This is a truly fantastic cake, with moist, supple texture, rich but not overly sweet flavor, and impressive looks. It slices beautifully. The Guinness stout contributes to the lightness and ties the flavors together. A dark chocolate icing and slices of Maru persimmons atop the cake complete the exotic look.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter and flour a large cast iron pan (12” diameter)

Sift together into large bowl:
3 cups flour 6 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, crumbled
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp cardamom
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

Heat to simmer: Watch that it doesn’t boil over
A 12 oz bottle of Guinness
1 cup sugar
1 ½ tsp baking soda

Put in blender:
5 eggs
1 ¼ cup hachiya persimmon pulp
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups corn oil
1 Tbs vanilla extract

Add beer mixture to eggs and blend

Make a well at center of flour mixture

Stir in the egg/Guinness mixture Don’t overmix

Pour into the cast iron pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour 10 minutes, until a knife inserted at the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan for an hour, then finish cooling on a rack Ice with chocolate icing (recipe below)

Decorate with slices of Maru persimmons

Chocolate Icing
Melt 5 oz dark chocolate Swirl in 5 oz unsalted butter 1/2 cup heavy sugar syrup
Off the heat add 2 egg yolks 2 tsp vanilla extract

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