This old-fashioned, spiced persimmon cake is super simple to make and oh, so delicious! It’s flavored with ripe persimmon purée, whisky-soaked raisins, and toasted pecans. And it’s topped with tangy cream cheese frosting.
Spiced Persimmon Cake Recipe
This unfussy, single-layer persimmon cake is perfect for making in the late fall when persimmons are at their peak.
If you’re new to persimmons, they’re a bright orange fruit that has a sweet, honey-like taste. For this cake, I used super-ripe Hachiya persimmons, which are acorn-shaped. When ripe, they feel a bit like a ripe tomato.
To get the pulp out, you can cut them in half and scoop out the insides (like you would with an avocado). Just make sure they’re ripe! Underripe Hachiyas persimmons can taste chalky.
Persimmon Cake Ingredients
This single-layer persimmon tea cake comes together fairly easily with just a few ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need.
- RAISINS (or currants)
- WHISKEY (or brandy)
- FLOUR
- BAKING SODA
- CINNAMON
- NUTMEG
- SALT
- SUGAR
- UNSALTED BUTTER
- HACHIYA PERSIMMONS
- EGGS
- PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
- PECANS (or walnuts)
- CREAM CHEESE
- CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR
Recipe Step-by-Step Instructions
Are you ready to get backing? Here’s what you’ll need to do to make this spiced persimmon cake from scratch.
PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and then grease the parchment paper. Set aside.
SOAK THE RAISINS: In a small saucepan, bring the raisins (or currants) and whiskey (or brandy) to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and let cool.
SIFT THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Stir in the granulated sugar.
MIX TOGETHER THE BUTTER, PERSIMMON, EGGS & VANILLA: In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, persimmon purée, eggs, and vanilla.
ADD IN DRY INGREDIENTS, RAISINS & NUTS: Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, add the persimmon mixture, and gently stir. Fold in the raisins, along with any unabsorbed cooking liquid, and the nuts. Mix just until everything until just combined.
BAKE: Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Once cool, remove the cake from the pan and frost. Decorate as desired.
FOR THE ICING: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk or paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and butter on high speed until smooth. On low speed, mix in the vanilla and salt, and then gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat on high speed until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of milk, cream, or water to thin it out. If it’s too runny, you can add more powdered sugar.
Persimmon Cake Recipe Tips
Here are a few more things to keep in mind when making your persimmon cake.
THE PERSIMMONS: This recipe calls for ripe Hachiya persimmons, which are the acorn-shaped ones. This variety is best for baking. Just make sure they’re ripe! Underripe Hachiya persimmons can taste bitter and chalky.
SOAKING THE RAISINS: Soaking the raisins helps to make them plumper and juicier. And the whiskey (or brandy) gives them a nice depth of flavor. But if you’d rather skip the alcohol, you can use water.
SUB THE TYPE OF NUTS: I used pecans in this recipe, but you could also use walnuts.
STORAGE: You can store this cake, covered, at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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Easy Persimmon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Total Time: 60-75 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Description
This old-fashioned, single-layer spiced persimmon cake is full of ripe persimmon purée, whiskey-soaked raisins, and toasted pecans. And it’s topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting. It’s super simple to make — and so delicious!
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 3/4 cup dried raisins (or currants)
- 1/4 cup whiskey (or brandy)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cup persimmon purée, about 2 large persimmons (I used Hachiya persimmons, which are acorn-shaped)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and finely chopped (or walnuts)
For the Icing:
- 8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350degrees. Grease a 9-inch pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and then grease the parchment paper.
- In a small saucepan, bring the raisins (or currants) and whiskey (or brandy) to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and let cool.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Stir in the granulated sugar.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, persimmon purée, eggs, and vanilla.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, add the persimmon mixture, and gently stir.
- Fold in the currants, along with any unabsorbed cooking liquid, and the nuts. Mix just until everything until just combined.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Once cool, remove the cake from the pan and frost.
For the Icing:
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk or paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and butter on high speed until smooth.
- On low speed, mix in the vanilla and salt, and then gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat on high speed until smooth.
- If the icing is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of milk, cream, or water to thin it out. If it’s too runny, you can add more powdered sugar.
Notes
This recipe calls for ripe Hachiya persimmons, which are the acorn-shaped ones. This variety is best for baking. Just make sure they’re ripe! Underripe Hachiya persimmons can taste bitter and chalky.
Storage: You can store this cake, covered, at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American, Fall
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