Persimmon-Walnut Torta Claudia À la mode....& a sweet interlude !

“My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.”

I am on the 12-step chocoholics program: I am never more than 12 steps away from chocolate!

Smile! Yes thats what I am doing as I write this post. I am not a quitter...I will NOT give up chocolate ever. Add chocolate to almost anything and it turns out superb. (I am solely referring to chocolate in the sweet form, please.) This cake is a twist to the old fashioned Italian torte.

My first experiment with persimmon was a grand success and so I decided to include this exotic fruit in a cake, till this wonderful recipe almost serendipitiously fell in my lap.

Now my hub's colleagues all know about my madness in the kitchen, the love of food and the enthusiasm I have for my blog. So one kind soul passed me a recipe which she had read somehwere about this gorgeous torte. As usual the creative devil (or angel?!) in me changed it a bit here and a little there to make this famous torte...my way!

Quite in time for the anniversary of my marriage registration last year. :)

A layer of spiced persimmon torte sandwhiched between two chocolate cake layers with luscious smooth chantilly and a kiss of rum/brandy.

It takes about an hour to prepare this classic creamy layered torte and it tastes best when chilled for atleast four hours.

This torte carries a special meaning for two reasons. First, its exclusivley for my hub...the love of my life. I can't thank God enough for His match making skills. ;p Second, I had promised myself that I would create new things that I have never tried before at the onset of 2009. And I for one keep my promises. (wink wink)

As promised this cake turned out great and it was an extremely satisfying experince baking it. Its been only a couple of months since the last cake I made exclusivley for my darling...and I am very happy at the result.

I used plain walnut-chocolate chip pound cake instead of the Pan di Spagna which is quite similar to Genoise. It's a simple cake whose major function is to serve as a base for layer cakes, roll cakes and so on. Its characteristic is in that it uses bakers' yeast, which I have conveniently traded for chemical leaveners like baking powder/baking soda (found in self raising flour). I also added ground walnuts to give it a rich flavour.

For the persimmon layer I used the fruits' puree as well as chunks, for the surprise in the mouth. And ofcourse I added extra chocolate chips in all the layers. :)

Persimmon Torta Claudia À la mode
Ingredients-

For the chocolate walnut layers-(two 8" layers)
1 1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
butter for greasing the pan
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup softened butter

For the persimmon layer-(one 8" cake)
1/2 cup persimmon puree
a few chunks of chopped persimmon(optional)
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup sugar (adjust according to tartness of persimmon, mine were very sweet)
2 eggs, separated
1 tbsp softened butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamom powder
1 tsp rum (optional)

*A couple tablespoons of Brandy/dessert wine (eg.Marsala from Sicily)


Chantilly-
1 cup of whipping cream
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp of icing sugar
a dash of vanilla extract

**Mix all of the above and whip till the cream becomes frothy. Refrigerate.

Method-

For the chocolate walnut layers-
Preheat your oven to 375 F (185 C).

Beat the yolks, butter and sugar until the mixture is pale yellow, light, and has expanded considerably in volume (tripled or more).
Whip the whites to firm peaks. Fold them into the yolks, and then fold the flour,cocoa powder, ground walnuts and the vanilla.
Finally, add the chocolate chips.
Grease and flour a fairly high-sided round 8-inch pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until done (a toothpick inserted will come out dry, and the cake will pull away from the sides of the pan).
Turn the cake out onto a rack to cool.

For the persimmon layer-
Preheat your oven to 375 F (185 C).

Sieve the flour with the nutmeg and cinnamon.
Beat the yolks with the sugar and butter till creamy and pale yellow. Add the rum. Add the flour mix. Then add the persimmon puree and mix lightly together.
Beat the egg whites till they form soft peaks. Fold in the whites into the yolk-flour mix.
Finally add the chocolate chips and the persimmon chunks.
Bake for approx. 30 minutes, keep a check till done. Let cool once done.

For Assembly-

Begin by cutting the chocolate cake once , so as to get two discs.
Place one of the discs on the serving plate/table top. Sprinkle with a little brandy/dessert wine.
Spread a layer of the whipped cream on top of it.
Place the persimmon layer next. Sprinkle this, too with some brandy.
Then spread the whipped cream over it. Cover everything with the last chocolate layer, pressing gently so it sticks.
Chill the cake in the refrigerator (not the freezer) for 4 hours.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator and pour the remaining chantilly over the top of the cake. Decorate with walnut halves. Chill.

Serve this delight and fascinate yourself and others! :)

This is in honour of the celebration of love....our love, this valentine month. I share this recipe with The Alchemist Chef.

Also, in keeping with the 'nuttiness' I also share this with Aquadaze.

An Interlude---

Friends, I am off to Malaysia for a week, to celebrate with my valentine. Hence, will not be here on the blogosphere, wanted you guys to remember me with something sweet...so this post. :)

(I secretly hope that I will be missed...ok I know its not a secret now !) ;p

Keep smiling and do share your views. Will be back soon. :)

Double Bonanza- Tea meets Coffee

Picture this-- its 2.10 am in the morning here. After various failed attempts of telling me to sleep, my husband went off to the bedroom. I have been on my laptop for the past six hours. Updating my posts, commenting on fellow bloggers' blogs, understanding the html stuff (pardon me I am a lesser mortal not a techie).....and I had promised on my Diwali blog that I would talk about my other dessert-- Jasmine Matcha and Coffee Chiffon Marble Cake. So here I am!!

Thanks to Meeta's Blog ("Whats' for lunch honey")- The Monthly Mingle of Tea and Coffee,which really instigated me to be edgier and venture where I never have before.
(especially as I don't drink either Tea or Coffee.) The result was great, this I say because of the overwhelming positive response I got, even from unexpected quarters.

This ones's for you Meeta.

When we first arrived in Hong Kong, we initially stayed at The Empire Hotel here. We couldn't have asked for a better place. It was wonderful. It was here that I picked up some jasmine and green tea sachets. Ok thats' silly I know. Nevertheless I picked them up as they seemed exotic. On hindsight I am glad I did. :-)

So a couple of weeks after I started my blog, while browsing through the web, quite serendipitiously I stumbled upon Meeta's blog and found this event of the month with the deadline still on. The decision was made...... I was sending in my entry. But what do I make?

First I thought of Matcha(Green Tea) Crepes', but they were too simple.Then I thought of Biscotti, but then again both of us don't drink tea/coffee and are not great biscuit fans.Added to that, all I have here is a microwave, no conventional oven so couldn't do much. Idea cancelled.

I wanted to make something complex yet simple. Something that incorporates both tea and coffee and yet be in harmony.Something that challenges me creatively. And so I came up with Jasmine Matcha and Coffee Chiffon Marble cake, that too made in a microwave....in a heat-safe plastic box, not a cake tin! (I don't have one and I couldn't wait to buy one as I was dying to try my creation) So it was quite a challenge!

Jasmine Matcha and Coffee Chiffon Marble cake
Ingredients-

For the Green tea batter-
1 tea bag of jasmine tea (brewed with 2 tbsp warm water)
1 tea bag of green tea/matcha (brewed with 2 tbsp warm water)
1/2 cup self raising flour
3 heaped tbsp white sugar
1 egg
a small pinch of dried ginger powder
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp milk

For the Coffee batter-
2 tbsp any coffee brew (just instant coffee mixed with a little warm water and strained)
1/2 cup self raising flour
a small pinch of nutmeg
a small pinch of cinnamon
3 heaped tbsp brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp milk (as required)

Method-

The Green Tea Batter-

Once both the jasmine and green tea have been brewed with warm water for sometime. Squeeze the bags dry. Keep this brew.
In a bowl beat the egg till fluffy, now add the sugar, beat till it dissolves. Add the oil, milk and lemon. Beat again. Now add the brew.
Finally add the flour, ginger powder and mix. Do not over stir or else the cake will turn out hard.

The Coffee Batter-

In a bowl, beat the egg till fluffy, now add the sugar till it dissolves. Add the oil, milk and the coffee brew. Beat well.
Finally add the flour, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix well , again do not over stir.

Note :Check if the consistency of the Green tea batter and the Coffee batter are same. Add a little more milk to the coffee batter if required.

Now, using a ladle spoon pour the coffee batter in the baking tray/tin. On top of that, pour the same quantity ladle of the green tea batter. Again ladle the coffee batter followed by the green tea batter.Keep alternating till all the batter is finished. Do not shake the tin. Sprinkle some brown sugar on top.Carefully bake it in the microwave at medium high heat for 10 minutes. Check with the toothpick if it comes out clean. Its done. Cool on rack.
Slice. Serve with either whipped cream or plain.

The cake just melts in the mouth, giving off a burst of myraid flavours. The subtle taste of matcha and jasmine with ginger, combined with the spiced up coffee. Each bite is heavenly (even for people who don't drink tea/coffee). A must try!

N.B. The brown sugar sprinkle at the end browns the cake and gives it a nice glaze, as the microwave does not brown it like a conventional oven would.
I made a small cake as I was experimenting with matcha, double the amount/quantity of the ingredients if you need a bigger cake.

Just to mention- The cutlery stand was made by me with cut outs from a magazine and A4 size blank sheets. :-)

NOTE: Since I made this dessert for Diwali,I also send this as entry to Sudeshna (of Here I Cook)'s monthly event "Satisfy your sweet tooth" (on my dear friend's request).