Yes, a persimmon upside down cake. Does it sound strange? A little, but I promise you it tastes great. Persimmons are a fruit that, in my opinion, often goes unnoticed. This is because they are not as well known as other fruits and also because not everyone is as crazy about them as they are about other fruits.
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It has a curious texture, almost astringent. It’s very sweet, but not in a fresh way like most fruits, but more enveloping, if that makes sense.
If someone asked me what persimmons taste like, I would say they have to try them, because there’s no good way to explain it. You have to try them.
Persimmons work very well when baked upside down. They release their characteristic sweetness and also hold their shape very well in the oven, which is very important for fruits when we want to use them in a dessert that has to be baked.
Persimmons remind me a lot of our dad. He loved this fruit. And even though in the city where we grew up they were only available for a very short time during one season of the year, he made sure we could eat lots of persimmons when they were in season.
My mom always made us each a small plate of fruit for breakfast at home. After that, we would eat other more “proper” breakfast foods such as eggs, toast, oatmeal, etc. But fruit was always included. In fact, she always made it seem like something that had to be done, that was a must.
It wasn’t until I grew up a little that I realized that almost no one else did this, haha. Now I thank her for my love of fruit in general. She has always maintained that it is very good to eat seasonal fruit throughout the year. And I don’t think she’s wrong, to be honest.
If you like this recipe, you have to check out our pineapple upside-down cake, which is wonderful and a classic.
Ingredients
Method
- In a medium bowl, mix the melted butter with the sugar using a spoon or rubber spatula until well combined and a caramel-like texture forms.
- Grease a round cake pan of about 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter with a little butter. Pour the caramel mixture into the bottom of the pan and spread it evenly with the same rubber spatula.
- Place the persimmon slices on top of the caramel, forming a layer that spirals starting from the center outwards to the edges. You can cut some slices so that the entire bottom of the pan is well covered.
- Preheat the oven to 356°F (180ºC). Separately, in a medium bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat with an electric mixer or hand whisk for 4 minutes until the mixture lightens in color and triples in size.
- Carefully add the melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla extract while continuing to beat. Beat for another 30 seconds until everything is perfectly blended.
- Add in the flour mixture in two separate additions, beating for 10 seconds after each addition, just until the mixture is smooth. It is important not to overbeat.
- Pour the mixture into the cake pan on top of the persimmon slices and spread it carefully using a rubber spatula so as not to move the layer of fruit beneath. Bake at 356°F (180ºC) for approximately 40-45 minutes, until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
- Once ready, take the cake out of the oven and let it cool down in the pan for 15 minutes. Then, turn it out onto a large plate and serve the upside down persimmon cake warm or at room temperature, along with some ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
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