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The thing is, though, we don't see how you could forget this recipe! If you've made it once, you might remember all the ingredients for the second go-round; it's that easy. It's a very basic cake of sugar, butter, flour. A little salt. Two eggs, one teaspoon of baking powder. Spread some plum halves on top and it's done.

It's so simple, in fact, that in spite of its hallowed status as an all-time favorite (you hear stories of people stashing away two dozen cakes at a time in their freezer) we felt that it was going to need a little something more. We agreed with The Wednesday Chef's advice to add something extra to perk up the batter.

So we added a teaspoon of cinnamon, a healthy helping of nutmeg, and a pinch of cardamom to the batter. We also sprinkled a bit of cinnamon over the plums.

The end result was a cake we really loved, with a light and airy base (almost light enough for breakfast!) and warm, gooey plums on top. The spices really helped as well, and we would definitely suggest adding them.

Have you ever tried this famously popular torte? We do see how easy it is; it's a total crowd pleaser, and we might be popping a few into our own freezer this fall.

• Get the recipe: Original Plum Torte at The New York Times

Related: Dessert Recipe du Jour: Plum Crumble

(Images: Faith Durand)