Autumn Equinox: A Birthday Breakfast inspires a Savory Brunch Torte
There are birthdays—and then there are birthdays that arrive with an entire season.
Steve’s birthday falls right at the autumn equinox, which seems particularly fitting for our little family.
Give us crisp air, turning leaves, and a reason to pull out the flannel, and we’re happy.
Portland’s long, lingering autumns are one of the things we love most about living in Oregon. The season seems to take its time here, and that is perfectly fine with us.
Ihana might be the biggest fan of all. Cooler days, long walks and leaves underfoot? She is ready.
Birthday Breakfast
For Steve’s birthday breakfast this year, I made the classic plum torte that has been around for decades. I still had some of our wild golden plums tucked away in the freezer, so it seemed like a perfect way to use the last of them as summer slipped into autumn.
And what a simple little breakfast treat it is to make!!. A thick buttery batter, plum halves nestled over the top, and into the oven it goes.
I added a little ground ginger to mine and finished it with a buttery lemon-powdered-sugar drizzle. We loved it—especially after it had been refrigerated. The texture became denser and almost pleasantly chewy, and somehow the flavors were even better the next day.
But while we were eating it, we both had essentially the same thought: This would make an incredible savory brunch.
Neither Steve nor I are particularly interested in a very sweet breakfast. Give us something savory with our morning caffeine and we’re much happier. Suddenly that wonderfully simple torte had somewhere new to go.
From Sweet Breakfast to Savory Brunch
I wanted to keep everything we loved about the original: that dense, buttery texture, fruit baked right into the top and, most importantly, how ridiculously easy it was to make.
But this version needed to lean toward the savory side of the brunch table.
So the sugar came down and aged white cheddar went into the batter. Tart apple—or pear—replaced the plums. Dried cranberries added little bursts of sweet-tart flavor and beautiful autumn color. And crisp prosciutto brought in the salty finish that changed the whole personality of the torte. Bacon works beautifully here, too.
The result is exactly the balance we were looking for: a subtle sweet start with a savory finish. And that became our Autumn Equinox Savory Brunch Torte.
It’s the kind of dish I can imagine setting in the middle of the table on a cool autumn morning with coffee brewing nearby. Serve it warm, or tuck the leftovers into the refrigerator and try another slice the next day. If it follows in the footsteps of Steve’s birthday torte, you may like that chilled, slightly chewy texture even more.
And then there was the Birthday Card
The recipe wasn’t the only thing inspired by Steve’s birthday. I created his birthday card this year around another thing we love about autumn: getting outside together.
The illustration is our very small pack heading down an autumn trail—Steve, Ihana and me, with Soot making his own little appearance from my bag. Of course.
It has all the things that feel like us: brilliant leaves, mountains in the distance, that wonderful autumn light and Ihana trotting along as though she personally arranged the outing.
I loved the finished artwork so much that I couldn’t quite put it away after the birthday card was given. Apparently Steve couldn’t either. He now wants it on a mug. I consider that a successful birthday card.
A season worth lingering over
And that’s how one birthday ended up inspiring both an illustration and a recipe.
There is something about autumn that makes us want to linger a little longer anyway. Around here, we’re fortunate that it often does. Portland can give us weeks and weeks of sweater weather—cool mornings, colorful walks and those afternoons when the light suddenly looks golden. We’re never in much of a hurry for it to end.
So put on the coffee, cut yourself a savory slice, and enjoy the season while it’s here.
Now grab the leash. The leaves are waiting.….SAVOR THE JOURNEY
AUTUMN EQUINOX Savory Brunch Torte
Ingredients
For the Torte
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar Or as little as 1/4 cup for sweetness preference
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup finely shredded aged white cheddar
- 2 medium tart firm apples or firm-ripe pears
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
For the Bacon Variation
- 4 –5 slices bacon cooked until crisp and crumbled, in place of the prosciutto
Instructions
- Prepare the pan. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan or round cake pan.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger.
- Make the batter. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture just until combined. The batter will be thick.
- Add the cheddar. Gently fold the shredded aged white cheddar into the batter.
- Assemble the torte. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Core the apples or pears and cut into thin wedges, leaving the peel on if desired. Arrange the fruit over the batter, pressing it lightly into the surface. Scatter the dried cranberries over and between the fruit.
- Bake. Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until golden brown and a tester inserted into the cake portion comes out clean. Begin checking around 45–50 minutes, as the moisture in the fruit can affect baking time.
- Crisp the prosciutto. While the torte bakes, arrange the prosciutto in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until crisp, approximately 10–15 minutes, watching closely toward the end. Cool, then break into rustic pieces.
- Cool and finish. Allow the torte to cool for at least 15–20 minutes before removing it from the pan. Scatter the crispy prosciutto over the top just before serving.
Notes
Apple or pear? For apples, choose a firm, slightly tart variety such as Pink Lady, Braeburn or Granny Smith. For pears, Bosc is an excellent choice because it holds its shape well during baking.
Prefer bacon? Substitute 4–5 slices of crisp, crumbled bacon for the prosciutto. Add it just before serving so it stays crunchy.
Make it ahead: This torte can be served warm or refrigerated and served chilled. Refrigeration gives the buttery crumb a pleasantly dense, slightly chewy texture. For the best crunch, store the prosciutto or bacon separately and add it when serving.
Sweet or savory? This torte intentionally lands somewhere in between—a subtle sweet beginning from the fruit, cranberries and reduced-sugar batter, followed by the savory bite of aged cheddar and crisp prosciutto. Adjust sugar from 1/4 c- 1/2 c depending on the sweetness of the fruit you are using.
Add this recipe card to your Dog in the Kitchen Collection. Beautifully printed to fit the coordinating recipe binder.
Explore the collection inspired by this illustration in the Dog in the Kitchen™ shop!!
