Published in the New York Times every year for 10 years, Marian Burros’s Plum Torte recipe is delicious. And inspiring! It allows for experimentation with spices and extracts, with a vast range of fruits and nuts. This winter, editor in chief Keith Recker was looking for a not-too-sweet cake to serve to friends alongside a dessert wine or champagne. Give it a try!

Black Grape Torte

Adapted from Marian Burros’s famous 1979 recipe for Plum Torte, published in the New York Times, 1979.

Ingredients

1/2 cups butter 

1 cup sugar 

2 eggs + 1 egg yolk 

1/4 tsp nutmeg 

2 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsps baking powder 

1 cup unbleached flour

1 1/2 cups seedless black grapes 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan.

2. Place butter and sugar in large mixing bowl and beat until creamy.

3. Add eggs and egg yolk. Beat till well combined.

4. Add almond extract, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and baking powder and beat till combined.

5. Add flour and beat only until combined.

6. Place the batter in the springform pan and spread with spatula until evenly distributed.

7. Place black grapes one by one on the surface of the batter. Don’t worry if they’re crowded: it will all work out!

8. Bake for approximately 50 minutes. Test with a skewer for doneness. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.

9. Serve with a sweet Vin Santo or a sparkling wine.

Story, recipe and styling by Keith Recker / Photography by Dave Bryce