Persimmon Cheesecake Tart with Shortbread Crust

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Every year I get excited for persimmon season! Growing up, we could only find Hachiya persimmons (the ones with the pointy bottoms) on the East coast. You have to wait until their super soft and ripe before you can eat them, and I could never wait long enough so I’d always end up with fuzzy tongue-feeling! When I moved to the west coast I had my first Fuyu persimmon (flat-bottomed) and my mind was blown! You can eat them like apples! I was inspired by the gorgeous persimmons that I picked up at BiRite Market to make this delicious persimmon no-bake cheesecake tart!

The filling is made with a simple no-bake cheesecake swirled with Hachiya persimmon purée and a hint of cinnamon. I bought the softest Hachiya persimmons I could find so that I’d have a soft purée. However, you can also use Fuyu persimmons but you will need to add a little liquid, like apple juice, before cooking.

The crust is made with almond and cardamom shortbread. I recently was a guest chef for an event for Bob’s Red Mill where I shared my recipe for almond and cardamom Scottish shortbread cookies. I used the same recipe to make the crust for my tart! It’s an easy one bowl recipe and takes just 3 minutes to put together!

And here’s one last photo because this tart is beautiful! The shortbread crust is slightly salty which works so well with the sweet cheesecake filling! This tart is my ode to persimmon season, which ends in February by the way! So head over to your farmer’s market and give it a try!

If you end up making this for Thanksgiving, be sure to tag in your posts on social media @milkandcardamom!

Persimmon Cheesecake Tart with Shortbread Crust

Author: Milk and Cardamom
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 8 1x
Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

An almond and cardamom shortbread crust filled with no-bake cheesecake swirled with ripe Hachiya and Fuyu persimmon purée and a hint of cinnamon!

Instructions

Almond & Cardamom Shortbread Crust

Pre-heat oven to 350°F/170°C.
Whisk together flour, almond meal, rice flour, sugar, cardamom and salt in a small mixing bowl. Add butter and use your hands to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it has a coarse sandy texture. Pour the mixture into an 8-inch tart pan or cake pan and use your hands or a measuring cup to press the mixture into an even layer on the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Dock the dough with a fork.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until it is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes and score the cookies into wedges. Cool completely before filling

No-Bake Persimmon Cheesecake Filling

Scoop the ripe, soft fruit from the Hachiya persimmon, leaving behind the skin and leaves, into a small saucepan. Add lemon juice and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Pour the cooked persimmon into a blender and blend until it’s a smooth purée. Pour into a bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
In a mixing bowl for a stand mixture, add softened cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fit your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whisk until the cream cheese is smooth. Add heavy cream, vanilla and salt and whisk for 3 minutes. The mixture will appear loose at first but will thicken up as you whisk it. Add cooled persimmon purée and whisk until well incorporated.
Spoon the filling into the cooled tart crust and spread into an even layer. Top with pomegranate seeds and sliced Fuyu persimmons. Refrigerate until serving.