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–+ servings

Orange & Persimmon Blondies

Innes HopeInnes Hope
Bring a bright, fruity twist to classic slice baking — soft, golden, and naturally moist thanks to the humble persimmon. This gentle, whole‑food oil substitute blends seamlessly into the batter, offering the richness and tenderness you’d expect from traditional baking without relying on butter, margarine, or added oils.
Paired with fresh orange for a fragrant lift, these blondies strike that perfect balance between wholesome and indulgent. Bake them as a slice or pour the mixture into an 8" springform pan for a beautifully tender cake that showcases just how versatile whole‑food ingredients can be.
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Course cakes, Dessert
Servings 14 servings

Ingredients
  

DRY INGREDIENTS

  • ¾ cup fine brown rice flour
  • ½ cup fine yellow corn flour
  • 3 tbsp 'no egg' egg-replacer
  • 1½ tsp raising powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup ground almond
  • ¾ or 1 cup raw sugar or ½ cup of sweetener*
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg or less to taste
  • a pinch of ground cloves

WET INGREDIENTS

  • 1½ cup msuhy persimmon
  • ½ cup orange juice from an orange
  • ¼ cup lemon juice from a lemon
  • ½ cup chopped or julienned, firm persimmon

TOPPING

  • Marmalade, and some more fresh, firm persimmon, grated or finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Set the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and prepare a brownie pan.
  • Sift the flours, no egg and raising agents into a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.
  • Mix the ground almond, sugar or sweetener and spices into the dry ingredients.
  • Using a fine micro-plane, grate the zest from a couple of lemons, then juice them.
  • Pour the lemon juice into a blender, then zest an orange or two. Squeeze the oranges until you have half a cup of juice then add it to the blender.
  • Scrape the persimmon pulp into the measuring cups, then into the blender. Blend.
  • When the oven is hot, mix the chopped persimmon into the dry ingredients, then fold the blended persimmon mix into the dry ingredients, working quickly, stirring just enough to ensure the mixture is even. Bake 30 mins.
  • Cool at least 15 mins before taking it out of the pan. Cover with topping, then cut when cold. Store chilled, and warm slightly before serving.

Notes

* Dark sweeteners like coconut sugar spoil the flavour and appearance. Sugar substitutes are usually white, but highly refined. The best of these is a stevia & erythritol blend. It tends to not give people gas like many sugar substitutes do. Your call, but I prefer to use raw sugar for light-coloured cakes and squares.
Keyword blondies, orange, persimmon
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