Seasonal Gluten Free Baked Goods

I love baking for the holidays! Especially if it means using seasonal produce and spices. My dad's family is in agriculture and grow a lot of my favorite festive goods. I recently visited my grandmother and helped her pick and prune her persimmon trees and crack the walnuts my family grows. Laboring for your dinner really does make it taste better, by the way. I was excited to put our hard work to use with my Thanksgiving baked goods using some of my favorite fall flavors: pumpkins, persimmons, & pecans / walnuts!

Gluten / Dairy Free Persimmon Walnut Spiced Cake

Cake Ingredients

2 tbsp Enjoy Life vegan butter
2 ripe hachiya persimmon*
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 tsp gingerbread or cinnamon seasoning
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 egg
1 cup rice or gluten-free all-purpose flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill)

Topping Ingredients

2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut or almond milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2+ cup whole walnuts (for decorating)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F . Grease a 9x9 cake pan.
In a small pot or pan, melt the butter and let cool
Cut the persimmons tops off (where the stems are) and remove the flesh with a spoon. Mash the persimmon with a fork in a medium bowl.
Add honey, gingerbread seasoning, vanilla, and cooled butter (should still be liquid).
Add in walnuts and egg till just mixed
Fold in the flour till most of the lumps are out
Pour the batter into the greased cake pan and cook in the oven for about 40 minutes (check to see if center is dry with a toothpick. If not, cook an additional 10-15min).
To make frosting: mix powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and dairy alternative milk till just runny enough to pour over the cake. If the frosting is too wet add more powdered sugar. If it's too dry keep adding the tiniest amount of milk till the right consistency.
Pour frosting over the cake once cooled. Decorate with walnuts in whatever desired design.
ENJOY!

*Note: There are different types of persimmons and the hachiya is the sweetest and softest. It tastes like a naturally cinnamon-y fruit. You know it's ripe when it has a deep orange color and is very soft when you touch it (think the texture of an overly ripe tomato).

Gluten / Dairy Free Pumpkin Persimmon Bread

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup pumpkin purée
1/4 cup avocado oil
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed hachiya persimmon pulp (~3) or 1 cup peeled & cut fuyu persimmons (~3-4)
3/4 cup chopped pecans & 3 tbsp brown sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare loaf tin: line parchment paper in tin that hangs over the edges.
Caramelize the pecans: in a non-stick pan, heat the pecans and brown sugar together until the brown sugar melts and coats the nuts (this not only makes them sweet but prevents them from sinking to the bottom of your bread).
In small bowl, mix together dry ingredients (gf flour and spices).
In large bowl, beat together wet ingredients (pumpkin, oil, sugar, eggs, and persimmon pulp). Little by little mix dry ingredients into wet, until just mixed. Fold in caramelized pecans.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for ~45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Tip: Enjoy with hot apple cider!

The Abstract Life

Hi, I'm Elisabeth! I am a San Francisco Bay Area based artist, freelance interior decorator, and self proclaimed fashionista. The Abstract Life is a design, life, and style blog following my adventures of living in California. Thanks for stopping by!.