Maple Persimmon Tatin Cake
Whenever I yearn for a cake that beautifully showcases seasonal fruit (in this case, persimmon), a French Tatin Cake is usually my way to go. Not only does it taste delicious, but it truly allows the fruit to shine – visually – which usually makes it a dessert that your guests will lean towards. For a winter version of this traditional French cake, I found that persimmons were simply perfect. I would say that persimmons are still an “acquired” taste in France though. They don’t fit in the classic fruits…
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 45 min
- Yield
- 1 serving
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons real maple syrup (if you’re frugal, you can opt for Golden Syrup).1 1/2cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine table salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 2 big (or 3 medium size) fuyu persimmons, cut into slices parallel to the equator, about 1/4-inch thick
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- 2
In a small sauce pan, over low heat, melt 2 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Let them melt together, and remove from heat as soon as they are melted (do not let them bubble).
- 3
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- 4
In a big mixing bowl, beat the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter with 1 cup of maple syrup until they are thoroughly combined and smooth. With a spatula, scrape down the bowl. Add in the whole egg and egg yolk, and mix well until all incorporated.
- 5
Add in half of the flour mixture and mix until barely incorporated. Add in the buttermilk and beat again until just incorporated. Add the rest of the flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. The batter should be smooth, and not too thick.
- 6
When your oven is preheated, pour the maple butter mixture to the bottom of a 10-inch cake pan and swirl it all around, to make sure the whole bottom of the pan is evenly coated.
- 7
Slice up your persimmons into ¼-inch circles. Set one slice of persimmon in the middle of the pan, and lay the other circles all around ( in a concentric circles, overlapping them slighly to cover the entire pan).
- 8
Pour the batter over the persimmons, and smooth out the surface with a spatula.
- 9
Bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating the pan about 20 minutes into baking. Remove from the oven when the cake is lightly browned.
- 10
Let the cake cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes (Not more! If you wait too long, the caramel at the bottom of the pan will set and the fruit will stick to the bottom). Loosen the sides of the cake with a butter knife.
- 11
Wearing oven mitts, place a serving plate inverted on top of the pan, flip the cake over and remove the pan gently. (If a few slices still stick to the bottom of the pan, peel them gently and replace them where they were supposed to be on the cake). Allow the cake to cool for at least 30 minutes (for the fruits to set atop), before enjoying.