Walnut Cake With Persimmons and Pomegranate
Published Oct. 5, 2022
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes, plus cooling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- ½cup/120 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1cup/130 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
- 1cup/100 grams toasted, roughly chopped walnuts
- 2teaspoons baking powder
- 2teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4large eggs, whites and yolks separated and at room temperature
- 1cup/200 grams packed dark brown sugar, plus more as needed
- ½cup/120 milliliters buttermilk or milk
- ½teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2tablespoons rum or whiskey
- 3 or 4small, firm Fuyu persimmons, peeled
- ½cup/80 grams pomegranate arils
- Crème fraîche or softly whipped cream, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
352 calories; 20 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 22 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 186 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil the sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform or cake pan. Place a parchment circle at the bottom of the pan and lightly oil the parchment. Dust with flour and shake off excess. Set the pan aside.
- Step 2
Place chopped walnuts in a bowl, and add flour, baking powder, ginger, salt, cloves and cinnamon. Stir and set aside.
- Step 3
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff, about 2 minutes. With a rubber spatula, transfer the whites to a separate bowl.
- Step 4
Put egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add sugar and whisk on low speed until the sugar is dissolved. Then increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary, until the mixture is thick and pale beige in color, about 5 minutes.
- Step 5
Beat in buttermilk, vanilla extract and rum, then slowly add the flour mixture at low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Slowly add ½ cup/120 milliliters olive oil and beat for a minute or so on low to combine. Using a rubber spatula, quickly fold in the reserved beaten egg whites. (First, fold in ⅓ of the whites to lighten the batter, then fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain.) Scrape batter into the prepared cake pan, put the pan on a baking sheet and place in the oven on the middle shelf.
- Step 6
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for about 30 minutes, then run a knife along the pan’s edge and invert onto a cake plate. The cake keeps well for several days.
- Step 7
Cut persimmons into small, ½-inch-thick wedges and put in a small bowl. Add pomegranate and a pinch of sugar, and combine. Let sit for just a few minutes.
- Step 8
Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Cut cake into wedges and serve with a spoonful of the fruit and a dab of crème fraîche or softly whipped cream.
Private Notes
Comments
Any other liquor would work I imagine -brandy or even whisky, whatever you have on hand.
It's a bit of a cheat written that way, but it means they're toasted before you start the recipe. I do it in the toaster oven at 300/325, checking every few minutes.
You can also use a skillet on medium high heat to toast the walnuts. When they become fragrant, remove from heat, about 2 minutes.
This dish is delicious! The process is a bit complicated for such a simple result, but it's definitely worth it. I used overripe persimmons, lightly pureed them, and simmered them gently with butter and spices. I then topped it with this sauce, pomegranate arils, and cream. I served it at a dinner gathering, and everyone loved it—except for one person who doesn’t like persimmons. He still enjoyed it, but said he’d give a 5-star rating to peaches instead.
No one has posted for a while, but just in case…has anyone used walnut oil instead of the olive oil?
Pretty good. In my short cake pans I only baked for 30 min. Could have used a little orange zest. I used white rum but would be interesting to try a darker/spicier rum.