The Famous 1983 Plum Torte Gets a Remix

Fold in raspberries instead of plums, sprinkle in a little cardamom or try a different pan shape. It’s almost impossible to mess up Marian Burros’s beloved cake.

After torte recipe was published in 1983, the newspaper received so many requests that the editors reprinted the recipe every year until 1989.Credit...Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Liza Jernow.

By Margaux Laskey

Published Sept. 8, 2026 Updated Sept. 8, 2026

First published in September 1983, Marian Burros’s plum torte has become one of the most popular recipes in the history of The Times, and it’s no mystery why. It’s easy, it’s practically no-fail and it’s endlessly adaptable. Here are five ways to make the 43-year-old recipe your own, drawn directly from readers who have done just that.

A close-up of a golden-brown fruit cobbler. Dark red fruit syrup drips onto the metal pan, which sits on a wire rack. — Credit...Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Recipe: The Original Plum Torte

1. Toss in almost any fruit

“Made this for the first time using 4 cups of blueberries and raspberries (mixed). It was perfect!”

Apricots, halved and pitted; cranberries or any summer berry work beautifully, as do sliced apples, nectarines, peaches and pears. Canned and frozen fruit can happily stand in for fresh.

2. Experiment with spices, herbs and extracts

“I added a teaspoon of finely minced fresh rosemary to the batter. Nice, subtle flavor.”

Depending on your mood, add vanilla extract, almond extract, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, rosemary, orange or lemon zest for a subtle twist.

3. Play with flours

“Made this last night after tasting the one made by our daughter. Used raspberries and blackberries, one basket each, instead of plums, and ⅓ cup cornmeal and ⅔ cup flour. Fantastic!!! The cornmeal adds a very sophisticated ‘Italian’ character to it, very slight crunch, and amazing flavor.”

For a different texture, consider a half-and-half mixture of almond or cornmeal flour and all-purpose flour. (Melissa Clark made a version with whole-wheat flour.) Or swap in gluten-free flour blends, with excellent results.

4. Change up the pan

“Make it in any Pyrex, casserole, anything.”

The torte can be baked in any dish provided it’s around 8 to 10 inches in diameter and oven-safe, so spring-form pans, skillets, ceramic casserole dishes will all yield happy results.

5. Double, triple, even quadruple it

“Think about making two … one is not enough.”

The batter scales up like a dream, and the baked cake freezes well. In 2023, Ms. Burros recounted the time she once made two dozen and asked her friend to store 12 in her freezer. She got 10 back.