Pflaumenmus-Mandelkrokant Torte

This is the lovely cake my dear friend Heike prepared for her birthday coffee. The base of the torte is a choux pastry, or or pâte à choux, used in making éclairs and cream puffs. The cooled pastry is spread with a homemade plum jam, a layer of whipped cream and then topped with crunchy caramelized almonds. Light and lovely, not overly sweet, the plum mousse or "Plfaumenmus" gives this cake nice creamy fruitiness. Best the day it is made, invite your girlfriends! Enjoy!

Pflaumenmus-Mandelkrokant Torte

(plum jam tart with caramelized almonds)

Recipe in Landlust magazine

Dough:

40 g butter (3 Tbs.)

100 g flour (3/4 cup)

2-3 eggs

Topping:

homemade plum jam (see recipe below)

1 cup whipped cream

40 g butter 50 g sugar (3 Tbs. butter, 1/4 cup sugar)

80 g sliced almonds (1/2 cup)

for the base of the tart bring 170 ml water (2/3 cup) and the butter to a boil, take away from heat source and pour in the flour, stir until it forms one ball, then add one egg and incorporate into the dough, then add the second egg and the third if necessary. Dough will be shiny when done.

Put into a greased and floured 9" "spring form" pan and spread carefully.

Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 30 min.

In a pan melt the butter and the sugar and caramelize a bit before adding the almonds. Lightly brown them.

Spread the plum jam on the cooled tart base, whip the cream and put it on top and garnish with the caramelized almonds.

Heike's recipe for the "Pflaumenmus":

125g pitted prunes (1 cup)

1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice

a little bit of cinnamon

1/4 tsp lemon peel

Put everything in a blender and puree.

(Actually she doesn't measure, just be careful with adding the liquid so it is not too thin)