Moist and aromatic cake infused with Chinese five-spice powder and caramelized Fuyu persimmon is truly a treat you will enjoy when persimmon is in season.
Persimmon, or what we call kesemek in Indonesia, is one of my favorite fruits. They are not so common here in the U.S. until recently. I remember years ago when I found persimmons at a specialty store, it cost me $3.00 for ONE persimmon! Yup! Now I can get 2 lbs of persimmons for about $4.20.
What kind of persimmon to use in this recipe
I know there are many other sub-species of persimmons, but Fuyu and Hachiya are more well-known here in the U.S. Because this is an upside-down cake and I want the persimmons to hold its shape after baked, I use Fuyu persimmons. Fuyu can be used in baking or eaten without being fully ripened. Hachiya has to be fully ripened because it is very astringent otherwise. When ripened, Hachiya is mushy and so it won’t be suitable for this particular recipe.
How to bake Chinese Five-spice caramel persimmon upside-down cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven. For a convection oven, reduce the temperature by 20 F or 15 C. Lightly grease a 9″ round cake pan with at least 2″ deep. Line the bottom with a parchment paper
2. Slice the top, including the stem, off one of the persimmons and set it aside before peeling and slicing the rest of the persimmon into 1/4″ thick wedges. This is for presentation
3. Place the persimmon top upside down in the middle of the pan and then arrange the persimmon slices around it
4. Place butter, brown sugar, and spice in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar melts
5. Pour the syrup over the persimmon and spread evenly. Place this inside the fridge while you prepare the cake batter
6. Combine oil, sugar, milk, and eggs in a mixing bowl. Beat over medium speed with a mixer for about 2 minutes. Combine the flour, baking powder, and five-spice powder. Whisk to mix. Sift this into the wet ingredients followed by the finely chopped persimmons and walnuts. Fold the ingredients just until you no longer see pockets of dry flour. Do not overmix
7. Remove the topping from the fridge. Spread the cake batter evenly over the surface of the topping
8. Bake in the preheated oven, middle rack, for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with a bit of moist crumbs. As long as it’s not wet, it’s done baking. I use a regular round cake pan. If you use a glass or ceramic dish, expect to bake a bit longer, another 5-10 minutes extra. Test with a toothpick or cake tester if you aren’t sure
9. Let the cake cool down in the pan for 15 minutes. Then carefully turn out the cake onto a serving plate. Some of the sauce may be stuck on the pan. Simply scrape it down and spread on the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature
Taste and texture of the cake
The cake is not overly sweet. It is soft and dense in a good way. The caramel sauce is gooey! The whole thing is just so comforting! The smell of the spice brings some warmth. I like to eat the cake as is. If you are feeling indulgence, one scoop of ice cream on top of this cake and you are in heaven!
Did you make this Chinese Five-Spice Caramel Persimmon Upside Down Cake recipe?
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Chinese Five-Spice Caramel Persimmon Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
Topping:
- 220 gr Fuyu persimmon about 2 medium-size persimmons,not fully ripen
- 60 gr butter
- 100 gr light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
Cake:
Wet ingredients:
- 150 gr cooking oil neutral-tasting
- 100 gr light brown sugar
- 40 gr milk (room temperature)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- ½ tsp salt
Dry ingredients:
- 180 gr all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 170 gr Fuyu persimmon about 1 1/2 – 2 medium-size persimmon, not fully-ripened, finely chopped
- 85 gr pecan or walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven. For a convection oven, reduce the temperature by 20 F or 15 C. Lightly grease a 9" round cake pan with at least 2" deep. Line the bottom with a parchment paper
Prepare the topping:
- Slice the top, including the stem, off one of the persimmon and set it aside before peeling and slicing the rest of the persimmon into 1/4" thick wedges. This is for presentation
- Place the persimmon top upside down in the middle of the pan and then arrange the persimmon slices around it
- Place butter, brown sugar, and spice in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar melts
- Pour the syrup over the persimmon and spread evenly. Place this inside the fridge while you prepare the cake batter
Prepare the cake batter:
- Combine oil, sugar, milk, and eggs in a mixing bowl. Beat over medium speed with a mixer for about 2 minutes
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and five-spice powder. Whisk to mix. Sift this into the wet ingredients followed by the finely chopped persimmons and walnuts. Fold the ingredients just until you no longer see pockets of dry flour. Do not overmix
- Remove the topping from the fridge. Spread the cake batter evenly over the surface of the topping
Baking:
- Bake in the preheated oven, middle rack, for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with a bit of moist crumbs. As long as it's not wet, it's done baking. I use a regular round cake pan. If you use a glass or ceramic dish, expect to bake a bit longer, another 5-10 minutes extra. Test with a toothpick or cake tester if you aren't sure
Cooling:
- Let the cake cool down in the pan for 15 minutes. Then carefully turn out the cake onto a serving plate. Some of the sauce may be stuck on the pan. Simply scrape it down and spread on the cake
Serving:
- The cake can be served warm or at room temperature. You can store the leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for about 3 days max for the best result
4 comments
Hold the phone! This is an EXCELLENT cake! I was a little ‘meh’ on the concept since I’m not much for persimmons, and I strongly associate 5-spice with meat (though I’ve been curious to try it in a sweet recipe), but what we have here is a moist, festive spice cake with an interesting Asian spin. I love how it came out of the pan so glossy and pre-decorated, and the nuts gave it a great bite. The 5-spice was also surprisingly… smooth? I love gingerbreads, spice cakes, PSLs, and all that kind of thing, and this wasn’t far off at all.
I’m sure there’s folks out there who also need a use for that 5-spice sitting in their pantry. I mean, I love the stuff, but there’s not enough stuff I make with it (and I mean, I WISH I made char siu more than, like, once a year).
I’m delighted that you enjoyed this cake. 5-spice can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, I guess depending on what and how much you use it, but I’m actually surprised that it worked out pretty well on this particular cake. We love char siu too, but for some reason, I don’t make it enough either, though my kids request it often LOL!
This year I tried it with apple and homemade 5-spice mix and it was also excellent! I used granny smiths (which are larger and dryer than the persimmon- which were pretty juicy, if I can recall), since it was more fruit, the cake didn’t settle down as much, so I cut off the hump before turning it onto the serving plate. I also tossed in some pepitas with the top glaze, to make it more autumn-y. It’s a great cake overall, with all the fruit and nuts, it’s a low-guilt dessert, or even like a breakfast cake?? :9 Once again, easiest AND tastiest way to use up 5 spice!
Yum! I love the addition of pepitas to the glaze (I love pepitas!)