Pistachio and almond cake with poached persimmons

SERVES 12 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES (+ COOLING TIME)

2 cups (320g) blanched almonds 2 cups (280g) pistachios 2½ cups (400g) icing sugar ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind 2 eggs, beaten lightly 5 egg whites, beaten lightly green food colouring ½ cup (40g) flaked almonds 300ml thickened cream ½ cup (140g) Greek-style yogurt POACHED PERSIMMONS 1 vanilla bean 1½ cups (330g) caster sugar 1½ cups (375ml) water 1 medium (140g) lemon, rind peeled thinly 3 medium (480g) firm sweet (fuyu) persimmons, sliced

1 Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced). Grease a deep 22cm round cake pan; line the base and side with three layers of baking paper. 2 Process blanched almonds, pistachios, icing sugar and cardamom until fine; transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the rind, eggs and egg whites. Tint green with a few drops of colouring. Spread the mixture into the pan; smooth the surface. Sprinkle evenly with the flaked almonds. 3 Bake cake for about 1¼ hours; cover loosely with foil if over-browning. Because this cake contains no flour, it is tricky to test if it’s cooked using a skewer. Instead, expect the cake to dome slightly and have a cooked smell and a golden top. Cool cake in pan. 4 POACHED PERSIMMONS: Meanwhile, split vanilla bean lengthways; scrape seeds into a large saucepan. Add bean to pan with the sugar, water and rind. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves; bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Add the persimmons, covering with a round of baking paper; cook for 8 minutes or until just tender. Cool persimmons in syrup. 5 Beat cream and yogurt in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. 6 Serve cake with poached persimmons and yogurt cream.

Cake suitable to freeze without fruit on top. Not suitable to microwave.