thicker pineapple?? (ROFL.... yes, very interesting picture!).

I have been leaving the cinnamon off of my tortes (except for the apple one). For some reason, strawberries and cinnamon just don't sound like they would be good together!

Also.... after I greased (sprayed w/nonstick spray) my pan, I put sugar in the bottom of the pan and it was great! Gives it a little sweet something on the bottom.

Natesgramma, don't mix it up and let it sit or the baking powder will partially de-activate.
I have made several.....and one that was a flop!....not to say it didn't get eaten though! I thought that if some fruit was good, more might be better and it got soggy and over flowed my tart pan all over the oven....
I also made one in a crockery pie plate. I thought I might want to take it out of the dish to serve so I buttered the dish and sprinkled with matzo meal.....was thinking I had a jar of ground almonds in the freezer....but I guess not.
Anyhow it worked very well.
I am thinking it could be made in ramekins.....and you could sub 2 T of the flour for cocoa and add some chopped nuts and top with grated chocolate as soon as it comes out of the oven....or add grated lemon zest to the batter and put the apples under the dough....bt it would be delicious with fresh pears...
The possibilities are endless!
Linda C

Canned peaches work wonderfully in this recipe. This is the same recipe my Mom has used for years and taught me how to make. She always called it cobbler, though. When I make it with the canned fruit, I always pour a little of the syrup over the fruit and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Lisa

Starlightfarm - I've been leaving off the cinnamon, too. The first time I made it I had it out but couldn't bring myself to use it. To me at least, cinnamon is a "darker" spice that's better suited for fall/winter.

I used a mixture of cardamon and sugar - guess you could call it cardamon sugar - on mine and it was divine. But I love cardamon :)

I am making a raspberry one for tomorrow for my friends 25th anniversary and having read Linda C's comments I may just add some grated chocolate to the batter and more over the top when it's cool enough not to melt it.

I made one yesterday, but haven't uploaded the pictures yet. I made mine with plums. I almost put sliced almonds on it too, but decided I'd do it strictly according to the recipe the first time. I've had a jar of Penzy's Vanilla Sugar calling my name from the cabinet, so I used that to make my cinnamon sugar. It was not bad. I had my first piece last night, and have eaten a piece for breakfast this morning, heated up in the microwave. I actually liked it better this morning. I don't know if it's because I had it warmed up, or if it's better the next day. What's great about this recipe is that it's so easy, as everyone has said, and it's so flexible. I can see lots of ways to experiment with different fruits and flavorings or toppings, such as adding nuts or crumbles or something along that line. Oh, Dh got back late and not hungry, as he snacked the whole way home, so he just had his first taste this morning. He approves!

Sally

I've made it a few times now, too. So far have only used 'summer' fruit, no berries. Personally don't like cooked strawberries, but they make a pretty torte, don't they!

Cinnamon is probably my all time favorite spice, so IMHO, it 'goes with' everything. Now I'm looking forward to trying it with Cardamom. Also was thinking about adding some nuts, then read where some of you did.

As Linda C says, the possibilities are endless. Limited only by the imagination and taste buds.

Thank you from me, too jojoco, for giving us this recipe.

Rusty

I have made this couple of times now. My change to the recipe has been, instead of butter, I use 4 oz of Country Crock spread. I count calories, and this substitution lowers the calorie count quit a bit. As the spread is salty, I do not add any additional salt either. I have used it with apples and pineapples, both have come out great tasting, I have one little slice and my guys eat the rest very fast :)

Anyone ever make it with rhubarb? I was thinking of using stewed rhubarb mixed with strawberries, not just freshly cut rhubarb? Or would fresh cut be better?
Clare

Clare, I think freshly cut and unsweetened rhubarb would be too tart for anyone other than the most diehard rhubarb fans, I'd go for the stewed mixture.

It sounds yummy, I love rhubarb, now that's on my "to try" list.....

Annie

Well, I guess I'm the lone dissenter here because I thought this was just ok although I really thought I would love it. I made it tonight with fresh peeled peaches and in a tart pan w/removable bottom and exactly as the recipe stated although I did add some vanilla and did use the cinnamon and sugar on top. To me, it's just a butter cake with some fruit.
I prefer the caramely taste of fruit crisps more and I like a sweeter dessert and perhaps more complex flavors though I do see the possibilities in the recipe.

I made mine with fresh raspberries and blueberries and it was wonderful. Has anyone tried it with just blueberries?
Annie..... I baked it in a old release cake pan and it worked great. Can't figure out why they are not sold anymore. At least I haven't seen any.
Lois

You can still buy those cake pans with the release bar, Lois--you just have to look a little harder. They have them at Fantes (link below--scroll about three-quarters of the way down the page and you'll see it) and on eBay. I'm sure Wilton must sell them, too. This cake is so buttery, though, that it tends to grease its own pan. I made it in a blackened tin tart pan, and it slid out with no trouble at all.

Here is a link that might be useful: cake pan with cutter bar

Thanks for the information on the Fantes website. I had no idea they were still available,
Lois

Killer-looking tortes.

Marian Burros' recipe is one I've had, but never tried because it just sounded too simple to be good Âknow what I mean?
But your spectacular pictures and results have changed my mind.

Btw, Marian's recipe was originally made using 12 Italian prune plums, halved.

And now that Italian prune plums have made their debut in MI., I'm going to join you all in a baking jamboree. Thanks Jo.

Sol

Oh man! You guys are making me hungry. I have just finished eating lunch! Great pictures and they all look so yummy!

I can't help but laugh at myself this morning. I'm such a dough-head. Several days ago I made one that flopped. I made it in a tin torte pan, luckily I decided to put a cookie sheet under it because in 25 minutes it was overflowing and almost brown. I had a few bites but threw it out. I've reread the messages and decided to try again. This time I thought I better use the springform pan in case it was going to overflow again.

So I started the recipe, had the peaches already cut, so I wouldn't have to let everything sit out (thanks Linda) and when I got to the baking soda amount...I realized it says baking "powder". DUH! So I'm hoping that was my only mistake. Here are pics of what just went in the oven. My dough doesn't look quite as stiff as Joan's but my eggs were large, maybe the difference.


I'll post pics if this is a success.

TA DA!!! Slightly excited, DH will be too. Thanks for the great recipe, the messages, and pics.

Very Pretty Natesgramma.

So, the ones who used Pineapple didn't like it?

Has anyone actually done a strawberry/rhubarb yet?

I love it with pineapple, although I have yet to make one with only pineapple. Last night I used one apple and 1/4 of pineapple. Cut them to small chunks and mixed into the patter. Then bored it to the pan and baked. My DH liked this method result more, said it was more moist than the previous versions, where I laid the fruit on top.

Raspberry Chocolate - yummmmmm! Took to a party last night and it vanished while I went to the kitchen to get a glass of water from the fridge.

Anybody try a savory one?
Seems like you could omit the sugar (add some parmesean cheese), top with garlic slices, mushrooms, peppers, and Walla Walla onion rings!! (can ya tell I'm harvesting those now??!?!? I've got about 20 lbs. sitting on the counter right now, probably 5-6 lbs. already chopped and frozen and more still in the ground).

So, d'ya think it would be good as a savory dish?
Any other changes you'd suggest?

Deanna

How about tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella,garlic. Yum.

Deanna, as soon as I tried it I was thinking it would be good as something breakfasty, like with bacon or sausage and cheese. But onions. Yes

So, yes, I tried it too. It's good! And if you don't have a kitchen, it cooks up just fine in a pie dish and toaster oven. One should avoid reading about baking when one's kitchen is being remodeled, but this looked doable.

Thanks, fori.
Did you omit the sugar or leave it in?

I'll have to try it I guess! Hoping it cools down here so I can cook again. I am getting awfully tired of sandwiches and "cold food" dinners.

A co-worker will be sharing figs soon. I'm thinking that would be really good too, maybe drizzled with a little honey before baking. Mmmm.

Deanna

Ohh no no. I was being very unclear! In fact I was downright misleading. I did not write what I thought I wrote! :O
oops!

I meant I tried it as written (mostly) and THEN I thought it would be good savory. So I was just thinking on the same lines as you but didn't actually get it done! So you get to try it first and let me know. (But a toaster oven won't heat up the house too much.)

Now, if I actually pay attention to my message preview maybe I can actually make sense, somewhat...

jojoco, I think we need to crown you Queen of the Fruit Torte!! How many comments, 120+?

You are the queen! Thanks so much from all of us. :)

It is my turn to thank all of you. When I posted this recipe, I decided not to specify "italian plums" (as per the recipe), because I wanted to make it as versatile as possible. I am so glad I did that because you all have amazed me with your endless creativity. And now savory!!! I am so glad everyone liked it. I will never make it again without thinking of all of you and smiling.

Jo

And now for a cyber vocabulary phrase lesson - everyone say 'Epic Fail!'

- in sprayed, non-stick muffin cups - couldn't possibly stick, says she....welll......they stuck! But they were good! sorry out of focus. My bad.

OH, yes Sol, yes Italian prune plums just as I thought...we foodies we can handle the EYEtalian ones. I would imagine it would be more jammy like Annies. Annie u jammin.

I'm in with peaches and plums but it only took like 2 pieces of fruit - lol. Mine is a big more caramelized? I guess too much brown sugar and I didn't get the cool effect...but still pretty and smells delightful. Will be enjoying later on the back deck with a glass of recession red (crossing my fingers by myself - lol).

Thanks for posting, Jo!

...and I meant to add an aaawwwwww, Jesse.

When was the last time a single recipe was followed by so many posts?

I've copied and pasted this one.

Joe

Jessy, I see muffin liners in your future LOL

Just took one out the oven made with Crisco and lemonzest f or flavoring, fruit is blueberries and nectarines. We're invited out for dinner and our hosts keep kosher so it needed to be dairy free.

Will let you know how it tastes later.

Well, it was actually quite good. Everyone else loved it but the butter flavor was definitely missing. The lemon made up for it though

Jesse, I think it's a good idea to make it in muffin pans. That would be a good way to make little individual servings.

I also have been thinking about how to make it savory, since I've been trying to figure out what to do with all my tomatoes. In baking, sugar is considered a liquid, so should a liquid something or other be subbed for the sugar if making it a savory torte?

Sally

Hahah! I know my pineapple torte picture was funny looking! When I peeked thru the oven window and saw that dough coming up through the holes, I laughed too! Looks like little boobies! hahah!! A Boobie Torte.

The pineapple was good but there wasn't enough of it. I would use chunks of it and use more next time. The boys loved the one I made w/strawberries & blueberries better than the pineapple. But like I said , only because there wasn't enough pineapple.

I want to try peaches next time!

Shaun, when I saw the pineapple cake, my first thought was..."hmmmm.....more 'nips!'" Not boobies - LOL!

Jessy, thank you for your failed experiment to show us what NOT to do! LOL! But....I just remembered that I have some individual porcelain quiche/brulee pans up in the back of a cabinet. I want to try plums next.

Would love to try this in a tart pan. But 9" or 10"?

Bonnie

P.S. Will probably try this gluten-free too at some point (living on the edge!)

Well, y'all made me do it. Mine's in the oven as I sit here and type. I had some peach slices in the freezer so I made mine with that, to go with some peach gelato I made yesterday. It's a beautiful looking torte, and so easy. Thanks for the inspiration.

I really should stay away from this thread... but I can't help it. LOL Everything looks so dangerously delicious! Now I want to make mixed berries muffins... maybe Monday will be a good day.

WINNER! Made this morning (all blueberries) half gone. May have another slice with ice cream tonight.

Last year, I had to make a french gateau (gah! time consuming) for my daughter's french class -- had to buy a springform pan. Been collecting dust since then.

On a personal note, I should have made sure that my springform was really sealed correctly or put a cookie sheet underneath, but the oven mess was worth it.

Bumblebeez -- interesting comment about complexity. My son and I were saying that this torte really lets the fruit taste shine through and tasted "clean." I used lemon zest/small amt. cinnamon/sugar.

Great -- Thanks!

Cathy in SWPA

Oh, rats!! mouth is watering and I don't have a springform pan. Can I substitute anything else? only have a 10" angel food cake pan.

BT, it can be made in a cake pan with one of those release levers and I think it could be made in a deep dish pie plate, although that first wedge might be hard to get out.

Annie

Oh, and I made mine in a tart pan with a removable bottom that Jessica gave me when she stayed with me here in Michigan.

Annie

What size tart pan, please??

Bonnie

Nice to see such enthusiasm about a Marion Burros recipe. She was one of my favorite food writers, but so few people remember her any longer.

I have made this in a 9" deep dish pan pan... but it didn't do as well as it did in the metal (aluminum?) cake pan.

So far, I have made it in a 9" springform pan, deep dish glass pie pan, and a 9" aluminum cake pan. The aluminum cake pan has "cooked" it the best so far.

I did put parchment paper on the bottom of the cake pan and it released just fine.

As a side note.... I have started sprinkling sugar in the bottom of the pan (and on the sides) in the cooking spray... and it is a wonderful "crunch" added to the crust.

I've made at least 8 of this recipe so far... the variations are endless.

I'be made it twice with blueberries (everybody loved it, I thought it was ok) I made one with apricots, and that was heavenly. The apricots were quite tart, and it blended so well with the sweet of the "cake" that it was fabulous. Today I am making one from blackberries, one from peaches, and one from plums. Next it will be tart cherries.
This dessert is quite good, and so easy to make that it is surprising how good it is.
Thanks jojo for turning us all on to this.

Mouth watering recipe. As much as I want to cook this exciting recipe like others who posted their delicious dessert. I hope I can post mine too. Thanks for sharing.

Yes, please more pictures!!!

My peach torte with peach gelato turned out to be a huge hit. It was so successful, I decided to go ahead and see if a savory version would turn out for me. It's in the oven right now, so I have to wait 45 minutes to discover if it will be a ''hit'', or I ''missed''!

Here is what I did: I substituted the sugar for parmesan cheese I ground in the food processor, and added about 3 T. of chopped chives to the softened butter. After adding the eggs, flour, salt and baking powder, I spread the batter into a greased tart pan, evening it out with an offset spatula. I covered the batter with a thin layer of some French onion sour cream I made yesterday (by carmelizing the onions until they were deeply browned, and stirring them into the sour cream). To that I added a 1/4 lb. of browned sausage (Des Moines finest, Graziano's!), and about 1 Tablespoon of parmesan, which I reserved for the top.

I hope it tastes good...

Even if it doesn't, the French Onion dip is to die for. I may just have to console myself with that!

I wouldn't call it a success. (In other words, don't do this.) It tastes good, but the chemistry just isn't right without the sugar. Also, parmesan is too heavy (IMHO) for this; now I know! The crust looked more like cornbread, and didn't rise much.

Stick to the sweet torte.

Ah well. Were would we be without experiments? I do dearly love to dabble.

I'll bet the "chemistry" would be better if you omitted some of the butter when you added the cheese.....I also have 1/2 pound of graziano's sausage ion the freezer....
But that may be better with zucchini!
Linda C

I want to add my thanks for this wonderful and easy recipe. I brought it to a friend's home this afternoon, and every person there asked me for the recipe. I used raspberries, blueberries, and peaches. It was absolutely delicious, and I was proud to tell where I got the recipe.

Thanks so much.
Mary, who's not a baker

Thanks for the recipe jojoco. I found this thread Sat. evening and made 2 Sunday morning. It was the perfect dessert (easy, fast and delicious) for the cook out we had to welcome Boston to Grandma and Grandpa's house, and to meet Great Grandma, Aunts, Uncles and cousins.

I made the first one with nectarine, raspberries and blackberries, the second one I added blueberries. Everyone liked it!

Di

Let me officially retire this thread on a fun note. My daughter is 14 and loves to bake. She made this last night with zero help from me. It is a perfect cake for a burgeoning baker. Like every torte pictured here, hers was both lovely looking and delicious.
Jo