One of the local bakers makes a really delicious, moist persimmon pudding cake every fall when persimmons are in season. I saw some nice ones at Top Banana (a local produce stand) and bought some to make a gluten-free version.

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 cup butter substitute (like Earth Balance), melted
• 2 cups dried currants (I used raisins since currants seemed to be out of stock at all the local stores)
• 3 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 tbsp. ground ginger
• 1 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 cups pureed unpeeled, fully ripe persimmons
• 4 eggs, beaten to blend
• 1/2 cup dark rum

Directions:

Heat the over to 350°. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan, then dust with the GF flour. Knock out the excess. Mix the walnuts and currants together; set aside. Mix flour, sugar, ginger, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk together the persimmon puree, eggs, rum and melted butter in a separate bowl until blended. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until thoroughly smooth. Add the nuts and currants and fold with a large rubber spatula until mixed thoroughly. Smooth batter into the bundt pan. Bake at 350° for 60 minutes or until a skewer stuck halfway between the tube and rim comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes; knock the pan against the counter a few times to loosen it, then unmold onto a rack and cool.

Rum Orange Icing:

• 3 2/3  cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup butter substitute, softened
• 3-5 tbsp. orange juice
• 2 tbsp Kraken black spiced rum
• Finely grated zest of an orange

Whisk the sugar, butter, 31/2 tablespoons orange juice and the rum together until smooth. Whisk in the zest. Test a little on the cake–if the icing is too thick to spread when it falls, whisk in another 1/2 tablespoon orange juice. Use at once. (Makes 11/2 cups.)
To ice the cake: Set the cooled cake on its rack over wax paper and slowly pour the icing from a measuring pitcher around the top of the cake, letting the icing fall in long graceful drops down both sides. Immediately spoon the icing on the paper over the top again, in the same direction, until all of it has been used.
Using spatulas, lift the cake onto its serving platter. The cake can be covered and kept in a cool place 2 to 3 days before serving.