MAPLE PERSIMMON UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
adapted from food52.com

Mary’s NOTES

This cake, adapted from a Food52 recipe, is amazing. Fresh persimmons resting in maple syrup and melted butter on the bottom of the traditional cast iron pan give the cake on top an incredible caramelized crunch around the edges. The maple cream cheese frosting is wonderful, but this cake is also great with whipped cream dollop. Whichever one you choose, do not skip the frosting. Enjoy!

From the Creator: “When I decided to make a persimmon upside-down cake, I didn’t think that using a standard pineapple upside-down cake recipe would fly, so I went for a sturdier, denser cake, reinforced with extra egg and ground nuts. I also liked the idea of caramelization via maple syrup, which, it turns out, is great with the fruit. The flavors will mellow and meld overnight, but the cake will stay very moist, so it’s a great bake-ahead dessert, though ideally it should be served warm. I love using the traditional cast iron pan, but if you don’t have one, be sure to use a minimum 10-inch cake pan—there’s a good amount of batter. Most important, though, is to use fuyu persimmons, which have the right texture for the recipe (as opposed to hachiyas, which are too soft). Cut them in slices parallel to the equator to get the sweet little star pattern.” —by vvvanessa

Ingredients
(Use Organic if you can – better for you and for the environment)

Cake Batter

• 8 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons real maple syrup (grade B if you can get it, but grade A is fine as long as it’s the real thing)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¹/₂ teaspoon baking soda
• ¹/₂ teaspoon fine table salt
• ¹/₂ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¹/₄ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• ²/₃ cup buttermilk or half ‘n half
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• ¹/₂ cup finely chopped roasted pecans or walnuts
• 2 ripe fuyu persimmons, or 3 if it fits, cut into slices parallel to the equator to show pretty design, about 1/4-inch thick
• up to 2 cups skinned persimmon pulp (do in blender)

Maple Cream Frosting

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, well-chilled
• 2 tablespoons real maple syrup, well-chilled
• ¹/₈ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  OR
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• enough maple syrup for a thick liquid consistency
• (mix in a splash of rum if you wish)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Over low heat on the stovetop, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. It should not get hot or bubbly, just melted. Remove the pan from the heat.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of maple syrup over medium-low until they are thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, add in the eggs, vanilla, and persimmon pulp and beat for another minute.
5. Add in half of the flour mixture and beat for 10 seconds. Add in the milk and beat for 10 seconds more. Add in the rest of the flour mixture, beat for 10 seconds, scrape down the bowl, and beat for 20 seconds more.
6. Stir in the pecans, scraping down the bowl in the process.
7. Take the cast iron pan (if using), and swirl the butter-syrup mixture to make sure the sides and bottom of the pan are thoroughly coated, taking care if the pan is still hot. (If you’re not using a cast iron pan, pour the mixture into a 10-inch cake pan.) Set one slice of persimmon in the middle of the pan, then layer the persimmons in outward-moving concentric circles, overlapping them as necessary to cover the bottom of the pan completely.
8. Pour the batter over the fruit, and smooth out the surface.
9. Bake on the center rack for 45-50 minutes, rotating the pan about 20 minutes into baking. The cake will brown slightly and is done when a toothpick tests clean in the middle.
10. Remove the pan from the oven. Allow it to cool until it can be handled safely without oven mitts (anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour or more). Using a thin butter knife or an icing spatula, gently loosen the sides of the cake. Place a large serving plate inverted on top of the pan. Bracing the plate against the pan with one hand, flip the cake over and out of the pan and onto the plate. If there is another set of hands to help with the heavy pan, all the better. Frost!