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
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 55 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 min
- Yield: 18-24
Description
A dense, moist, and chewy spiced pudding cake made from the delicious persimmon fruit.
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
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 13 x 9 inch glass baking pan.
- 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.
- Sift flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
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.
77 Comments on “Persimmon Pudding Cake (video)”
I LOVE this recipe. Have made it at least a dozen times and works every time. I now add cardamom and cinnamon, and use self raising flour with an extra pinch of baking powder. It’s still incredible. Haven’t met anyone who doesn’t love it, even those who don’t like persimmons.
Thank you for your wonderful feedback, Belinda! I like the addition of cardamon and cinnamon – yum!
Can I use wild persimmons (from a neighbor’s tree) for this recipe ?
You can. Just make sure they’re ripe so the pulp is soft and easy to puree.
Hi Lily. I love fuyu persimmons and I can’t imagine waiting until Fall to make this cake! I am wondering if they sell canned persimmons like canned pumpkin?
Unfortunately not. It’s just one of those things you have to wait for. However, once they are in season you can freeze the pulp. That way you always have some on hand when you crave it!
I used half the sugar and substituted whole wheat flour. I cut up some canned pineapple slices I happened to have and folded them in to the dough. My husband said it was the best cake he ever had, after carrot cake.
★★★★★
Thank you for your kind review and love the idea of adding pineapples – yum!
I agree that this is a great recipe!! I’m going to also try to use bananas to approximate something I used to buy at Whole Foods (banana bars). I appreciate the inspiration!! I used super-ripe Fuyu pulp as well. I don’t always have success ripening Hachiya persimmons – sometimes they just seem to rot before they ripen, which is no fun!! FYI, I cut the sugar down to approximately 1.3 cups and it was still plenty sweet. I ran out of persimmon pulp and used about 1/3 cup of cooked sweet potato to get to 2 cups of pulp and it worked well!! Bodes well for the commenter who plans to make this 100% with Sweet Potatoes.
I am going to use this recipe to replace my Grandmothers very old (lost) recipe. I will figure out how to put into it the same amount of grated sweet potato, as the persimmons as that is the part I do remember. She also somtimes used eggs ,other times not. They made it more like cake. Thanks for this recipe!!! Can’t wait 🙂
★★★★★
You’re very welcome! Let me know how it turns out with sweet potato:)
What was your white stuff on top ?
I’m a beginner with baking .
Thanks
Whipped cream. Sorry, it doesn’t look like whipped cream because I over whipped it, lol. Let me know if you have any other questions:)
I made this using Fuyu persimmons, which are sweet. I used 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar total and it was plenty sweet. This is a delicious recipe and a great way to use persimmons. Given that it’s Election Day, I treated myself to 2 pieces.
★★★★★
Thank you for your lovely feedback and I hope the election goes your way!
Thank you for the recipe. It was delicious!! I cut down the granulated sugar to 1/3 cup, add in 1/8 tsp of nutmeg, 1/4 tsp of cloves, 1/8 tsp ginger and substitute Pecans for Walnuts.
★★★★★
You’re very welcome, Sofie! I’m glad you thought it was delicious:)
I only have fuyu persimmons. Do you have a recipe for these?
You can use Fuyu persimmons in this recipe. Just make sure they are ripe enough that they are soft to the touch similar to Hachiya. I hope you enjoy the pudding cake and please let me know if you have any other questions.
I love persimmons! Is there any way this can be made gluten free? Thank you!
Yes, I recommend using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 baking flour. Enjoy and have a happy new year!
Hi there, I am about to bake this cake and there is a discrepancy in the measurements. You say 2 cups (250g). 2 cups are 500g. So what do I use 2 cups or 250g which is 1 cup??
Hi Lilo,
The weight of 1 cup of flour is 125 grams, and 2 cups would be 250 grams.
So use 2 cups if you are measuring by dry measuring cups, and 250 grams if using a weight scale.
The liquid measure of 1 cup is 250ml but the weight will vary. For example 1 cup of sugar is 200 grams vs 1 cup of flour which is 125 grams since sugar is heavier. I hope that helps and please feel free to email me back if you have any further questions. Enjoy and merry Christmas!
I baked this recipe earlier today for my family and it was a huge success!
★★★★★
Made this yesterday evening, followed the recipe as written and it turned out super delicious, hubby loved it. I was wondering, once these fruits go out of season, what could i replace them with to make it again? Got any suggestions? Thanks for the recipe, absolutely awesome!!
Hi Adela,
You’re very welcome and thank you for your kind words.Funny you should ask, I was actually thinking about making this recipe with mangoes because it has a similar consistency when pureed. You can also freeze persimmon pulp for later use. I hope that helps and feel free to email me back if you have any other questions:)
I made for the first time, loved how it turn out!
Recipe very well explained ❤️❤️I’m don’t bake.
I added 1/2 cup of dried berries & 1/2 cup of walnuts,
loved the results!
Made this yesterday. My family can’t stop eating it. Great recipe and helpful information on working with persimmons!
★★★★★
Thank you for your kind words Mary. I’m thrilled you and your family enjoyed it so much:)
Its awesome! I’ve waited all the year to have persimmons again to bake this wonderfull cake. It’s my boyfriends fav cake. Thank you for ur fantastic recipe!
You’re welcome Shireen, and thank you for your kind words. Have a lovely day:)
Silly question: How do I get persimmon pulp? Do I grate them? Juice them? Just blend them up? Do I need to cook them first? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks!
It’s not a silly question at all. Scoop out the flesh of a ripe persimmon and using a handheld or stand blender, pulse it to break up the seed casings. You don’t want to over puree it, just enough to break it up. Feel free to email me back if you have any further questions. Enjoy and have a great weekend:)