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Rustic Italian: Plum-Almond Cake – Torta Di Prugne E Mandorle

Rustic Italian: Plum-Almond Cake recipe - Torta Di Prugne E Mandorle | TeenieCakes.com

Cake.

What immediately comes to mind when you hear, see or read the words – CAKE? As most of the recipes I share on the Teenie Cakes site centers around incorporating fresh, seasonal ingredients both in cooking and baking, this recipe for Plum-Almond Cake/Torta Di Prugne E Mandorle from the new cookbook Williams-Sonoma Rustic Italian: Simple, Authentic Recipes for Everyday Cooking (book review follows), is the epitome of the style of culinary goodness I want to create more of and enjoy in my kitchen.

Please, look at the image above…see the chunks of sweet, juicy Italian plums peaking through the sprinkles of slivered almonds?  This cake is laced with a full lemon’s tart juices and zest and some almond flour.      Although there’s a cup of sugar used throughout the batter, the batter enjoys a good almond extract and couldn’t be more easy and quick to whip up…no need for electric mixers to beat air into the batter…this is rustic deliciousness at it’s very best.   There’s a hint of lemon, then there’s the sweetness from the plums and then a subtle texture and sweetness of the cake’s topping that incorporates a small amount of sugar and generous helping of slivered almonds (that unless you’re the one that baked it up, might not realize that there’s a secret, tasty topping).

Although my paternal great grandparents are from the region between Spain and France, this is what I envision an Italian grandmother, aunt or mom would be baking up in their kitchens to make use of over abundant fruit trees.

I warn you…at one sitting the likes of me ate two whopping pieces without shame and I still pondered to just keep going.   I’ve already made this cake twice in three days…gotta use my stash of Italian plums (a good excuse) and be able to accurately assess the accuracy of this recipe! {wink} 🙂        Print this recipe and make note that this is a keeper.   Don’t forget to read my book review at the end of this post.   You may want to forgo having to print it and secure your own copy of this treasure of a cookbook recipe collection.

Italian Prune Plums for Plum-Almond Cake recipe | TeenieCakes.com
Italian Prune Plums

On another note – it’s not too late to enjoy fresh Italian Prune Plums and incorporate them into your cooking and baking cuisine. The difference between plums and prunes are minor, but plums are clingstone (pit clings to flesh) and prunes are freestone. I found a 5 pound clamshell of these beautiful late summer, early fall fruits and was looking forward to trying this recipe.

Teenie Notes
  • Used a 9-inch springform pan instead of an 8-inch one. Worked out well, but the cake would be slightly higher/thicker if I had used an 8-inch pan instead.
  • Be sure to pick a juicy lemon to make full use of it’s zest and juicy goodness for this cake.
  • Increased the amount of slivered almonds on top of the cake to 1/3 cup.
  • For easier removal of the cake from the pan, lightly oil the pan’s sides and bottom; dust the sides of the pan and then line the bottom with parchment paper.
  • Would like to try and test this recipe with other abundant, seasonal fruits like maybe peaches, apricots…

About Almond Flour/Meal

  • You can find almond flour/meal at Trader Joe’s. I have also purchased a 5 pound bag from Honeyville, which has lasted me a long time (I also use it to make French macarons).
  • You can also grind your own almond meal: How To Make Almond Meal.   Take care not to over process the flour, otherwise it will start to turn to almond paste.
  • Store almond flour in the freezer or refrigerator for longer shelf life.
 print
Plum-Almond Cake – Torta Di Prugne E Mandorle
source – text modified from Williams-Sonoma Rustic Italian: Simple, Authentic Recipes for Everyday Cooking
by Domenica Marchetti
Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus some for pan prep
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan prep
1/2 cup almond meal/flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 large egg
1/2 cup half-and-half or whole milk
Finely grated zest and juice from 1 large lemon
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

9-10 Italian plums, halved and pitted

1/3 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil and dust with flour an 8 or 9-inch springform pan (alternately, you can oil and dust the sides of the pan and line the bottom with parchment paper).

In a larger bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, egg, half-and-half, lemon juice and zest, 1 cup of sugar and the almond extract. Whisk the wet ingredients thoroughly. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until well combined. Do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the plum halves, cut side up, on top of the batter.

Rustic Italian: Plum-Almond Cake - Torta Di Prugne E Mandorle recipe - Prep

In a bowl, combine and mix well the almonds, 2 tablespoons sugar and the butter. Dot the almond/sugar topping over the cake, dispersing evenly.

Bake until the topping is golden brown a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Remove the ring from the pan and place the cake on a serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Store leftovers in an airtight container, preferable in the refrigerator (especially if your your kitchen is warm).

Rustic Italian: Plum-Almond Cake recipe - Torta Di Prugne E Mandorle | TeenieCakes.com

Williams-Sonoma Rustic Italian by Domenica Marchetti
Williams-Sonoma Rustic Italian: Simple, Authentic Recipes for Everyday Cooking
by Domenica Marchetti and
photography by Maren Caruso

This is a beautifully laid out cookbook with warm headnotes by the author, wine pairing suggestions and most recipes are accompanied with mouthwatering images that lend to the inviting rustic ambiance of the book.

Not only do the translated Italian titles of each recipe draw you in, the food photography by the very talented (one of my favorite food photographers) Maren Caruso will have you hungrily eating with your eyes and scouring the recipes to reveal if you have all the ingredients on hand to make and taste it for yourself.

If the Plum-Almond Cake is any indication of how straight-forward and delicious a recipe from this collection can be, I’m looking forward to cooking and baking my way through this book!

In addition to the over 100 organized recipes, the author has included a section of basic recipes, a wine and salami/cheese guide and what an Italian cook’s pantry may include. The chapters are organized as follows:

  • antipasti
  • zuppe e insalate (soup and salad)
  • pasta
  • risotto e pizza
  • pesce e carne (fish and meat)
  • contorni (side dishes)
  • dolci (desserts or sweets)
  • basic recipes: pizza and pasta doughs, sauce and broth recipes.
  • a wine guide
  • salami e formaggi guide (salami and cheese)
  • Italian pantry staples

With the publisher’s permission, I hope to share at least two more recipes with you from this original collection.   Note:  Any additional posts featuring recipes from this cookbook will include my images and my notes without the actual recipe.   You’ll want a copy for yourself to enjoy!

The book is already available at Williams Sonoma OR you can pre order it on Amazon.com (to be released on December 6th).

Disclosure: I received the cookbook “Williams-Sonoma Rustic Italian: Simple, Authentic Recipes for Everyday Cooking” by Domenica Marchetti, from the Publisher at my request. I am under no obligation to write a review of the cookbook and its authors or write a favorable review of the cookbook and its authors.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Devchenka says

    Delicious! Thank you for the recipe, i used half a cup of sugar and it was plenty sweet.

  2. Marcie says

    I made this. I didn’t have a springform pan so I just used an 8 x 11 in glass baking dish. I had an abundance of huge purple plums so I chopped up enough to make 4 cups. It was absolutely delicious!

    • Cristina says

      Hi Marcie: So glad you liked it…it’s one of my favorite recipes and that cookbook is just gorgeous. I liked it so much when I made it that I made it again two days later! Thank you for visiting and the feedback. 🙂

    • Cristina says

      Laura you will L.O.V.E this cake then!! I’m telling you, you will want to finish eating it all in one sitting. This recipe by Domenica is a definite keeper.

  7. FOODESSA says

    Rustic type tortes are some of my favourite desserts to make.

    Cristina, this one seems to have come out so well. I love the ingredients that accompany the Italian plums.
    This on is going into my repertoire for sure. Next late summer is right around the corner…oh…how time does fly. LOL

    Have a wondeful weekend,
    Claudia

  8. Monet says

    This looks just stunning. One of the prettiest cakes I’ve seen this fall. I love how it isn’t covered with goobs of frosting…simple, rustic, elegant…perfect! I know what I want to bake this weekend 😉

  11. Juliana says

    Wow Cristina, this cake looks great with a cup of tea…love everything with almond…beautiful cake!
    Hope you are having a nice week 🙂

  14. Tina@flourtrader says

    I like how the butter/almond mixture melds into the plums, almost like almond paste. I am sure that the tartness of the plums along with the almonds makes for a wonderful taste combination. Your pictures truly do entice-delicious.

  19. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

    Oh my…. I love plum in the cake and even better when there are sprinkles of almonds (my favorite nuts for sweets). I’m not a baker but I already bookmark this and hope to try someday soon… very basic question… where can I get almond meal? I hope I can find it… also I need to make this special cake pan. =P

    • Cristina - Teenie Cakes says

      Hi Nami: Thanks for your question about the almond meal/flour.

      About Almond Flour/Meal:
      * You can find almond flour/meal at Trader Joe’s. I have also purchased a 5 pound bag from Honeyville, which has lasted me a long time (I also use it to make French macarons).
      * You can also grind your own almond meal: How To Make Almond Meal. Take care not to over process the flour, otherwise it will start to turn to almond paste.
      * Store almond flour in the freezer or refrigerator for longer shelf life.

      I’m going to email you the same. I hope you give this cake a try. It’s quick and really is a lovely cake! 😉

  20. Nessa says

    Another stunning post, Cristina! This cake looks delicious – looking forward to making this one.

  21. Jasmine says

    As usual stunning photography. Makes you just want to reach through the screen to get a piece of your Plum-Almond Cake. It looks delicious. I can see having a slice for breakfast and if any is left by dinner time a slice for after dinner dessert. Will definitely check out the cookbook.

  26. Claudie says

    I don’t think I can possibly explain how much I’d love to have a bite of this cake right now. It looks perfect, from top to crumbles!

  30. Melissa@EyesBigger says

    that is a beautiful cake. I love prune plums and I didn’t get any this year – my usual source had a lousy year for them and I never bought any at the grocery store 🙁 I can just imagine how good they would’ve been with the almonds!

    • Cristina - Teenie Cakes says

      Hi Melissa: It’s actually the first time I’ve seen these Italian prune plums in a store (Costco). I brought home a 5 pound clamshell before I actually came across this fantastic recipe and knew that the stash was destined for dessert. I’m envious of your Farmer’s Markets! 😉

  32. RKM says

    Beautiful cake, I would love to have a huge serving in front of me right now. Your pictures make me very hungry.

  34. Liz says

    Such a stunning cake! Your photos are simply gorgeous…and I’d have to have a slice for breakfast and another for dessert 🙂

    • domenicacooks says

      Cristina,
      Thank you for the lovely review of WS Rustic Italian. Your cake came out just PERFECT and your pictures are stunning. Isn’t it wonderful how those Italian prune plums turn that gorgeous bright pink when baked? They’re a little magical, I think. Anyway, thanks again and I hope you enjoy cooking lots of recipes from the book.

      Cheers,
      Domenica

      • Cristina - Teenie Cakes says

        Domenica: Thank you so much for visiting TC – what an honor!! 🙂 It is wonderful how the plums turn a beautiful bright color. You’re right, they are magical. I’m definitely going to look into planting my own next year so I won’t be at the mercy of our local markets to carry them.

        I’m looking forward to cooking my way through your cookbook. It really is such a gorgeous book and I can’t wait to delve in further and discover more dishes. Thanks for sharing your recipe collection! 🙂

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