Persimmon Pudding Cake (video)

A moist and chewy spiced pudding cake made from the delicious persimmon fruit. A perfect fall and winter dessert.

Have you ever made something for the first time and it turned out better than expected? Well, that’s exactly what happened to me with this recipe and it became an instant favorite. This pudding cake is super moist and chewy, similar to an English toffee pudding cake. There are only 4 tablespoons of butter in this 13 x 9 inch cake, yet it’s rich and dense like a brownie. The persimmon fruit is a very mild tasting fruit, especially when it’s baked, so I added some cinnamon and brown sugar to make it more flavorful. I’ve already bought another case of fruit so I can make the cake again as soon as possible, and it’s been such a hit, my family has also requested it for our Christmas dinner.

The persimmon is a fall season fruit. I used the Hachiya type vs the Fuyu kind for this particular recipe. The Hachiya is the larger of the two and has a softer pulp texture when fully ripe. But, you have to be patient with this fruit as it can only be eaten when it’s completely ripe and soft all around. Make sure it’s soft around the stem area as well, as that tends to be the last part to ripen. If it’s not completely ripe, the fruit will have a very unpleasant, chalky, and astringent taste. Once ready to be eaten, the pulp will be soft and watery, almost like applesauce. The taste will be very sweet and mild in flavor, similar to pumpkin.

You have to enjoy this fruit fresh if you are not familiar with it. That’s my favourite way to eat and really experience this exotic fruit. Simply take off the stem, break it in half and scoop out the soft and deliciously sweet flesh with a spoon. There will be clear seed casings in the fruit which are edible, but if there are hard black seeds formed, they should be removed before eating.

This pudding cake is a perfect fall and/or winter dessert. There is just something about the scent of cinnamon and brown sugar in the house that brings me a warm, cozy, and comforting feeling. As I get ready for the holiday season, I will be enjoying this dessert with friends and family and I hope you do too.

Persimmon Pudding Cake

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

A dense, moist, and chewy spiced pudding cake made from the delicious persimmon fruit.

• Author: Lily Ernst
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 55 min
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 min
• Yield: 18-24
• Category: dessert
• Method: bake
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 2 cups (500ml) Hachiya persimmon pulp (about 3 large or 4 medium fruits)
• 4 tbsp (60ml) melted unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (200g) lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar (see notes*)
• 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp (15ml) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (2.5ml) salt
• 1 tsp (5ml) ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (125g) chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 13 x 9 inch glass baking pan.
2. Using a handheld blender or stand blender, pulse the persimmon pulp to break part the seed casings and measure out 2 cups. Do not over purée.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the fruit pulp, butter, eggs, sugars and vanilla. Slowly add to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in walnuts.
5. Spread onto prepared baking pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Check at 20-30 minutes. If the edges are browning too quickly, reduce the oven temp to 325F and continue baking until done. Enjoy with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Notes

*Most readers love this recipe as is. Though I have received feedback from a few readers that have reduced the amount of granulated sugar by half (or even omitted it altogether) because they found the cake too sweet. So depending on how sweet your persimmons are and your taste preference, feel free to adjust the amount of granulated sugar accordingly.

Keywords: persimmon pudding cake recipe, persimmon cake recipe, best persimmon pudding cake, easy persimmon cake

Nov 16/18 – this post was updated with new photos and a video.