This easy persimmon olive oil cake makes a delightful fall treat with moist crumbs from the olive oil, sweetness from persimmon puree, and warming notes of cinnamon and ginger.
When it comes to autumn fruits, persimmons tend to be overlooked compared to apples and pears. I look forward to seeing both Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons making their appearance at the supermarket. We often buy 5 pounds at a time to snack on, make salad, sorbet, and simple snacking cakes. One of my favorite cakes is a simple, one bowl persimmon olive oil cake. The cake features moist crumbs from the olive oil, sweetness from persimmon puree, and warming notes of cinnamon and ginger. It makes a delightful afternoon treat with a cup of tea and leftovers can be rewarmed for a simple breakfast.
Ingredient Notes
- Persimmons: I used Fuyu persimmons for this recipe. Use over-ripe persimmon for the puree. If you don’t have over-ripe persimmons, make a puree with ripe persimmons. You can also substitute ripe Hachiya persimmon for the puree. For the persimmon slices on top, use ripe Fuyu persimmon.
- Olive oil: when it comes to baking, choose a quality fruity olive oil. Arbequina olives are small and distinctly sweet, producing buttery, fruity, and smooth olive oil, most suited for sweet baking. Cakes made with olive oil tend to bake up with a moist and tender texture compared to ones made with butter.
How to Make the Cake
This persimmon olive oil cake is one of the easiest cakes you can add to your cake repertoire. It only requires a bowl, a whisk, and a few steps to make. First whisk all the wet ingredients together. Then sift in all the dry ingredients. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Top with sliced persimmon and demerara sugar.
How Long to Bake the Cake
Bake the persimmon olive oil cake for 38-40 minutes at 350 degress F. Check for doneness 5 minutes before the required baking time because not all ovens act the same. The best method for testing a cake's doneness is with a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake. When it comes out clean, the cake is done. If the cake is still wet, bake it for another 5 minutes.
Make-Ahead and Storage
You can bake this cake 24 hours ahead. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature. The cake will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 48 hours. Warm up the cake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5-7 minutes before serving.
For more cake inspiration:
Persimmon Olive Oil Cake
Equipment
- 1 8x8-inch baking pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups (16 oz) persimmon puree (mashed if using softened/overripe persimmon)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 small persimmons, ripe but firm, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoons demerara sugar
Instructions
- In a high speed blender or food processor, add 2 cups of ripe persimmon and ¼ cup of water and blend until smooth. Remove from blender and set aside.
- Line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and 1 inch overhang from two sides. Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk together persimmon puree, eggs, brown sugar, olive oil, vanilla, and salt until combined, about 5 minutes.
- Place sifter over mixing bowl and sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Whisk until combined.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan. Smooth batter with offset spatula. Top with sliced persimmon. Sprinkle demerara sugar over the top.
- Place pan on the middle rack and bake until browned on the top and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
- Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Lift the cake out of the pan. Cut into 9 squares.
Rachelle R.
Hi Vy! Do you think this recipe will be good for cake layers?
Vy Tran
Hi Rachelle! I think it's possible. What you could do is use the base for my pumpkin olive oil cake (https://beyondsweetandsavory.com/pumpkin-olive-oil-cake-with-maple-frosting/) and swap out the pumpkin with the persimmon and use the frosting from the same recipe. If you want texture, add small pieces of persimmon to the cake.
Alex
Very moist and not overly sweet!
julie diatroptoff
hi there. I would like to use tis recipe but make individual cakes (I have decorative silicone cups). how would you recommend to modify?
sgadmin
hi Julie! I'm not sure what size the decorative silicone cups are. If they're similar in size to cupcakes, I would recommend filling the molds 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
JM
Easy, moist, and not overly sweet. Thanks for the recipe!
Jan
So glad I found your recipe. It was a great way to use the persimmons from my garden. I covered the surface with more persimmon than what your recipe had and it turned out perfect.
reeyuh
can i sub honey for sugar, would love to have this refined sugar free
sgadmin
hi Reeyuh! You can substitute with honey. I would use 1/2 cup of honey and skip the sugar on top. Since the honey adds liquid, you might need to bake it for another 5-10 minutes.
Eva Ved
Great recipe used gluten free flour (needed 1/4 cup extra). Also used 1/4 cup honey and 2 tablespoons brown sugar instead of 3/4 cup brown sugar. Turned out moist and sweet enough. Thankyou
sgadmin
That's great to know gluten free flour works for this recipe. Thank you Eva for sharing your feedback!