This flexible fruit dessert ends summer on a sweet note

It’s the end of summer – and the start of fall baking season. This rustic torte celebrates both.

Cherries last for weeks off the tree, but like summer itself, they don’t last forever. My last cherries went into this dessert, giving bursts of juicy flavor.

This versatile torte can be adapted to other fruit, too, such as peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots, blackberries, blueberries or strawberries. (Chop larger fruit into chunks the size of halved cherries.) Frozen or canned cherries, defrosted and/or drained, can be substituted for fresh cherries, too.

This torte recipe itself is a variation of the New York Times’ beloved Original Plum Torte, a staple since the early 1980s. The cornmeal gives it added texture and a pleasant crunch. Almond extract complements the cherries.

Enjoy before summer fruit, like the season, is just a memory.

Cherry cornmeal torte

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

½ teaspoon almond extract

1/3 cup cornmeal

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

3 cups cherries, pitted and halved

Sugar for topping

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 10-inch round baking dish or pie plate. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream together softened butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add extract; beat some more.

Sift together cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to butter-sugar mixture, beating until smooth.

Spoon batter into prepared baking dish, smoothing to cover bottom of dish.

Arrange cherries evenly over batter, skin side up. Sprinkle sugar over top.

Place baking dish on center rack of preheated oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown.

Remove torte from the oven and let cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream, if desired.

Refrigerate any leftovers.