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This Persimmon Fruit Cake has the family divided. Half think that it smells and tastes like Biscoff Biscuits, the other half (including me) thinks the cake smells of Christmas Spices and Pumpkin Pie all rolled into one. If you’re a fan of any of the above flavours, then this is the cake for you.
Originally this gluten free cake recipe required 4 fruits. However, persimmon (or Sharon Fruit) are often sold in packs of three so whenever I fancied making this particular cake, it annoyed me that I’d have to buy two packs to achieve it.
That made me wonder if any one else had seen my Persimmon Fruit Cake recipe and thought exactly the same? I decided to do something about it, plus it also meant I could at long last re-shoot the cake with my newly developed photography skills. I’ve also had a dabble with reducing the sugar content and making it vegan too (the cake in the photo’s is a vegan version, just to prove it can be done!).
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Skip to the good bit
- What is a Sharon Fruit (Persimmon)
- How do I know if my Persimmon is ripe enough?
- Can I make this cake with a different fruit?
- Can I make a dairy free Persimmon Fruit Cake?
- Can I make this cake without egg?
- How well does this cake keep?
- Other Gluten Free Fruit Cake Recipes
- Gluten Free Persimmon Fruit Cake Recipe
What is a Sharon Fruit (Persimmon)
I do like Persimmon fruit once in a while and keep trying to introduce the teens to them but with little success. They say the fruit is too sweet, as if there was such as thing! I appreciate the texture isn’t to everyone’s liking and the skins are quite waxy and tough but still, these are beautifully aromatic with a unique flavour.
Sharon fruit (also known as persimmon, kaki or diospyros) looks like an orange tomato and tastes like a cross between a mango and a pumpkin. It can be eaten like a plum and makes a delicious snack eaten whole straight from the fruit bowl.
Abel & Cole – A lovers Guide to Sharon Fruit
The cake is quite dense but is oh so moist and delicately perfumed by the Persimmon purée and a definite must-try for anyone familiar with the fruit or not.
How do I know if my Persimmon is ripe enough?
Quite simply, you know if the Sharon Fruit is ripe enough when you can smell the sweetness of the flesh and the fruit gives when you gently squeeze it. Much like a peach or a plum. As Persimmons tend to have a slightly tougher skin, some prefer to cut the fruit into quarters and scoop the flesh out as you might do with a kiwi fruit.
Personally, I cut into quarters and eat the whole with skin on. As longs as the fruit is ripe enough, the skin won’t be unpleasant to eat.
Can I make this cake with a different fruit?
Technically, you can make this Sharon Fruit Cake without Persimmons, but then you’d have to ask yourself the question ‘why am I here’? if you don’t like the fruit in the first place!
If you like the idea of a dense spices fruit Bundt then how about making this recipe with apricots? I would recommend 4-5 fresh, stoned apricots to replace the 3 Sharon Fruits.
Can I make a dairy free Persimmon Fruit Cake?
You may have noticed that this cake has no added fat so there’s already no need to replace butter. All you would need to do to make this a dairy free cake is to swap the milk for your usual dairy free alternative. I tend to use gluten free oat milk or soya milk.
Can I make this cake without egg?
I have made this cake vegan on a couple of occasions (without dairy or eggs) so I know that this is possible. To make an egg free Persimmon Fruit Cake you’ll need to add 2 flaxseed eggs. I’ve added a how-to box below to tell you how to make a flax egg.
How to make a flax egg
to make 1 flax egg you need the following ingredients:
– 1tbsp ground flax seed
– 3tbsp water
– 1tsp psyllium husk (optional but does add elasticity to baking)
Simply add all ingredients to a glass and stir before measuring out the other recipe ingredients, by the time you come to use your ‘egg’ mixture it will have thickened to a frog-spawn consistency (thicker if you added psyllium husk)
Then just add to your baking as you would an egg. For 2 eggs double the ingredients but note that recipes that require more than two eggs may fail due to lack of support in the structure.
How well does this cake keep?
This is a dense cake. Think of a dense fruit cake or gingerbread cake. For that reason, and the fact that it’s made with fresh fruit, this cake does not last more than 48hrs. After that point, you could reheat in the microwave and slop a load of custard over it for a delicious spiced sponge pudding.
Other Gluten Free Fruit Cake Recipes
If you decide Persimmon isn’t the fruit for you, then you may be interested in some other fruit cake recipes I’ve created free from such as my Apple Cake, Apple and Cinnamon Cake or Bara Brith (Welsh fruit cake made with tea)
Gluten Free Persimmon Fruit Cake Recipe
If you make it and like the recipe I would be eternally grateful if you popped back and commented leaving a star rating as this will tell search engines that this recipe is worth checking out and others will get to find it in searches.
Persimmon Fruit Cake (Sharon Fruit)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 300 g gluten free plain flour (I use Free From Fairy flour)
- 125 ml dairy free milk (I use soya)
- 200 g soft dark brown sugar
- 2 egg(s) (for vegan version use 2 tbsp ground chia/flax seeds
- 3 persimmons (cut into quarters)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp psyllium husk powder (optional)
Instructions
- To make the Persimmon puree cut off the tops and blend until smooth, I’ve made with peeled fruit (the skin can be very hard a waxy) and I’ve been lazy and not bothered to peel…to be fair, I can’t tell the difference so it’s up to you!
- In a large bowl or mixer, add the puree, eggs, sugar, vanilla and milk or dairy free alternative and mix until aerated and colour turns a lighter shade.
- Sift all the dry ingredients into the bowl and beat until combined.
- Pour into a prepared cake tin, I used a ring mould, you can use an 8″ tin but this is a dense cake and the middle will take sometime too cook so if necessary you will need to cover with tin foil.
- If baking in a ring mould, place on a baking sheet in the oven on 160°C | 140°C | 325°F |Gas 3 for 50 minutes. I have not baked this in a cake tin yet but would imagine a longer time necessary.
- Allow to cool for 5 mins before gently removing from the ring mould onto a cooling rack, then allow to cool completely before dusting with icing sugar (other ideas below)
Notes
Nutrition
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Looks moist and delicious, I love persimmons so this cake sounds super appealing!
It’s such a unique flavour Monika and this really comes through in the cake xx
LOVE persimmons!! They ever hang around in the house long enough to make a cake with them though!
I love persimmons but I don’t think I’ve ever done any baking with them. Your cake looks beautifully moist and sounds absolutely delicious!
I know right! I just love to experiment and hate waste…so that’s where a lot of my recipes come from – refusal to chuck something away and use up in a unique way! It’s worked for me so far.