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Make this insanely delicious spiced persimmon cake that my family couldn’t stop raving about. The cake is perfectly spiced, moist, and simply out of this world!
This spiced persimmon cake is the ultimate way to enjoy the rich, sweet flavors of persimmons combined with the warming spices of the season. Whether you’re baking for a family gathering or simply craving a cozy treat, this cake is sure to impress with its moist texture, aromatic spices, and delightful crunch from the walnuts. It’s one of my favorite cakes!
Why we love this cake so much!
If you can find persimmon where you are, I highly recommend trying this recipe out. You will not regret it! When I fed this cake to my hubby and two kids for breakfast, their eyes lit up after that first bite! It’s a joy for me to watch that really! That’s why I love baking! Okay, back to the point! Here’s why we love this cake so much:
1. Seasonal Star: Persimmons are at their peak in fall and winter, making this a perfect seasonal bake.
2. Unique Spices: Chinese five-spice powder adds a distinctive twist to the classic spiced cake.
3. Incredibly Moist: Thanks to the persimmon puree and oil, the cake stays tender and moist for days.
4. Easy to Make: A simple mix-and-bake recipe with no complicated steps.
Spiced Persimmon Cake
Ingredients
- 115 g walnut halves
- 4 medium ripe Fuyu persimmon or 2 large very ripe Hachiya persimmons
- 1 tsp baking soda
Dry ingredients:
- 228 g all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
Wet ingredients:
- 180 g granulated sugar
- 113 g oil plus more to coat the pan
- 100 g eggs from 2 large-size eggs
- 1 tsp grated orange zest
- 57 g orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For topping:
- 1 medium ripe Fuyu persimmon
To coat the pan:
- Demerara sugar or turbinado sugar
Instructions
Prepare the pan:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven, 330 F (165 C) for convection oven
- Oil all sides of 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan. Line with a parchment paper on overhanging on the long side. Then oil the parchment paper again.
- Sprinkle with some demerara/turbinado sugar to cover all four sides of the pan. The oil helps the sugar adhere to the pan
Toast the walnuts:
- If the walnuts are untoasted, place them on a large baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. Let them cool down completely before using
- Once they have cooled down, coarsely chop them
Prepare the persimmon:
- Remove the leaves and stems from the persimmon. There is no need to remove the skin. Place in a food processor or blender. Process into a puree consistency
- Combine the persimmon puree with baking soda
- let it sit for 5 minutes while you prepare other things.
- The puree will turn into gel consistency after that. The baking soda helps to neutralize the astringency in persimmon, especially if you use Hachiya persimmons. So please do not skip this step
- Get one Fuyu persimmon and slice into thin slices for decoration on top, about 8 slices
Prepare the cake batter:
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. To the bowl of the persimmon "gel", add the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk until combined. The persimmon gel will break into bits and pieces in the cake.
- So the batter will have specks of persimmon in there and that's perfectly fine.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the persimmon mixture. Use a spatula to fold the dry into the wet ingredients as you rotate the bowl.
- Mix until almost combined, then add the walnut pieces
- Continue to fold and mix until you no longer see dry flour bits. Don't overmix the batter
Baking:
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
- Arrange slices of Fuyu persimmon on top of the batter. Sprinkle with more demerara/turbinado sugar
- Bake in the oven for 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean with just a few sticky crumbs is okay, as long as no wet batter. It took my oven about 75 minutes. Start checking at 60-minute mark
Cooling:
- Let the cake cool in the pan set on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes.
- Then use an offset spatula to loosen the edge between the cake and the shorter side of the pan and gently lift the cake up by grabbing the parchment paper. Let it cool down completely on the cooling rack
Serving:
- I highly recommend to slice into the cake the next day. This way the cake has enough time to develop flavor. The cake is very moist yet light at the same time. It's such a delicious cake!
Marv’s Recipe Notes
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Ingredients
1. Walnuts or pecans
I use toasted walnuts for this recipe, but pecans would work incredibly well too
2. Persimmons
I use Fuyu persimmons because that’s the most widely available where I am when persimmons are in season. The original recipe from this book, Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz, called for Hachiya persimmons. They have to be super duper ripe (to the point of mushy kind of ripe!). Hachiya is very astringent and if you use unripe Hachiya, this cake will be a disaster!
3. Chinese five-spice powder
Get a good quality Chinese five-spice powder. This was why our house smelled amazing when I baked this cake
4. All-purpose flour
I use unbleached all-purpose flour
5. Baking soda
Baking soda is added to neutralize the astringency of Hachiya persimmons. Fuyu persimmon is not astringent, but I still use baking soda and it works well as a leavening agent in this recipe. So please do not omit this even if you use Fuyu persimmons like I did
6. Baking powder
Baking powder is also called for in this recipe. Do not omit this
7. Granulated sugar
8. Oil
You can use any neutral-tasting oil
9. Eggs
10. Orange juice and orange zest
The hint of citrus pairs so well with the spices and persimmons
11. Vanilla extract
Use high-quality vanilla extract. It adds a nice complementary flavor to the cake
12. Kosher salt
You can also use fine sea salt
13. Demerara sugar
This is used to coat the pan, which I highly recommend! I have also used turbinado sugar, and it worked just fine
A unique step: The baking soda and persimmon puree transformation
One key step in this recipe involves mixing the persimmon puree with baking soda and letting it sit for a few minutes. This causes a chemical reaction that thickens the puree into a gel-like consistency. This step not only enhances the texture of the cake but also helps neutralize any astringency in the fruit, especially in Hachiya persimmons.
How to store
1. Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
2. Refrigerator: I don’t recommend storing in the refrigerator. Instead, I recommend freezing them for a longer storage
3. Freezer: Freeze slices individually wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer-safe bag for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before serving
