Invisible Persimmon Cake

This week’s recipe is a take on “invisible” apple cake (or in its French home language gâteau invisible) which earns its name from the ultra-thin slices of apple that practically disappear into the batter after being cooked. In this rendition, we’re swapping apples for persimmons, and layering them over and over and over in a custardy, crepe-like batter. And since the persimmons are orange, there’s not a ton of disappearing going on, sorry.

You want the persimmon slices to be thin, but not too thin. If they’re too thin (think as thin as a sheet mask) they’ll be too fragile and floppy to layer. But if they’re too thick (let’s say, 1/8-inch) they won’t cook all the way through and you won’t get the layers and layers of overlapping striations you want in the cross-section. You could hypothetically achieve this if you’re really good with a (sharp) knife, but using a mandoline will get you super thin, super consistent slices … way faster.

It’s important to use the Fuyu variety of persimmon — not their sister (cousin?) Hachiya. While Fuyu persimmons have an apple-like snap and texture and can be eaten when underripe, Hachiya are only delicious when they are allowed to get super soft.

This cake has a long cooling time — about two and a half hours. This ensures all the layers of persimmons and batter can set, the fat and moisture can go back into the crumb, and so when you cut into it it doesn’t just slide apart like a deck of cards. You can serve the slices slightly warmed or at room temperature. Oh, and please don’t skip the custard.

Invisible Persimmon Cake

(Serves about 10-12)