Persimmon Cranberry Oat Crumb Cake

This week has been heavy, man. I am typing this from the Santa Barbara airport as I sit with a heavy heart. California is on fire, again. Wildfires are raging throughout Southern California, the largest of which, the Thomas Fire, is emanating from Ventura. It's surreal, it's devastating but most of all it hurts our hearts. Many of our friends and neighbors mere miles away are experiencing some of the worst days of their lives and it pains us deeply to watch them suffer. 

I've been trying to write this post all week but I just can't seem to get into the right headspace. I can't think of anything clever or cheeky to say. I am not feeling inspired and I frankly don't see the point of posting this. But, sometimes when you feel helpless all you can think to do is what you know. So, I'm posting because it brings comfort and so do baked goods, especially this Persimmon Cranberry Oat Crumb Cake. As silly as it may seem, these creature comforts really do make things a little bit easier during tough times. I found myself without an appetite the past couple of days but this Persimmon Cranberry Oat Crumb Cake still sounded and tasted pretty damn great.  

This Persimmon Cranberry Oat Crumb Cake is the perfect little snacking cake when you need a little something to lift your spirits, it's simple to make and satisfies that wintery longing for something sweet, spicy and warm. The honey sweetness from the Fuyu Persimmons against the tart cranberries are a match made in crumb cake heaven. The crumbly topping adds texture with hearty, extra thick rolled oats, toasty chopped hazelnuts and a warm spice of cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. 

If I could bake everyone affected by the Thomas Fire their own Persimmon Cranberry Oat Crumb Cake, you better believe I would. Things are feeling pretty dire right now and I look forward to clear skies and the scent of a fresh baked Persimmon Cranberry Oat Crumb Cake instead of lungs full of smoke and ash.

Recipe

PERSIMMON CRANBERRY OAT CRUMB CAKE

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5 from 2 reviews

• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 9 slices

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Description

This Persimmon Cranberry Oat Crumb Cake is full of wintery comforts with sweet persimmon, tart cranberries, warm spices & a hearty oat, hazelnut crumb top. 

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Ingredients

Units USM

PERSIMMON CRANBERRY CAKE

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cardamom
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg (- at room temperature)
• 2 cups Fuyu Persimmons (- chopped into ½" cubes)
• 1 cup fresh cranberries

CRUMB TOPPING

• 1 cup extra thick rolled oats
• ½ cuc brown sugar
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ cup hazelnuts (- coarsely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cardamom
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ cup butter (-cold & cut into ½" cubes)

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Instructions

CRUMB TOPPING

1. Whisk together the oats, flour, brown sugar, chopped hazelnuts and and spices in a large mixing bowl. Add the cold cubed butter and squish between your fingers until the butter and flour mixture form dime to peas sized chunks. Set aside to chill while you prepare the cake.

PERSIMMON CRANBERRY CAKE

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Butter or spray a 8" x 8"  square pan, line with crinkled parchment paper. 
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside. 
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together at medium-high speed for about 5-7 minutes until super light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on slow speed until just mixed.
4. Fold in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, mixing each addition until the flour is just incorporated - it's ok if some flour bits remain. Fold in the chopped persimmon and fresh cranberries, then transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. 
5. Add the crumb topping and bake for about 45 minutes (rotating the pan halfway through the bake time), until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 
6. Allow to cool and then remove the cake from the pan by lifting it out by the parchment paper. Cut into a 3 x 3 or 4 x 4 grid and serve.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: cake