Persimmon Upside-Down Cake

This fall I've been totally persimmon crazy. My fuyu persimmons have been ripening and they're finally pretty soft. I was thinking about what kinds of things I could do with them - jam, bread, pie... cake! For a while I was thinking Tarte Tatin, but I ended up deciding to do something a little different. I lucked out when I came across a recipe from Emeril Lagasse for Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I don't usually go for Emeril recipes, but this one was done in a cast-iron skillet, which I thought was really cool, so I could get that Tarte Tatin feeling with a cake. Warning: this cake is very sweet; whipped cream or crème fraiche will help cut the sweetness.

Start with slicing the persimmons into pretty rounds about 1/2-inch thick. I love the star pattern inside the fuyus. Also let the butter soften. Coarsely chop the persimmon butts to purée and add to the cake batter. Emeril's recipe calls for 1 cup of buttermilk, so I puréed the leftover persimmon with buttermilk to make 1 cup.
Next make what will become the top of the cake. In an oven-proof skillet over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Then add 3/4 cup of light brown sugar, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook until bubbly. Arrange the persimmon slices in the bubbling goo and cook for about 2 minutes. Flip the persimmon slices and remove the skillet from the heat.

Now start on the cake batter. Stir together 1 cup of cake flour, 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Cream together 1/2 cup of butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated.

Add the flour mixture and persimmon purée in 3 alternating batches, mixing at low speed until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Once the batter is finished, scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula once more to make sure everything is combined, then carefully pour over the persimmon slices in the skillet.

Put the skillet in the middle of a 375°F oven and bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Remove the entire skillet to a rack and cool for 5 minutes.

Very carefully flip the cake onto a plate.

Now make some whipped cream. A trick I learned doing pastry at a restaurant is to whip the cream in a frozen metal bowl and only add flavors once the whipping is almost finished. Also, make sure the whipping cream is very cold. These measures prevent "weeping," that is, liquid seeping out from the whipped cream after it sits for a while. Whip the cream on high speed until soft peaks form, then add brown sugar to taste (I don't like mine very sweet). Whip it some more just until the peaks don't collapse. Stop there before you start getting butter!