Autumn or Fall is the season that marks the transition from Summer into Winter. In North America, both Thanksgiving and Halloween are celebrated in Autumn. One of the main features of this season is the changing color of the landscape, with beautiful leaves changing their color to the shades of yellow, orange and red and the shedding of leaves from deciduous trees. Autumn/Fall and Winter is also the season for warm apple cider and apple pies and pecan pie, of course my list can go on and on. And YES, it is also the season for Fuyus and the Hachiyas!! Of course I am talking about the persimmons. Please browse through the beautiful pics to see what I am writing about. Apart from eating persimmons on their own, or in a fruit salad, persimmons can also be used in baking cakes, and in breads. This is one of the recipes I like to use. I got the original recipe on the web, but over the years, I have altered the recipe to something that works for me. Overall, its a great recipe, especially if you have lots of overripe persimmons waiting to be used. Here is the moist and crumbly Persimmon Bundt Cake recipe.
Pictures of a Persimmon Bundt Cake, a Hachiya persimmon and a Fuyu with a slice too
Recipe
Ingredients:
• 3 cups All Purpose flour/APF/Maida
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups persimmon pulp
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (You can also add cardamom pd if you want a different flavor)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup slivered almonds (or any nuts you prefer)
• 1/8 cup raisins (optional)
• Rectangular 9 X 13 pan or a Bundt pan
Steps:
1. Sift all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, and baking soda and baking powder) together in a big bowl.
Keep aside. Grease and flour a baking pan or bundt pan and keep aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients. I used 3 eggs, almost 2 cups of pulp (make
sure it is made with overripe persimmons. I blended it in my smoothie blender first and measured
it.), 1 cup of milk and about a tablespoon of oil. Keep that aside.
3. Fold in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients till everything is well mixed. I added a cup of
slivered almonds into the mix. You can add your choice of nuts and/or raisins and a few pieces of
the persimmons.
4. Pour the batter into the bundt pan or rectangular 9 X13 baking pan.
5. Put thin slices of persimmon on the bottom and poured the batter, and tap it couple of times. (It
gets rid of the air bubbles in the batter).
6. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean,
about 1 hour. Oven temperatures vary so please check the cake for doneness.
7. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan, and allow to cool completely on a wire
rack before glazing the bundt cake with the cheese cake glaze or dusting it with powdered sugar.
I prefer not to add the cream cheese glaze or the powdered sugar on top of the cake. In my honest opinion, I think the cake is sweet enough and does not need the icing, I guarantee it tastes really good even without it, but here is my recipe if you choose to make it. It does make the cake look very nice.
Cream cheese glaze
Whether you're glazing a cupcake or a Bundt cake, there's nothing like a smooth, rich cream cheese glaze as the finishing touch. While cream cheese frosting can be too rich and thick for a particular dessert, a glaze is an excellent compromise, adding a sweet and tangy touch without overwhelming your cake. This glaze also pairs nicely with cinnamon rolls, carrot cake, doughnuts, scones, banana bread, or muffins. You can also add different flavors to this glaze. This is the perfect topping to any moist or sweet dessert, and it's easily made with four ingredients in few minutes.
Ingredients
• 4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
Steps
1. Beat cream cheese until very smooth.
2. Beat in the sugar a little at a time.
3. Stir in vanilla and add 3 tablespoons milk. This consistency is great for cupcake frosting.
4. Add more milk to get the desired consistency for drizzling. (Glaze consistency)
5. Try it on your favorite cake or on another recipe. Enjoy.
Notes:
How to Store Cream Cheese Glaze?
This cream cheese glaze can sit out at room temperature for about eight hours. After that, it should be refrigerated for three to four days in an airtight container, or frozen in zip-loc bags for up to one month.
Flavor your cream cheese glaze by simply adding 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or pumpkin spice, a tablespoon or two of maple syrup, or 2 teaspoons sweetened cocoa.
Give some color and flavor to your glaze by adding 1 tablespoon of your favorite jam, preserve, or honey before adding the milk. Add 1 tablespoon of milk afterward and test the texture before adding more. Adding 1/2 teaspoon of citrus zest gives it a pop of flavor and a nice and beautiful zing to the glaze.
Add natural food coloring to give the basic recipe a pink (a little beet juice), blue (Blueberry) , or yellow (turmeric) hue. Use on berry muffins or lemon pound cake.
