Persimmon and Olive Oil Cake

By Pichet Ong, Author, The Sweet Spot: Asian-Inspired Desserts

Serves 20

Cake
14 ounces all purpose flour
½ ounce baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
18 ½ ounces sugar and 1 cup additional for lining molds
7 ounces almond flour
9 eggs
zest of 2 oranges
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces extra virgin olive oil and 1 cup additional for lining molds
4 ripe fuyu persimmons
2/3 ounces raw sugar

1. Brush cake mold with additional olive oil and line with additional sugar.  Set aside until use. Sift together flour, almond flour and baking powder.  Trim off skin of persimmon and cut each half into 8 wedges.

2. In a mixer, beat eggs at medium speed with orange zest until frothy, 1 minute.  Add sugar and salt and beat at high speed until ribbon stage, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and beat for another minute. Whisk in dry ingredients at low speed until incorporated. Take some of the batter to make a liaison with oil. Fold into rest of batter, making sure that there aren’t any lumps.

3. Fill cake mold with cake batter and place 3 wedges of persimmon in the center. Use remaining additional olive oil to brush the top of persimmon. Sprinkle the top of persimmon wedges with a pinch of raw sugar. Bake in preheated 350ºF oven until tester comes out clean in the center, about 12 minutes. Let cool slightly before unmolding.