My friend Duncan came over to visit for my birthday last week and, along with birthday presents, he came bearing a gift of persimmons. I’m ashamed to say that in my nearly half a century on this earth, I’ve never tasted persimmon!
I scoured all my recipe books but couldn’t find a single recipe – I didn’t know what other kind of food they go with or anything. I hit t’internet and found a few recipes and decided I liked the sound of persimmon & date upside-down cake. Here’s my take…
Cakes & Bakes: Persimmon & date upside-down cake
Ingredients
- 25 g/1oz butter
- 25 g/1oz granulated sugar or brown soft sugar
- 220 g/8oz brown soft sugar
- 55 g/2oz butter softened
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 120 ml/¼pt milk preferably whole milk
- 155 g/5½oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground all spice
- 3 persimmons (2 sliced into ½cm/¼'' slices and one chopped into cubes
- 12 dried dates dates pitted & chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4 (slightly lower if your oven is fan assisted)
- In a cast-iron frying pan, heat the 25g/1oz butter until melted & bubbling
- Add the 25g/1oz granulated sugar/brown soft sugar and caramelize (my caramel split TWICE - here are some good tips to to bring it back from the brink if it happens to you!)
- Pour the caramelized mixture into a 20cm/8'' round spring form cake tin and spread it evenly across its base
- Lay the persimmon slices flat on top
- Beat the 220g/8oz brown soft sugar into the softened butter using an electric mixer or by hand until fluffy
- In a small measuring jug, whisk together the egg and vanilla essence before slowly adding it to the sugar & butter mixture until fully incorporated
- Add the milk, mixing well
- In a separate bowl, sieve together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice
- Bit by bit, carefully fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture
- Fold in the chopped dates and cubed persimmons until just combined
- Pour the mixture onto the persimmon slices in the cake tin, taking care not to disturb the pattern
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes away clean
- Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake tin before releasing the clasp
- Lay a large, flat plate on top of the tin and, using oven gloves or a tea towel, flip the cake over onto the plate
- Carefully run the sharp knife around the cake tin base easing it away and off of the cake
- Ta da! ?
