This Persimmon Chocolate Cake is a moist chocolate cake flavored with warm spices and roasted persimmons. It’s topped with indulgent brown sugar cream cheese frosting. It’s full of fresh flavor and is the perfect dessert for any occasion!
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This persimmon cake is made with roasted persimmons. Persimmons are subtly sweet and taste so good with chocolate. It’s made extra delicious with brown sugar cream cheese frosting.
This yummy recipe for persimmon cake proves that persimmons are delicious to bake with. They add moisture and lots of fresh flavor!
I adapted this recipe from my pear chocolate cake. For more desserts with fruits and vegetables, try my Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread, Avocado Brownies and Banana Brownies!
Why This Recipe Works
- Persimmons have a light, unique flavor. They adds a natural sweetness to this chocolate persimmon cake.
- This recipe is made with basic ingredients.
- You’ll love how moist this cake is. Persimmons add moisture in the same way applesauce does in cake recipes. For another moist chocolate cake recipe, try my sweet potato chocolate cake.
- The brown sugar cream cheese frosting has a warm, almost caramel-like flavor. It’s also delicious with this Pumpkin Carrot Cake!
Ingredients
Below are useful notes on some of the ingredients for this persimmon spice cake.
- Fresh Persimmons: I prefer using fuyu persimmons for this cake. Fuyu persimmons have a subtly sweet flavor and are tomato shaped. Hachiya persimmons can also be used. If you use Hachiya persimmons, they should be ripe (not firm). Ripe Hachiya persimmons are very soft so they don’t need to be roasted.
- Unsalted Butter: Use room temperature unsalted butter for the batter.
- Oil: Use canola or vegetable oil. Oil adds to the moisture of the cake.
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar: This recipe uses two types of sugar for structure and flavor. Use light or dark brown sugar. Make sure it’s fresh!
- Eggs: Use 3 large room temperature eggs.
- Buttermilk: Use room temperature buttermilk.
- Cocoa Powder: Dutch processed or unsweetened natural cocoa powder. If you love cocoa based cakes, try my blueberry and chocolate cake and raspberry and chocolate cake.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: Cinnamon and nutmeg add warm flavor. Cinnamon is delicious with chocolate like in my cinnamon pecan cookies and this gingerbread chocolate cake!
Please see recipe card below for full list of ingredients and their measurements.
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 F. Toss the persimmons with the lemon juice and tablespoon of sugar. Spread the persimmons on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes Allow to cool slightly. Puree half the persimmons. Set aside. Reduce heat to 350 F.
Step 2: Sift to combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
Step 3: Beat together the butter, oil, and sugars until combined and creamy. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla.
Step 4: With a spatula, stir in the buttermilk and the roasted chopped and pureed persimmon mixture followed by the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
Step 5: Spoon the mixture evenly into two round 9 inch pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Step 6: Make the frosting. Mix the cream cheese and butter until creamed and combined. Mix in the brown sugar and vanilla. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar. Frost and decorate the cake as you like!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Persimmons are excellent for baking. Fuyu persimmons are more firm. They can be roasted or shredded then added to batter. Ripened Hachiya are more mushy and can be easily added to batter.
I prefer fuyu persimmons. They can be eaten with the skin on. They’re good while still firm and when they ripen. Hachiya persimmons are a lot more astringent and are best when they’re totally softened.
Store this cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Expert Tips
- Mixing: Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Doneness: Use a toothpick to check for doneness. You can also use your fingertip to gently press the top of the cake. If it springs back, it’s done!
- Room temperature ingredients: Use room temperature cream cheese and butter for the frosting. Take these ingredients out for at least an hour.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar can get hard lumps if it’s not fresh which will make the sugar harder to dissolve into the icing.
- Cool cake: Wait til your cake has cooled completely before frosting. The frosting could melt if the cake is still warm.
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Persimmon Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- 2 9-inch round cake pans
Ingredients
Persimmon cake
- 3 fuyu persimmons skin on or peeled, cored, and cubed
- juice from half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon Dutch processed or natural cocoa
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (leave it at room temperature for at least an hour before making)
- 6 tablespoons butter room temperature
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar sifted, plus more if needed
- 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 pinch salt
For Decorating (optional)
- 1-2 persimmons sliced or chopped, for the top and sides
Instructions
Persimmon Cake
- Spray the bottoms and sides of two nine inch pans with baking spray and line bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the persimmons with the lemon juice and tablespoon of sugar. Spread the persimmons on the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes Allow to cool slightly then puree half the persimmons in a food processor or blender. Set aside. Reduce heat to 350 F.
- In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, oil, and sugars until combined and creamy. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla.
- With a spatula, stir in the buttermilk and the roasted chopped and pureed persimmon mixture followed by the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean or only with a few crumbs when inserted in the center or until cake springs back to the touch. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove them from the pans to cool on wire racks completely.
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter on medium speed for one minute until creamed and combined. Add the brown sugar and mix on medium for another minute. Mix in the vanilla then turn the mixer on low and gradually mix in the powdered sugar.
- Frost the cake. Press finely chopped persimmon bits on the bottom of the cake, if desired, and arrange slices on the top.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Elisabeth
So delicious but the real star in my opinion is the brown sugar cream cheese frosting. It’s tangy and sweet with a deeper flavor from the brown sugar. I’ll definitely be making it again!
I left the skin on my persimmons and puréed all of them, next time I’ll skin them so it’s a smoother texture. But otherwise the cake was great – a wonderful texture and flavor!
Natalie
Thank you for making this chocolate persimmon cake, Elisabeth! Great idea to peel the persimmons. So happy you loved this cake! I totally agree about that brown sugar cream cheese frosting!! I’ve used it on three recipes so far! Glad it’s a keeper for you too! XO Natalie
Barbara Briggs Ward
I’d never heard of persimmons until reading your informative recipe. Love that!
Natalie
So happy to have introduced you to persimmons! I hope you get to try this persimmon cake! 🙂