Fabulous! I must do this. I saved the recipe when it was last posted, so you know my intentions are good. :-) Apricots must be the best fruit to use but I think peaches or plums would be wonderful. Also, dried versions of those fruits reconstituted would be very good.

Jim

Tropical, any pics? Would love to see it if you have

Here's the recipe for anyone who didn't get it first time around:

It originally was printed in the New York Times on Labor Day, in 1981. For many years it would run on that same day and always heralded the end of summer. One year, in the '90's, the recipe was accompanied by a plea from the NYT to clip and save as it would not be run again in the paper. Thank goodness for the internet. It is not too sweet and freezes beautifully.

1 stick butter, softened (I always use unsalted)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
pinch of salt
cinnamon sugar for top
fruit of choice; sliced into wedges (I used about 7 plums. Peaches, nectarines, strawberries all work great and in combination)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and add sugar. Beat well. Add eggs and beat. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to batter. Mix. Spoon globs to greased 9 or 10 inch spring form. Use a knife to spread batter to cover entire pan. Arrange fruit on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (amount depends on the sweetness of the fruit).
Bake for 45 min.

tropicals9b, instead of using the pie filling you can make your own and it's sooo good. I use a jar of sour cherries, drain but reserve the juice, some icing sugar to desired sweetness and cornstarch mixed with some of the juice. Boil, cool, play with to get thickness, sorry I don't have measurements but this way kills the canned cherries.

Imade 4 different sumer tortes: blueberry, peach, apricot, and blueberry-peach. I agree, apricot was by far the best. Just the right amount of tartness.
Sherry

Jim - you must!

Loves2cook4six - no pics. I am the worst at remembering to take pics. Of anything, let alone food. But the preserves melted into the batter leaving little pockets of crispy cake.

Cookie8 - the cans of cherries in liquid I have tried, the cherries have no texture. Is there a brand you would recommend?

Sheshebop - I've made a few and I agree this is the best. And the unpeeled apricots were so pretty with the red blush on the skins.

If I can find some nice nectarines I bet that will be wonderful too. But peaches and nectarines are either hard or mushy/mealy the last few years.

I made many of these last summer!

But it never occured to me to make it 'off season' using canned fruit, nor did it occur to me to use preserves.
I'll have to try that soon, sounds like a good idea.

Personally, I did not like the fresh apricots in it, but then we didn't get any really good apricots last year.

I've used nectarines, peaches, plums, Bing cherries, and Plucots.
Sometimes individually, but mostly in different combinations, depending on what was available and good in the stores at the time.
But the Plucots were a favorite.

Rusty

Also added 1 tspn vanilla. Used the jarred cherries from Trader Joe's - one jar was perfect. Sprinkled with lots of raw sugar. Found it needed to go for between 50-55 in my oven.

Julier1234 - were the cherries in water or gel?

Rusty - I was so excited the first time I saw plucots, but they were mealy. It is so hard to find good fresh fruit nowadays.

I'm making an apricot and a cherry one today to take to a Chili Cook-off at the dive bar by our house. They are going to love them!

I only have one torte pan, gotta figure out what to make the other one in!

Val

Thanks all. I made this last night for guest as I had all the ingredients and it was easy. Duh, I didn't know I had to turn it over on the serving plate. I did use the apricot jam over the apricots as suggested. I also mixed in some peach schnapps in with jam.

Mustangs - that is too funny! You didn't make it in a torte pan with removable side ring?

But did you love it?

They were the TJ's Dark Morello Cherries in light syrup (drained of course). I use the removable side ring pan and don't flip it over.

Cathy, I have made it in a tart pan and not removed the sides. It looked lovely and served up easily.

I used a spring form pan as the directions mentioned not thinking about a spring form torte pan. I did wonder why use a spring form when there was so little batter. Duh!

Yes, it was good! My guests had it again for lunch dessert today.

I made mine with fresh bing cherries and topped it with a black forest sauce made with chocolate and more of those cherries.

It was perfectly sweet and delicious, but I'm betting that I'd love it with apricots too. We didn't get good apricots last year, there was a late frost, but maybe this year.

Cathy, I made mine in one of those tart pans with the removable bottom, it turned out fine although it was not a springform pan.

Annie

Sorry, I don't have any (cherries) in the house right now but I do remember they were processed in Hungary. BTW, I forgot about this recipe too. I do like the impressive results with it!

I made mine in a toaster oven in a pie dish because I was remodeling. Guess it's time to try it in a proper pan and oven! It looked OK served right out of the pie pan; just perhaps more humble.

Made this yesterday with fresh cherries and cinnamon sugar. Very very good.

Made it in a spring form pan, did not invert. Removed sides and served.

I made 2 this summer. One with fresh peaches and one with a mix of fresh peaches and raspberries. Delicious.

Ive made several... plaing blueberry, nectarine and blueberry, raspberry, peach and raspberry.... all were excellent!

Alexa

Believe it or not, strawberries are good here, too. I usually mix strawberries and blueberries. Great recipe!

denise8101214 - Why did it take you 9 years to make it?

I've not made this, but if I did, I would use one tablespoon of Amaretto instead of the vanilla. I think the almond flavor goes better with fruit than vanilla. I frequently substitute liqueurs for vanilla in recipes. I think vanilla gets over used, just as salt does.

Cassis is another liqueur that is good to use with fruit (especially berries) - I learned that from Ina Garten. I use Cointreau with strawberries and Calvados with apples.

Nancyofnc, it didn’t. I make it every year. I have this thread saved to remind me. Thought others might enjoy the memories.

Lars, good idea. I used a tiny bit of almond extract in the batter with the cherries.

Lars, I also use liquors as a sub for vanilla. And i always use Amaretto instead of almond extract.

The original NTYimes recipe does not include vanilla. 1983. But in 2016 they published

5 Ways to Adapt Our Famous Plum Torte Recipe

I wish more recipes did that. Rather than complain that comments are not the true recipe, they published reader comments for variations. Different seasonal fruits, different flours, less sugar, different sugars. Any pan will do and easily doubled for a sheet pan torte. And different liquors. I'd forgotten about the lemon juice.

I appreciate the bumping of this. I'd forgotten where my original recipe came from. That was when i started making mine with cornmeal flour for gluten-free. (family member)

Similar recipe using flour was one of the first things i learned to make as a wee child. Easy and fun for a young one to decorate with seasonal fruits. Mother always had fresh fruit at the table and whipped cream or ice cream.

Making one tomorrow with plums and rhubarb.

Marian Burros famous torte?

I've made a few versions over the years, but never with plums.

This was a few years ago with peaches.

Thanks for the reminder!