PLUM HAZELNUT TORTE

The easiest desserts are often the best. Here, plums punctuate a nutty cake with their tangy tenderness. I created a lighter hazelnut batter based on Eastern European–style flourless nut tortes and studded it with the plum wedges. On its own, a slice is perfect with a cup of tea. For a dinner party dessert, I like to top warm wedges with fat scoops of vanilla ice cream, letting it melt into the cake.

TIP: If you don’t have hazelnut flour, you can grind your own.

makes one 8-inch cake

gluten-free, dairy-free

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat an 8-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again.

2. Whisk the hazelnut flour, confectioners’ sugar, and cardamom in a medium bowl. Whisk the egg whites and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle the hazelnut mixture on top of the egg whites and fold in gently until evenly incorporated. Fold in the oil and vanilla. Transfer to the prepared pan and gently spread in an even layer. Arrange the plums on the batter and sprinkle the plums with the raw sugar.

3. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then run a thin-bladed knife between the edges of the cake and the pan and release and remove the sides. Cool on the pan base on the rack until warm or at room temperature.

5. Serve the torte dusted with confectioners’ sugar, if you’d like.

MAKE AHEAD

The torte is best served the day it’s made.