You might have noticed persimmons lying around in crates at the market or supermarket everywhere this time of year. This delicious and creamy golden fruit is in season from October to February, so now is the best time to buy them. The velvety flesh of the persimmon can be enjoyed as it is or used in baked goods, but the fruit needs to be ripe or it will taste very astringent. So, if your persimmons are rather firm when you buy them, it’s best to store them in a paper bag and wait until they are slightly soft before eating or using.

I had a couple of persimmons that were just a hint over-ripe and I decided to use them in a Bundt Cake. This recipe is super easy to put together and don’t worry if you don’t have a Bundt pan, a round baking one will work just fine. This recipe is pretty low in sugar, especially if you use coconut sugar instead of regular or even brown. It’s got a lot of nice textures, the sticky-softness of the dates and the crunch from the nuts all pair really nice with the bittersweetness of the orange & honey glaze. Feel free to substitute the ingredients to work with what you have on hand, for example walnuts instead of pecan or sultanas soaked in boiling water for 10-15 minutes instead of dates. As for the cooking time, this will vary according to your oven, so it’s best to check every five minutes after the first 45 to make sure it’s ready.

Persimmon & Date Bundt Cake

For the cake

275g/2.2 cups all-purpose flour

1½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

A pinch of salt

100g/½ coconut sugar

45g/3 Tbsp clear honey

Two large eggs

175g/ coconut oil, melted

50g/¹⁄₃ cup pecan nuts

100g/½ cup dates, pitted and chopped

Two persimmons, peeled and puréed

Heat your oven to 170C/340F. Thoroughly oil your Bundt pan, then sprinkle with flour and tap out excess. Make sure to oil and flour the inside cone too.

In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, place the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, honey, eggs, oil and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add the nuts, dates and puréed fruit and mix until well incorporated. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven, allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then gently loosen its edges using a small spatula. Turn the pan over onto a cooling rack. After 10 minutes, lift the pan off the cake, and allow it to cool completely.

While the cake is cooling, make the glaze.

For the glaze

Freshly squeezed juice from one orange

30g/2 Tbsp clear honey

50g/¹⁄₃ cup pecan nuts halves

To make the glaze, bring juice and honey to a boil and simmer for one minute. Remove from hob, add the nuts and coat them in the glaze.

To assemble the cake

Once you’ve lifted the pan off the cake, gently pour the glaze on top of the cake. Serve at room temperature.