Persimmon Chocolate Loaf Cake

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 5 nonstick loaf pan with parchment paper so that excess paper is hanging off the side to allow for easy removal.

Step 2

In a medium bowl, sift the all purpose flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together.

Step 3

Peel the skin off of one ripened fuyu persimmon and dice it, it should be about 1 cup. Take 2 tablespoons of the dry ingredients and toss it with the diced persimmons.

Step 4

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in one egg at a time, beating well after addition. Pour the vanilla extract and whisk until fully combined. At this point, add in about a third of the dry ingredients and combine, and then a third of the milk and stir. Continue adding the dry and milk in thirds and mix just until combined. Gently fold in the coated diced persimmons.

Step 5

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and tap it against a hard surface a few times. Bake at 350°F for 60 minutes, or until inserting a toothpick into the center comes out clean. While the loaf bakes, make the chocolate ganache. Allow the loaf to set in the pan for 15 minutes. Gently lift the loaf out of the pan and leave it to cool on a rack.

Step 6

In a small pot, bring the heavy cream to boil and remove it from heat just as it does.

Step 7

Add the chocolate into a large heatproof bowl. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate and gently stir to combine until all the chocolate has melted. The chocolate should be completely smooth and emulsified with the heavy cream.

Step 8

Allow the ganache to cool and set for a minimum of an hour. When the loaf cake is ready to frost, whip the ganache until it's a thick and fluffy frosting. Spread it on the top of the fully cooled loaf cake.

Step 9

Thinly slice a persimmon and crush a few pistachios to decorate the ganache.