Persimmon Cardamom Cake

Persimmon Cardamom Cake

This bouncy, tender spiced cake celebrates winter persimmons in all their glory. Baking wedged Fuyu persimmons — the squat, tomato like ones — until their flavor concentrates and their moisture dissipates leaves you with syrupy fruit that doesn’t sog up the cake later. A little coconut extract, a whisper of the tropical, props up the gentle sweet aroma of the orange fruit, with cardamom playing a major role in bringing out its floral, pumpkiny qualities. Whipped cream folded into the batter at the end, a trick from the baker Heather Dekker-Hurlbert, results in a light, even crumb. Thanks to a sprinkling of cardamon sugar on top before baking, the cake gains a glorious caramelized crust with cinnamon toast vibes (but cardamom).

Yield: 8 servings

For the Persimmons

4 Fuyu persimmons (about 1 pound), stemmed, peeled and cut into 8 wedges

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the Cake

1 cup/240 milliliters cold heavy cream

½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1¼ teaspoons ground cardamom, divided

1 cup/200 grams plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ teaspoon coconut or almond extract

¾ teaspoon kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal, or ½ teaspoon fine salt

1½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

Make the persimmons: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. On a small rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment paper, toss the persimmons with the sugar and lemon juice and spread in an even layer. Bake until the juices have mostly dissipated and become sticky, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly; keep the oven on.

Meanwhile, make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk the heavy cream by hand or with an electric mixer until billowy soft peaks form. When you turn the whisk right side up, the cream should flop over the top of the whisk like a Santa hat.

In a saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter and cook, stirring, until blondish brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Lightly brush a 9-inch round cake pan with some of the butter, then press parchment paper into the bottom and sides of the pan, crushing the paper around the edges.

Transfer the melted butter to a large bowl and stir in the cinnamon and 1 teaspoon cardamom. Add 1 cup/200 grams sugar and whisk to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth. Finally, whisk in the coconut extract and salt.

Add half of the whipped cream to the egg mixture. (Refrigerate the remaining cream until ready to serve.) Switching to a flexible spatula, fold in the whipped cream by scooping the egg mixture from the bottom up, while turning the mixing bowl with each scoop, to gently incorporate the cream (it’s OK if there are streaks).

Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda directly into the bowl. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated.

Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and top with the cooled persimmons, gently placing them in an even layer. In a small dish, stir together the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and ¼ teaspoon cardamom and sprinkle over the fruit.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out totally clean, about 1 hour. Cool completely in the pan. Serve with the remaining whipped cream.

TIP: Fuyu they should be ripe! For the best persimmon flavor. They should be as delicious as you want them to be in the cake.

Ripe Fuyu persimmons (the squat ones) can still be firm, making them easier to cut into wedges and keep their shape in a cake versus, say, Hachiya persimmons (the heart-shaped ones), which need to be very ripe and soft to the touch otherwise they can be astringent to eat. So Fuyu are preferred in this recipe, but Hachiya work, too, if those are all you have.