Northern Italy is full of persimmon trees. In part because persimmons are very good, but I sometimes think their popularity is also due to the way the bright orange fruit adds splashes of color to otherwise drab December days. This is a very traditional, very rich cake that in some ways resembles a pan pepato, or spiced bread, and is also egg free, which makes it ideal for those allergic to eggs. It will be perfect for festive occasions, including Christmas or Carnevale. You'll need:
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/4 pound sultana raisins
- 1/2 cup rum, or the liqueur of choice (we used Jack Daniels)
- 6 ripe, soft persimmons (2 1/2 inch, or 6.5 cm diameter)
- 3 1/3 cups (400 g) unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar; you can reduce this to 1/2 cup (100 g) if you want - we did
- 2 ounces (50 g) chopped almonds
- 4 ounces (100 g) chopped walnuts, plus 8 walnut halves
- 4 ounces (100 g) amaretti cookies, crumbled (buy from an Italian deli)
- 4 ounces (100 g) mixed candied fruit
- 1/2 pound (200 g) dried figs, chopped
- 3 ounces (80 g) cocoa (about 3/4 cup)
- 3 tablespoons (25 g) baking powder
- The grated zest of an organically grown lemon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional; we added it to the recipe)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (optional; we added it to the recipe)
- Confectioner's sugar
- A straight-sided 12-inch (30 cm) pan, ideally a ring pan
Preparation:
Plump the raisins the liqueur for a half hour. Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C). In the meantime, peel the persimmons and mash them in a large bowl. Drain the raisins well, and work them into the persimmons, together with the flour, sugar, almonds, chopped walnuts, amaretti, figs, cocoa, and lemon zest.Butter the pan. Stir the baking powder into the batter and pour it into the pan. Decorate the top of the cake with the walnut halves and the candied fruit, and bake it for 10 minutes at 400 F (200 C). Then reduce the heat to 360 F (180 C) and bake it for another 30-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out dry (It may not be completely dry, but rather a bit sticky, and the time will vary some depending upon how large and moist the persimmons are).
Remove the cake from the pan to a serving dish and let it cool. When it has, dust it with confectioner's sugar and it's ready to be served.
