My mother told me a story that when she was a child, they ripened persimmons on the roof of their house. They had to check them to make sure the birds did not eat them first. This cake is a take on a traditional Torti di Caci e noci and a tribute to that childhood story and to Giovanna, her mother, who tried to get me to sit down and make lace and do embroidery, which I had no time for. The decorative nature of the baked kumquat sections remind me of the lace that Giovanna so painstakingly made by hand. I hope this makes up for my lack of interest at the time, Giovanna.