Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven. 330 F (165 C) for convection oven
Grease the 9 x 5 loaf pan on all sides. I actually used two smaller pans 7 3/4 x 3 3/4 inch loaf pans.
Use ripe persimmons for the best result. You can use fuyu or hachiya. For hachiya, they have to be really really ripe or they won't taste good.
I remove the leaves and then puree them in a blender or a food processor until smooth
Prepare the cake batter:
Combine the wet ingredients and set aside. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined. Add the chopped nuts and raisins and give them a few stir to combine. As long as you don't see any more flour, you are done mixing. Don't overmix. Scrape the batter into the pan and use a rubber spatula to even out the batter. Place few slices of persimmon on top if you choose to do so
Baking:
Bake in the preheated oven in the middle rack for 60-80 minutes. Check at 60-minute mark if you use 9 x 5 loaf pan. If you use two smaller pans, like I did, check at 45 minutes. Use a skewer and insert into the middle of the bread. It should come out clean. If it's not, bake another 5 minutes and check again
Cool down:
Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan placed on top of a cooling rack. Let it cool down completely. Do not cut into warm bread as it will fall apart. Wrap it in a plastic wrap and serve it the next day is highly recommended as the flavor has time to meld and the texture is so much better