I got married at the end of October and left for Japan shortly after. We planned our honeymoon around the things we both love—food, markets, tea culture and tea farming, traditional agriculture, and garden design. He’s a landscape architect, I’m a cook, and we meet in the middle around the kitchen table and tea table to share our love for food, agriculture, and design.
Fall was in full swing when we arrived, with maples and ginkgo trees parading their changing leaves. Nearly every home seemed to have a persimmon tree, leafless but dotted with ripe, bright orange fruit. The persimmon tree (Diospyros kaki) has a long history in Japan, where it represents the arrival of autumn and is a symbol of prosperity. Persimmons are also woven into the landscape, particularly around tea gardens, where their changing colors add to the seasonal beauty and contemplative atmosphere.
Driving through the countryside, we saw windowsills covered in rows of hanging persimmons being made into hoshigaki—whole persimmons that are peeled, dried, and gently massaged over several weeks until they become sweet, moist, and chewy. We were gifted a few while visiting the Noto Peninsula, and I quickly fell back in love with a fruit I had forgotten about.
There are two main types of persimmons: astringent and non-astringent. For this cake, you’ll want firm, non-astringent Fuyu persimmons, which hold their shape beautifully when sliced and baked. If they’re too soft to slice, try making a jam or this raw vegan white chocolate persimmon cake recipe.
PREP: 25 min | COOK: 45–50 min | YIELD: 1 9-inch cake, 8 slices
Ingredients
Persimmon Topping:
3-4 ripe Fuyu persimmons, peeled and sliced into ¼” thick rounds
¼ cup ghee
½ cup maple syrup
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
Cake Batter:
1 ½ cups spelt flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour)
½ cup almond flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
⅛ tsp ground clove
1 tsp baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon mineral salt
½ cup ghee, softened
1 ¼ cup coconut sugar (or organic brown sugar)
2 large organic eggs (or 2 flax eggs - 2 tbsp ground flax whisked with 6 tbsp water)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp orange zest
1 cup organic unsweetened dairy-free milk
Instructions
First, grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Prepare the persimmon topping. In a small saucepan, melt 1/4 cup of ghee over medium heat. Add maple syrup, orange juice and vanilla extract. Simmer on a medium-low heat to reduce the mixture until it’s thick and caramel-like, stirring occasionally so it does not burn. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan, cover the bottom evenly. Arrange the sliced persimmons on top of the caramel in a circular pattern. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare the cake batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the spelt or gluten-free flour, the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, cream together the softened ghee and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually fold in the dry mixture into the wet mixture. At the end, whisk in the milk, vanilla and orange zest until the batter is smooth.
Carefully pour the batter over the arranged persimmons in the cake pan, spreading it evenly. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place the cake pan on top of the lined baking sheet (this will catch any gooey caramel that leaks out of the bottom of the cake pan while baking!). Place in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Place a serving plate upside down on top of the cake pan and carefully invert the cake onto the plate. Let the cake cool completely before slicing. Serve with your favorite mug of tea.
Cooking Notes
Fruit Options: If you don’t have ripe but firm Fuyu persimmons, try apples or pears instead. They work wonderfully for layering a mandala of fruit in this upside down cake.
Invert while still warm: Don't let the cake cool completely in the pan. The caramel will firm as it cools, making the cake more difficult to release cleanly. Make sure the bottom of the pan is well greased and lined with parchment. The parchment is especially helpful with the maple-ghee caramel, which can become quite sticky as it cools.
Dosha Notes
V: Enjoy as is when digestion is strong
P: Reduce or omit the ginger
K: Enjoy in moderation in the daytime
Nutrition
(Per serving)
Calories: 525–545 kcal
Protein: 7–8 g
Fat: 24–26 g
Carbs: 72–76 g
Sugar: 44–47 g
Fiber: 5–6 g
Shop Kitchen Essentials
Spelt Flour
Ghee
Ground Ginger
Ground Cinnamon
