Is it possible to make a cake without using an oven? Oh yes it is! As long as you have a large pot and a steamer. And it is incredibly tasty, juicy and a piece of it is not enough. Steamed persimmon cake.
WHERE IS THE CAKE BAKED?
The steamed persimmon cake, as you already understand, is not baked in the oven. It is a cake that is made on steam. What you will need is a large pot that fits the shape of the cake, and a small steamer. You just have to add the cake pan on the steamer and inside the pot.
Before you start making the cake make sure that the cake pan you want to use together with the steamer fits in the pot and allows you to close the lid. While you have the cake pan in the pot, fill the pot with water until it reaches the level in the middle of the cake pan. Remove the cake pan, grease it and put it in the fridge until the mixture is ready.
The persimmon
The persimmon is a fruit that appears in autumn and winter. It is a very misunderstood fruit, which many do not like. This is mainly due to the astringent taste of a category of persimmons.
The persimmon originates from China in the forests of which the presence of wild species has been observed. From there it spread to Japan and Korea. In these countries, it has a long tradition and is consumed as fresh fruit but also as dried, but also as processed.
CATEGORIES OF PERSIMMONS
In the market we will find two categories of persimmons, persimmons with sweet and persimmons with astringent taste. The fruits of astringent varieties contain very high percentages of soluble tannins and can not be consumed before overripe due to their unpleasant taste.
In the second category we find the persimmons of non-astringent varieties, they have a shape that looks like a tomato, they are not completely devoid of tannins, they just have a smaller astringency during their ripening, while they lose this astringent in a much shorter period of time. The fruits of this category can be eaten either with hard or with soft flesh.
To make the steamed persimmon cake, you can choose any persimmon you want, as long as you make sure before adding it to the cake mixture that its taste is not astringent.
Recipe tips
The recipe for steamed persimmon cake may scare you a little. I will not hide from you that I was also scared by the use of the pot instead of the oven. But in the end I realized that it is a very simple recipe. All you have to do is check at regular basis if the water level in the pot has dropped. If it has dropped then you need to add hot water so that the level returns to the middle of the cake pan.
Also keep in mind that the lid of the pot should be closed throughout cooking. This is because we need the lid to trap the steam in the pot and help the cake bake.
Steamed persimmon cake
Equipment
- 5 cups cake bundt pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup rum
- ¼ cup raisins
- 2 ripe persimmons
- ½ cup sour milk
- 50 gr butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup walnuts, finely chopped
Instructions
- Grease a 5 cups cake bundt pan and set aside.
- Fill a large pot with water and add the steamer. Check if the water reaches the middle of the cake bundt pan. Set aside.
- In a bowl add the flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan add the rum together with the raisins and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the raisins and set aside.
- Cut the persimmons and puree it with the help of a blender. Add the sour milk and set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a mixer. Beat for about 3-4 minutes and until fluffy.
- Add to the bowl of the mixer the persimmon mixture and then the flour mixture. Mix well and then add the raisins and walnuts. Mix well and pour the mixture into the mold. Cover the mixture with parchment paper and aluminium foil.
- Add the cake pan in the steamer, close the lid of the pot and bring the water to a boil. After boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. During the boiling we should check if the water level is maintainted. If not, add hot water.
- Remove the cake pan from the pot and leave to cool for 15 minutes and then unmold.
So this was my recipe for a cake that is different from everything else. It is a cake that is made in a pot, with the help of water and steam. The result is extremely moist, delicious and impressive. You will not get enough of this steamed persimmon cake.
I would be thrilled to hear from you. Even more, if you make my recipe and post a photo of it. Just don’t forget to share your photo under the hashtag #tetisflakes. Please do not hesitate to comment below or contact me on Instagram, or Facebook or Twitter!
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