Vegan Persimmon Apple cake

I'm not a fan of vegan baked goods, but this sounded doable. I did make some adjustments in the ingredients, and used a cakelet tin.

3/4 cup persimmon pulp (from one large persimmon)
1 large apple, peeled & cut into ½” dice
1/8 cup agave nectar
1/8 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger

1½ cups white whole wheat flour
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup soy yogurt or applesauce

Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a 8- or 9-inch baking dish or cake pan. Place the apple into a saucepan along with the 1/8 cup agave nectar, water, cinnamon, and ginger. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until the apple softens, about 10 minutes. Add the persimmon and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a large measuring cup or small bowl, mix together the water, orange juice, 1/2 cup agave nectar, cider vinegar, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ones along with the soy yogurt or applesauce. Stir until well-moistened. Fold in apple mixture.  Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before removing from pan.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

I used half white flour and replaced the agave nectar with sugar. (3/4 cup of nectar equals 1 cup of sugar plus a little more liquid.) I also added a small amount of molasses, but was cautious because I didn't want to disrupt the acid/base balance. (I could probably use more molasses and skip the vinegar.) In place of the yogurt or applesauce, I used 2 tablespoons of plain oil and about two tablespoons of date paste. For extra flavor, because I doubted that small amount of orange juice would be noticeable, I added a splash (probably less than 1/8 teaspoon) of orange essence. One could also use the peel and/or use all orange juice and no water (although that also might disrupt the chemical balance.) I checked them at about 23 minutes and they seemed done.

The batter started reacting immediately, so the pan has to be ready to go as soon as the batter is mixed. I wanted to add nuts, but wasn't sure about the strength of the rise or whether they'd sink to the bottom. I think they would have been okay. These would benefit from some sort of topping because they're quite plain. Either sprinkling with cinnamon sugar before baking (or maybe during, just before they firm up) or a streusel... maybe that's where the nuts could go. The author used a decorative pan, which would help.

Conclusion: These were okay. They were too moist and a little gummy--- that could have been my fault. And perhaps they could have used a few more minutes baking. Even though I used half the whole wheat flour, I could detect an unpleasant graininess to them. The flavor was pretty good, not very spicy but very persimmony with bites of apple (I could have cooked the apples less), but I prefer the recipe from Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book.

Recipe:  Fall Harvest Fruit Cake via Fat Free Vegan Kitchen