Don’t you love persimmons?! I do, delicious orbs of goodness that scream to be chopped or quartered and added to an arugula or spinach salad. Maybe diced into a fruit salad with mango and blackberry or just enjoyed as mid day pick-me-up snack. Research always gives me so many ideas apart from those mentioned above, that I thought I would try a cake recipe using persimmons. This is my Persimmon Cake recipe.
Really any plain vanilla cake recipe would do, but I liked the idea of olive oil, healthier for you right?! It is a new year and I don’t know about you but my 12 Treats of Christmas postings in December gave me more extra pounds than I desired. Now you could add any other fruit to this in addition to the persimmons, and I just may next time but I wanted the flavor of the persimmons to shine in this recipe. The hint of orange is a nice complement for the persimmon – not a distractor. Of course I have some “Well Why Not!” suggestions if you like.
This cake came together in 10 minutes and baked in 53 minutes (I know, but it’s baking and I wanted to be precise) at 350f. Best part, I measured and mixed at all additions of the ingredients while it sat on the scale. Clean up – a breeze! Bake this cake, I think you’ll like it. Not too sweet, not too fancy but definitely a feel good eating it cake! Get the booster, wear a good mask, wash your hands, socialize responsibly and above all – be safe! As always – enjoy!
Ingredients
150g sugar
100ml extra virgin olive oil
3 eggs
200g self-rising flour
½ tsp salt
225ml Greek yogurt
1 tsp orange extract
1 orange zested
175g diced persimmons, skin on – ½ – ¾” dice
1 persimmon, sliced horizontally into ¼” thickness – for the top of the cake
Method
1 Heat the oven to 350f
2 Grease the bottom and sides of a 8” spring form pan and line with parchment
3 In a medium sized bowl, whisk the sugar and olive oil together
4 Add the eggs, one at a time and whisk until smooth
5 Add the flour and salt – whisk until smooth
6 Add the yogurt, the orange extract and zest – whisk until incorporated
7 Add the chopped persimmon – stir gently with a spatula
8 Pour the batter into the tin and arrange the persimmon slices on top in a circular pattern
9 Bake for 50 -55 minutes or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean (you know the drill, check at 45 minutes first)
10 Cool completely before loosening from the pan
Well Why Not! (Tips and suggestions)
Make a quick persimmon compote to serve with the cake. To a small pot, over medium low heat, add ¼ – ½ cup sugar and 1 diced persimmons (taste the persimmon to gage for how much sugar to add). Stir gently until the sugar has dissolved and the persimmon has mashed a bit. Then add another diced persimmon and gently stir – textures, the key to feeling good!
Sprinkle some citrus sugar (orange, lemon or lime or any combo of) on top of the cake before baking
Puree 1 peeled ripe persimmon in a small processor (or chop and mash), and gently fold into 1 cup of whipped 35% cream
Instead of orange, use lemon or lime as a flavoring
Add any type of berry – something tart would be my preference as the persimmons were quite sweet
