Maple walnut upside down persimmon cake
Cakes
one of the joys of living in the south is the unique variety of fruits native to the area. from blackberries and paw paws to scuppernongs, there is no shortage of treasures to hunt while out hiking. if you are really lucky, you will find a persimmon tree nearby. personally, i have two in my yard and several neighbors with them as well. each fall, after that first frost, you will find my husband and me out back gathering the little orange fruits. actually, i gather them, he just eats them. <br /> <br />native persimmons are small, about the size of a walnut in its shell or smaller. with a flavor reminiscent of dates, they are full of large seeds. and unless you want the shock of a lifetime, only eat them if they are dark orange and squishy soft. otherwise, they are so astringent you will literally feel the insides of your cheeks adhere to the surface of your teeth. the best thing to do is collect the fruit you find on the ground under the tree since those will be so ripe that they have fallen from the branches. wash them and drain well, then run them through a food mill not a food processor because of the seeds. their small size means it will take a lot of them to get any kind of volume. during the fall, after that first frost, i make weekly trips to the trees in my yard and neighborhood to gather the fruit. each bounty is washed, pureed and placed into sealed bags and stored in the freezer until i need it. the puree thaws quickly so i am always ready if the yen for a persimmon cake strikes. however, on the occasion that my stash runs out, a puree of sweet potato or pumpkin can easily take its place.
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