Persimmon and Chocolate Spiced Walnut Cake

Can you imagine how divine this Chocolate & Persimmon Spiced Cake smells?I'm not a huge fan of spiced cakes, but when my sister-in-law gave me a bag full of persimmons, I knew there had to be a better way to put them to good use rather than just eating them raw. So I decided to throw in the fruit with all of my favorite ingredients into a cake batter to make this luscious and aromatic Persimmon and Chocolate Spiced Walnut cake. Yeah, I'm a huge fan of walnuts and chocolate, and since I craved for a lovely dark brown color, I opted for adding some cocoa powder to my recipe. Walnuts were the obvious and easy choice to add the crunch in every bite. As for the spices, we add them everyday to our morning tea, so I was sure about the flavor they would add to my cake! Overall, it was a successful experiment, and here are the results, for you and me to enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter
1 and 1/2 cup persimmon puree (use 3-4 mid-sized persimmons)
1/2 to 1 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon powder (or use 3 tsp all-spice instead of separate powders)
1 tsp clove powder
2 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp nutmeg powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp baking bowder
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Greae a 9" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or oil and flour. Peel the persimmons and remove the pulp from inside. Puree it to a smooth liquid blend,without adding any water to it. Pass this through a sieve to remove the fibrous residue.

Beat the butter with the sugar to form a fluffy white mixture. In a large bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating continuously. Slowly add the persimmon puree, the butter-sugar mixture and the milk. Finally add the cinnamon, cardamom powder, clove powder, nutmeg and the chopped walnuts and whisk well to evenly mix in the spices. Whisk with hand or mixer on medium till it becomes airy like a cake mixture.

Transfer into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 375 deg F for 35-40 minutes. Insert toothpick in the center to check if the cake is done. Let it cool completely before citting into slices. The persimmon and the spice flavor will enhance over time, so this pudding cake is best baked at least 3-4 hours before you intend to serve it. You can store the reamining cake in the refrigerator for at least a fortnight!

While serving, garnish with more chopped walnuts, a sprig of mint, and whipped cream if you wish. But this Persimmon & Chocolate Spice Cake is perfect when enjoyed with some tea or coffee!

Related Recipes:
Chocolate-Banana Bread
Spiced Vanilla Tea CupcakesApricot Ginger and Cranberry Muffins