Persimmon Tea Cake with a Honey Orange Glaze

Sweet and juicy persimmons have been available in abundance this past month that they’ve been sitting in the fruit basket begging to be baked into a cake. And I’m always for having a constant supply of tea cake at home to cosy up gloomy days inside, so this didn’t take much to become the next baking project in our kitchen. Wanting to keep the texture of the fruit, I’ve chosen to top the cake with sliced persimmon, much like an apple cake, as opposed to incorporating it into the batter. The cake itself is a mild and simple canvas that helps elevate the beauty of the fruit on top. The fruit has an intense sweetness that is balanced by the citrus zing from orange glaze that we use to top the cake. Walnuts add a nice crunch to every bite, and a bit of good healthy fats that most of us need. On the side of a hot cup of tea or coffee, this is perfect for an evening in, whether catching up with friends or just reading a book.

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Ingredients

  • 75g white spelt flour

  • 50g buckwheat flour

  • 50g ground almonds

  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

  • Pinch of salt

  • 3/4 tsp baking soda

  • 1/2 tsp baking powder

  • 125ml olive oil

  • 100ml honey

  • 25g soft light brown sugar

  • 3 large eggs, separated

  • 1 tsp orange extract

  • 1 tsp orange zest

  • 1 tbsp orange juice

For the topping

  • 25g walnuts

  • 2 persimmons, sliced

For the syrup

  • Juice of 2 oranges

  • 1 tbsp honey

  • 1 tsp soft light brown sugar

Method of Preparation

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Prepare a 20cm cake tin, set aside.

  2. Sift together the white spelt flour + buckwheat flour + ground almonds + cinnamon powder + salt + baking soda + baking powder, and set aside.

  3. Whisk the egg whites till they form stiff peaks, set aside.

  4. To a large mixing bowl, add the olive oil + honey + soft light brown sugar. Whisk together using a hand mixer till creamy. Add the egg yolks + orange extract + orange zest + orange juice, and whisk to combine. Add the flour mix one-third at a time, and gently fold to incorporate. Then add the egg whites and fold gently, making sure not the over mix. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake tin. Top with the sliced persimmon and walnuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with kitchen foil, and return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes, till a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

  5. As the cake cools, make the syrup. Place all the ingredients for the syrup in a small saucepan and gently heat till it begins to thicken, then turn off the heat.

  6. Once the cake has cooled, transfer to a serving plate. Pour over with the syrup and serve with a steaming hot cuppa!