Szilvas pite or: Hungarian plum (or prune) cake

Ragazzi, Annalena is just bursting at the seams with tales and recipes for you.  You will have to be patient, as she gets the stuff down.  Annalena is a busy woman, as are many of her readers. And that is why you are going to love this recipe.


Annalena has no knowledge of Hungarian whatsover:  however , she can tell that "szlivas" means plum.  How can she do that?  Well, ragazzi, she knows that slivovitz is plum eau de vie.  And since it is made in the region near Hungary, it is a good assumption.  "Pite," seems to vary from region to region, meaning bread, pie or cake.  Think "pizza,"  or "pita" or "pitta" for example. See what she means?

Well, Annalena saw this recipe and had to make it.  Indeed she did.  And while the cake turned out wonderfully, she has to remind everyone yet again:  WRITTEN RECIPES CONTAIN MISTAKES.  If she had followed the instructions for making this cake, she would have had a burned cinder at the end.   She will explain herein, how to save the thing.  Or, to do what she did.

First, let's get our ingredients together.  You will need, for the cake, a cup of flour, all purpose and unbleached, a teaspoon of baking powder (NOT soda), and a half teaspoon of salt.  Put that all in a bowl.

Now, in another bowl, add two large eggs, a cup of sugar  and a cup (you can get away with a six ounce container:  Annalena did), of yogurt.  She used Greek non fat and she recommends you do the same.  Mix this all together, and then add a third of a cup of vegetable oil.

Have you noticed we haven't used a major appliance?  And we won't. Except for our oven.

If you want a big, flat cake, get a 9x13 pan and grease it with some butter.  If you would prefer a thicker, softer one, get one that is 9x9, and grease it all the same.    Now, take your flour mixture, and stir it into that mix of egg/oil/sugar/yogurt, until the thing is uniform and you see no unmixed flour.    Scrape this into whatever pan you use, and spread it as evenly as you can (this is harder in the larger pan).

After you have done this, it is traditional to slice the small dark plums we call "Italian plums" or "prune plums" in half, and put them, cut side down, onto the batter. You will need about 10 of them for a 9x13 inch pan.  You will probably need less for the 9x9, or you can go with the 10 and crowd them.  When you're done, sprinkle the top with some good quality cinnamon. Sugar, too, if you like.

Now, into a preheated, 375 degree oven.  According to the recipe,  the 9x13 needed 50 minutes to bake.  At 20 minutes, Annalena's cake was looking done.  At thirty, it was brown, and DEFINITELY  done.    So, notwithstanding recipes, if it LOOKS finished, you are finished. PROBABLY, since a 9x9 has a thicker base, you would need the full time.

And speaking of time, how long do you think it took Annalena to make this? Well, with the 30 minutes of baking time: 45 minutes in all.  You can handle that.   Treat your loved ones to a breakfast treat.

Oh, yes, and if you decide to go untraditional, well, no law says that you MUST use  prune plums.  Use what you like, and make sure that the pieces are small enough.  For example, use slices of pear or peach, or apple. Use whole berries if you like.  And please keep in mind that cinnamon, while wondrful, does not go with everything.

Annalena will be back before you know it ragazzi.  For now,  "let them eat cake."