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    Home » Autumn Cakes & Cookies

    Spiced Persimmon Cake with Dates and Lemon Glaze

    Nov 4, 2009 · Modified: Sep 25, 2021 by Andrea · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 31 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Spiced Persimmon Cake with Dates and Lemon Glaze - Andrea Meyers

    We discovered the persimmon tree in September when we noticed the golden orbs hanging from the branches. We hadn’t paid attention to the tree before because it was in a relatively inaccessible area behind our house and we had no idea what it was or what if anything it would produce, it had not set fruit until this year. When we found the fruit, we realized it was American persimmon (aka common persimmon and Eastern persimmon), which is a berry in botanic terms. The fruit is small, ranging 1 to 1-½ inches (2.5 to 4 cm) in diameter and very sweet when ripe.

    Persimmons are autumn fruits that can hang on even after frost, and you can wait until after frost to gather them to ensure they are fully ripe. The leaves start to droop and fall off the tree as the fruit ripens. The persimmons should be very soft and even a little wrinkled before eating, otherwise they’ll have a chalky taste. If the fruit starts to drop when you shake the tree, they are pretty much ready.

    Eastern common persimmon tree with ripe fruit - Andrea Meyers

    The tree we found is in a wild, untamed area surrounded by thistles, climbing vines, and poison ivy, and we also had to watch for snakes as we carefully made our way to it. There are actually three persimmon trees back there, all about the same size and one without fruit so it’s probably the male tree. Persimmon trees are either male or female and the female trees bear fruit. Unlike some fruit trees, persimmon seeds produce trees that are true to the mother tree and the trees grow wild and prolifically.

    The birds were already picking at the fruit near the top of the tree, so we knew it was time to gather persimmons.

    Persimmons in a bowl - Andrea Meyers

    They taste sweet, almost like honey, and the flavor came through in this spiced cake. Except for the time it takes to press the persimmons, the cake is relatively easy to make. The thin lemon glaze is optional, Michael doesn’t care for it but I like the bright flavor and bit of crunch it adds. You can use other types of persimmons, such as Hachiya or Fuyu for this cake, but since those are larger you will use fewer fruits to get the same amount of puree.

    Persimmon puree - Andrea Meyers

    Spiced Persimmon Cake with Dates and Lemon Glaze - Andrea Meyers
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    Spiced Persimmon Cake with Dates and Lemon Glaze

    Prep Time30 mins
    Cook Time1 hr
    Total Time1 hr 30 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: autumn, Bundt, dairy-free, dates, eggs, lemongrass, persimmons
    Servings: 16
    Calories: 403kcal

    Equipment

    • 2-quart bowl
    • medium mesh strainer
    • heavy spatula
    • stand mixer with paddle attachment
    • 12-cup bundt pan, greased and floured
    • fine mesh strainer
    • small bowl

    Ingredients

    Persimmon Puree

    • 1½ to 2 pounds common persimmons (less if you use Hachiya or Fuyu persimmons, enough to make 2 cups of puree)

    Cake

    • ½ pound unsalted butter (or dairy-free substitute)
    • 2 cups granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 cups persimmon puree
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
    • 2 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1 cup chopped dates (or golden raisins)

    Glaze

    • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
    US Customary - Metric

    Preparation

    Persimmon Puree

    • Rinse the persimmons and remove the brown or green calyx. Place the strainer over the 2-quart bowl. One at a time, place a persimmon in the strainer and press down hard with the spatula. Press and move the spatula around, forcing the pulp through the mesh. Remove the seeds and skin and continue with the remaining persimmons. (Note: This can take a while when using small persimmons, so plan for it.)

    Cake

    • Preheat the oven to 325° F/165° C. Set rack in the middle of the oven.
    • In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it it light and fluffy.
    • Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well each time. Add the persimmon puree and vanilla extract, and mix well.
    • In the medium bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture and stir gently, tossing in the chopped dates. Do not overmix.
    • Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, checking every 5 minutes after 1 hour has passed. When a tester comes out dry with just a few crumbs clinging, remove the pan from the oven. If the tester has no crumbs the cake will be dry.
    • Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

    Glaze

    • While the cake is cooling, whisk together the the powdered sugar and lemon juice until the glaze is smooth.
    • Pour the glaze over the cake while warm. Allow to cool completely, then slice and serve.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 403kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 148mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 384IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Share in the comments!

    More Autumn Recipes

    Brown Sugar Cake with Prunes and Apples - Andrea Meyers
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    Cranberry Orange Upside Down Cake - Andrea Meyers
    Cranberry Orange Upside Down Cake
    Spiced Pumpkin Bread - Andrea Meyers
    Spiced Pumpkin Bread

    References

    • Wikipedia – American persimmon
    • Wikipedia - Persimmon

    More Persimmon Recipes From Around the Blogs

    • Pinch My Salt – Persimmon Cookies
    • David Lebovitz – James Beard’s Amazing Persimmon Bread Recipe
    • Simply Recipes – Persimmon Pomegranate Fruit Salad
    « Grow Your Own #37 Round-up
    Whole Wheat Pie Dough »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. meeta says

      November 04, 2009 at 3:15 am

      ummm! I love persimmon cakes. I have a recipe from a while back on my blog too. what i love about this is that tangy glaze.

      Reply
    2. Nate says

      November 04, 2009 at 5:13 am

      Wow, I've never seen such a small persimmon before! The cake looks perfect for Fall.

      Reply
    3. Ben says

      November 04, 2009 at 8:56 am

      I don't think I've ever had that fruit before. But the cake looks delicious. I wouldn't reject a BIG piece with a mug of chocolate 😀

      Reply
    4. Maggie says

      November 04, 2009 at 10:49 am

      Delicious looking cake! Do you think I could use a food mill to make the puree?

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 04, 2009 at 10:50 am

        Hi Maggie. Yes a food mill will work, just discard the seeds before doing it, otherwise you'll end up with crunched up seeds in the puree. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Jennifer says

      November 04, 2009 at 11:01 am

      What a treat it must have been to find a persimmon tree behind your house. You clearly make the most of the treasure with this recipe.

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 04, 2009 at 11:31 am

        Hi Jennifer. The tree had just enough fruit for the cake, and we hope the trees will produce even more as they age. It will be fun to come up with more ways to use the persimmons.

        Reply
    6. Elise says

      November 04, 2009 at 11:24 am

      Hi Andrea,
      Wow, I've never seen wild persimmons before. When ripe are they hard and crunchy like fuyus? Or are they slurry-like inside like hachiyas?

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 04, 2009 at 11:29 am

        Hi Elise. This type of persimmon is common throughout the Eastern seaboard and into parts of the midwest and Gulf Coast. They get very soft and the skin just slips off when ripe.

        Reply
    7. Alisa - Frugal Foodie says

      November 04, 2009 at 10:02 pm

      Oh my Andrea, those photos look unreal!

      Reply
    8. Susan says

      November 06, 2009 at 1:55 am

      Those little wild persimmons are so cute! I didn't realize they grew on the east coast. Lucky you to have them in your own yard, yet! The Fuyu persimmons are hard and crunchy..to be eaten like an apple. I don't think they soften..they just drop and rot when overripe. Our neighbor has a tree full that partially hangs over our back fence. Lucky me! I have one recipe that uses them in a cake, but they are cubed and added,. I guess you could puree them if you cooked them first. Not sure about that though. Your cake looks lucious, I'll have to actually buy some hachiyas and make it. Thanks for this!

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 06, 2009 at 7:40 am

        Hi Susan. Yes, the the Fuyu persimmons could be cooked a bit and mashed before using. The puree forms a good bit of the liquid for the cake, so I don't think I would use them just cubed.

        Reply
    9. Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says

      November 06, 2009 at 11:36 pm

      I love the look of the persimmon puree (and the color is so seductive). Now I'm thinking of other ways to use it.

      Reply
    10. Stephanie - Wasabimon says

      November 09, 2009 at 3:30 am

      This post inspired me to try cooking some other things with persimmons, so I put them in a few savory dishes. Thanks for the inspiration!

      Reply
    11. momgateway says

      November 10, 2009 at 12:32 am

      Love this persimmon post.

      Reply
    12. susan from food blogga says

      November 10, 2009 at 9:34 pm

      I love baking with persimmons. And they're perfect with dates.

      Reply
    13. Heathers Cakes says

      November 12, 2009 at 4:21 am

      Absolutely DELICIOUS! I followed your recipe and made it but with mine I added warm custard and it was fabulous, you just can't buy that kind of quality.

      Reply
    14. Lil- PV says

      November 20, 2009 at 6:20 pm

      Hi,
      Is your cake freezable...how long? Any great tips when thawing
      the cake.

      Thanks
      Lil - PV

      Reply
      • sharon says

        November 21, 2010 at 3:54 pm

        Have you ever froze this cake? I would like to but not sure about when to put on the glaze. Thanks, this recipe sounds yummy.

        Reply
        • Andrea says

          November 21, 2010 at 5:40 pm

          Hi Sharon. I have not frozen this cake, it never seems to last long enough. That being said, you can certainly freeze it, though I think I would wait until it's thawed before adding the glaze. Hope you enjoy it!

          Reply
    15. elizabeth says

      December 20, 2009 at 11:27 pm

      i veganized this cake very easily and it was THE most amazing cake i have ever had.

      Reply
    16. Aimee says

      June 26, 2011 at 10:57 pm

      Hi there, Just wondering - 3 cups of flour did not equal 240g for me. 2 cups = 240g? I did the recipe based on 240g and the mixture and finished product seemed quite wet. Overall lovely flavour though. Can you please clarify flour qtys? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        June 29, 2011 at 10:10 pm

        Hi Aimee. You are correct, there was a typo in the metric conversion for the flour, I'm so sorry about that. I've corrected the recipe. Thanks for letting me know!

        Reply
        • sarah delcampo says

          October 29, 2020 at 11:39 pm

          Is it 2 or 3 cups of flour?

          Reply
          • Sarah Del Campo says

            October 29, 2020 at 11:59 pm

            also is it a 1/2 LB or 1/2 cup of butter?

          • Andrea says

            October 31, 2020 at 2:19 pm

            Hi Sarah. It's 3 cups of flour and 1/2 pound of butter.

    17. ciaochowlinda says

      November 23, 2012 at 10:59 pm

      Andrea - I made this cake recently and it was sensationally delicious. I hope you don't mind my posting your recipe on my blog (giving you credit of course).

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. uberVU - social comments says:
      November 4, 2009 at 10:37 am

      Social comments and analytics for this post...

      This post was mentioned on Twitter by ElementalDeals: Andrea's Recipes: Spiced Persimmon Cake with Dates and Lemon Glaze http://bit.ly/Cs55q
      #food...

      Reply
    2. Foraging for Wild Persimmons – Eat Drink Better says:
      September 28, 2010 at 7:29 am

      [...] palm of your hand and discard the seeds and skins that do not pass through. The pulp can be used in cakes, breads, cookies, pies, fruit leather, jelly, jam, and any other recipe that calls for pulp or [...]

      Reply
    3. Tweets that mention Spiced Persimmon Cake with Dates and Lemon Glaze | Andrea Meyers -- Topsy.com says:
      November 11, 2010 at 11:30 am

      [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Marcello Cividini and tblossom, Marcello's Kitchen. Marcello's Kitchen said: Spiced Persimmon Cake with Dates and Lemon Glaze http://bit.ly/biX6Wd [...]

      Reply
    4. Cranberry Streusel Coffee Cake | TasteFood says:
      November 30, 2012 at 2:36 pm

      [...] cake? You might like these recipes: Chocolate Stout Pound Cake with Whiskey Cream from TasteFood Spiced Persimmon Cake from Andrea Meyers Ginger Pear Streusel Cake from TasteFood Buttermilk Spice Cake with Pear Compote [...]

      Reply

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