What's in a name? Cake, Gateau or Torte- Plum Torte with Cardamom Cream Recipe
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 2 c whipping cream
- 2 T extra-fine sugar
- 2 t ground cardamom
- 1 c butter, at room temperature
- 1 1â2 c granulated sugar
- 2 c unbleached flour
- 2 t fresh baking powder
- 1â2 t kosher salt
- 4 large eggs
- 6 plums, halved & pitted
- turbinado sugar, to taste for sprinkling
View Full Recipe at Sippity Sup-Serious Fun Food
Adding to Planner
Nutrition Facts
| Amount Per Serving | %DV |
|---|---|
| Serving Size 159g | |
| Recipe makes 12 servings | |
| Calories 513 | |
| Calories from Fat 217 | 42% |
| Total Fat 24.69g | 31% |
| Saturated Fat 14.88g | 60% |
| Trans Fat 0.0g | |
| Cholesterol 138mg | 46% |
| Sodium 931mg | 39% |
| Potassium 117mg | 3% |
| Total Carbs 70.35g | 19% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.1g | 4% |
| Sugars 53.25g | 36% |
| Protein 5.04g | 8% |
%20and%20partly%20because%20we%20cooks%20have%20played%20fast%20and%20loose%20with%20names%20in%20general%20for%20centuries.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EBut%20this%20is%20where%20my%20theory%20of%20perception%20comes%20in.%20Often%20you%E2%80%99ll%20find%20recipes%20that%20use%20labels%20like%20cake,%20gateau%20and%20torte%20rather%20haphazardly.%20Because%20most%20of%20the%20recipes%20I%20have%20seen%20for%20gateau%20or%20torte%20are%20really%20layer%20cakes%20(even%20if%20it%E2%80%99s%20just%20one%20layer)%20with%20a%20few%20fancy%20ingredients.%20Fancy%20ingredients%20deserve%20a%20fancy%20name,%20right?%20So%20why%20not%20call%20that%20dense%20chocolate%20layer%20cake%20a%20gateau,%20maybe%20even%20torte?%20The%20perception%20will%20be%20that%20is%20extra%20elegant%20and%20nobody%20will%20question%20the%20label%20because%20they%E2%80%99ll%20be%20too%20busy%20scarfing%20down%20that%20cake,%20err%20I%20mean%20gateau.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIt%E2%80%99s%20easy%20to%20roll%20your%20eyes%20in%20those%20instances;%20pretentious%20cooks%20are%20not%20exactly%20a%20new%20breed.%20But%20in%20truth%20there%20is%20a%20lot%20of%20confusion%20on%20the%20matter.%20The%20word%20torte%20comes%20from%20the%20Italian%20word%20torta,%20which%20means%20a%20round%20bread%20or%20cake.%20In%20Europe,%20most%20cakes%20are%20called%20tortes.%20That%20is%20because%20a%20torte%20is%20a%20cake.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EBut%20what%20about%20gateau?%20Well,%20a%20gateau%20is%20a%20cake,%20any%20kind%20of%20cake%20(including%20a%20torte)%20because%20it%20is%20French%20for,%20you%20guessed%20it,%20cake.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ESo%20if%20cake%20is%20cake%20and%20gateau%20is%20cake,%20and%20torte%20is%20cake,%20and%20cake%20is%20gateau%E2%80%93%20how%20come%20a%20cake%20is%20not%20always%20a%20torte?%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20typical%20description%20of%20a%20torte%20only%20muddies%20the%20water.%20According%20to%20random%20people%20on%20Chowhound:%20%E2%80%9CA%20torte%20can%20have%20layers,%20like%20a%20Dobos%20torte,%20but%20might%20not.%20Cakes%20also%20can%20have%20layers,%20but%20angel%20food%20cake%20and%20bundt%20cake%20do%20not%20have%20layers.%20A%20torte%20can%20have%20a%20sweet%20icing%20like%20a%20cake,%20but%20if%20you%20are%20making%20a%20French%20torte%20it%20might%20not%20have%20any%20icing%20at%20all.%E2%80%9D%20There,%20is%20that%20clear?%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ELet%E2%80%99s%20ask%20an%20expert.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%22Torte.%20The%20German%20word%20for%20cake.%20Tortes%20are%20usually%20made%20with%20flour,%20sugar,%20eggs,%20and%20butter,%20but%20often%20groundnuts%20or%20breadcrumbs%20are%20substituted%20for%20some%20or%20all%20of%20the%20flour.%20Tortes%20have%20a%20moist%20quality%20that%20keeps%20them%20fresh%20for%20several%20days.%20A%20torte%20may%20be%20either%20a%20multilayered%20cake%20or%20a%20dense-textured%20single-layer%20cake...Tortes%20originated%20in%20Central%20Europe.%22%20From%20International%20Dictionary%20of%20Desserts,%20Pastries%20and%20Confections,%20Carole%20Bloom%201995%20(p.%20304)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ENow%20for%20my%20theory.%20Cakes%20use%20milk%20and%20eggs.%20Tortes%20use%20butter%20and%20eggs.%20Not%20that%20butter%20can%E2%80%99t%20be%20found%20in%20cakes%20because%20tortes%20are%20cakes%20too.%20But%20milk%20won%E2%80%99t%20be%20used%20in%20tortes%20and%20that%E2%80%99s%20ok%20because%20not%20all%20cakes%20are%20tortes.%20Now%20don%E2%80%99t%20look%20too%20closely%20into%20my%20theory,%20because%20I%20don't%20know%20what%20to%20say%20about%20pound%20cake!%20Besides,%20I'm%20a%20blogger%E2%80%93%20%20I'm%20allowed%20to%20play%20fast%20and%20loose%20with%20words%20ya%20know.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ESo%20today%20I%20have%20a%20torte,%20or%20at%20least%20I%20think%20I%20do.%20I%20call%20it%20a%20torte%20because%20the%20New%20York%20Times%20called%20in%20a%20torte%20when%20they%20first%20published%20this%20recipe.%20But%20this%20version%20is%20adapted%20(or%20I%20mean%20doubled)%20from%20one%20of%20my%20favorite%20blogs,%20sis.%20boom%20[blog!].%20He%20called%20it%20a%20torte%20too.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAnd%20even%20though%20I%20am%20calling%20it%20a%20torte%20it%20is%20really%20a%20birthday%20cake!%20Confused%20much?%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EPlum%20Torte%20with%20Cardamom%20Cream%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMake%20the%20cardamon%20cream:%20Whip%20the%20cream%20together%20with%20the%20extra-fine%20sugar%20and%20cardamom%20until%20cream%20just%20barely%20holds%20soft%20peaks.%20Refrigerate%20until%20ready%20to%20serve.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EPreheat%20oven%20to%20350%20degrees%20F.%20Using%20an%20electric%20mixer%20cream%20the%20butter%20and%20sugar%20until%20light%20and%20fluffy.%20Add%20the%20flour,%20baking%20powder,%20salt%20and%20eggs,%20then%20beat%20until%20well%20incorporated.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EUsing%20a%20rubber%20spatula%20spread%20the%20batter%20(it%20will%20be%20quite%20thick,%20into%20an%20ungreased%2010-inch%20spring%20form%20pan.%20Place%20the%20plum%20halves,%20skin%20side%20up,%20on%20top%20of%20the%20batter%20as%20closely%20together%20as%20possible.%20Press%20them%20in%20to%20the%20batter%20just%20a%20bit.%20Sprinkle%20lightly%20with%20the%20turbinado%20sugar.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EBake%20for%20one%20hour%20ten%20minutes%20until%20a%20sharp%20knife%20inserted%20in%20the%20center%20comes%20out%20clean.%20Let%20cool%20slightly%20(about%2020%20minutes)%20then%20run%20a%20sharp%20knife%20around%20the%20edges%20and%20release%20the%20spring%20form.%20Serve%20warm,%20with%20the%20cardamom%20cream.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ESERIOUS%20FUN%20FOOD%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EGreg%20Henry%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ESippity%20Sup%3C/p%3E){kind=link}