Persimmon Cake Recipe: How to Make Persimmon Cake
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Dec 11, 2022 • 2 min read
Bright orange persimmons begin to ripen in the fall. If you have a bountiful autumn persimmon harvest, use the fruit to make a delicious persimmon cake.
Learn From the Best
What Is a Persimmon Cake?
Persimmon cake is a popular dessert during the fall and winter seasons when markets are brimming with fresh persimmons. You can make persimmon cake with simple pantry ingredients and flavor it with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Persimmon cake is tender and moist on the inside with a crisp exterior, and it’s perfect for serving with ice cream or a whipped cream topping.
What Does a Persimmon Taste Like?
Ripened persimmons have a unique flavor that lies somewhere between an apricot, a date, and a sweet tomato. Persimmons take on a more honeyed character as the fruit ripens. A ripe Fuyu Persimmon will feel similar to a ripe plum or peach, while a Hachiya will feel like a very ripe tomato or a water balloon. The sensation of biting into an unripe persimmon is an unpleasant one. The fruit’s astringency is due to high levels of tannins, which mellows out as the persimmon ripens or cooks.
5 Tips for Making Persimmon Cake
Making persimmon cake is simple, but consider these tips to ensure success:
- 1. Use very ripe persimmons. Persimmon cake gets its moisture and tenderness from ripe, mashed Hachiya persimmons.The persimmons must be very ripe, because under ripe hachiya persimmons have an astringent, cottony texture on the palate.
- 2. Add mix-ins. Try adding some bittersweet chocolate chips or a swirl of persimmon jam or persimmon preserves for added depth of flavor.
- 3. Add cornstarch. Mixing cornstarch into all-purpose flour makes for a very tender crumb.
- 4. Store your persimmon cake. Persimmon cake will keep at room temperature covered in plastic wrap or aluminum foil for a few days, and you can also freeze it. Simply wrap the loaf whole or sliced in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil, and store it for up to six months in the freezer.
- 5. Serve persimmon cake with a topping. You can top persimmon cake with a simple homemade whipped cream. Or, you can make cream cheese buttercream frosting to spread over top of the cooled cake.
Persimmon Cake Recipe
makes
1 9-inch square cakeprep time
20 mintotal time
1 hr 15 mincook time
55 minIngredients
For the cake:
For the whipped cream:
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2
Grease a 9-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- 3
Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Whisk to distribute evenly.
- 4
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, eggs, sour cream, persimmon pulp, vanilla extract, almond extract, and pecans. Whip on medium speed until well combined, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- 5
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- 6
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
- 7
Transfer the cake pan to the oven and bake until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 45–55 minutes.
- 8
Remove cake from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
- 9
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine all of the whipped cream ingredients. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- 10
Dollop whipped cream on top of the persimmon cake.
Note: The total time does not include 1 hour of inactive time.
Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Alice Waters, Gabriela Cámara, Niki Nakayama, Chef Thomas Keller, Gordon Ramsay, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, and more.