Oven-Roasted Persimmon Cakes
I decided to use the persimmons that I picked up earlier in the week in a dessert created by Marcel Desaulniers, from Baking with Julia. His original recipe called for plums, but I think the persimmons were a fine substitute- just the right size and perfectly ripe.
The batter is quite simple, with buttermilk and a very small amount of orange zest making for a lovely, light flavour. Baked in small custard cups, these not-too-sweet delights would be perfect any time of day. We ended up having them on their own for breakfast; you wouldn't go astray with an addition of ice cream or, as Delsaulniers recommends, chocolate sauce if you wanted to dress them up a bit.
Bon Appetit!
Wow, that looks really good. What a beautiful orange color from the persimmons. I've been wanting to get that book....hmm, up to the top of my list?
Posted by: Alice | January 22, 2005 at 11:28 AM
Hi Alice,
Yes, they were very tasty indeed and will most definitely be made again. I do love this cookbook and haven't ever gone wrong with any of the recipes. I wish I had seen the PBS series that it was based on, though- I'm sure it was very interesting to watch Julia with all of the fantastic chefs she worked with.
Posted by: Moira | January 22, 2005 at 01:34 PM
Oh, Moira, these look amazing. Your instincts on substituting persimmons for the plums were bang on.
By the way, I've been trying to add you to my blogroll, but I have an advanced Typepad template, and I'm still trying to figure out how the damn thing works! (It involves a facility with Movable Type I just don't have yet.) Rest assured, I will get you on there!
Posted by: Bakerina | January 22, 2005 at 03:58 PM
Thank you, on all counts, Ms. Bakerina!
Posted by: Moira | January 23, 2005 at 05:00 PM
I used to own that book but it never made it across to here. I love persimmons though and could eat them everyday...well almost! ;-)
Posted by: rowena | January 24, 2005 at 09:17 AM
I was so pleased that their flavour was as lovely as their skin, and I'm thinking about making preserves next time around. Have you ever?
Posted by: Moira | January 24, 2005 at 12:23 PM
Hi Moira,
This looks so delicious. I think it would go really well with coffee or tea in the morning. What type of persimmons did you use? Fuyu or Hachiya?
Posted by: Reid | January 25, 2005 at 06:37 AM
Hi Reid,
They were lovely, and I really liked the orange zest in the batter. The fruit that I used was from Israel and labeled "Sharon Fruit"; they were very firm when I bought them and ripened slowly, but never got squishy-soft. From the descriptions I've read, the texture and the deep orange colour signifies Fuyu. What do you think?
Posted by: Moira | January 25, 2005 at 10:10 AM
Hi Moira,
Hachiya persimmons are "pointy" on the bottom. You should eat these when they are very soft. Fuyu persimmons are "flat" on the bottom and should be eaten while still firm. If they never got soft then these are definitely fuyu.
Posted by: Reid | January 26, 2005 at 06:01 AM
They were definitely flat on the bottom and quite firm- yes, they were Fuyu alright. Thanks, Reid!
Posted by: Moira | January 26, 2005 at 06:22 PM
Moira, your persimmon cakes look very good. It reminds me of walking through the woods at the college in East Texas, picking persimmons in the wild and taking them home to make a Mid-West dish, persimmon pudding.
Posted by: Carolyn | January 30, 2005 at 05:08 PM
looking for persimmons and persimmon trees in Omaha, Nebraska.....can you help?
Posted by: susie | March 27, 2005 at 09:16 AM