Persimmon Pudding (video)
This delicious persimmon pudding is delightfully moist and chewy. It’s loaded with naturally sweet persimmons and has the most beautiful aroma of brown sugar and cinnamon.
What does persimmon taste like?
Persimmons have a very mild and sweet taste, like pumpkin sweetened with honey. Certain types of persimmons, like Hachiya, can have a very unpleasant, chalky taste if not fully ripe. But once completely ripened, the texture is silky and watery like applesauce and quite enjoyable to eat. Other types, like Fuyu, can be eaten while the fruit is still a little firm.
What is persimmon pudding?
Persimmon pudding is an American dessert made with persimmons. It’s very moist, sweet, and dense in texture, similar to an English toffee pudding. It’s often served with ice cream, whipped cream, or hard sauce.
Why this recipe is so great:
- Packed with fruit – For those who are lucky enough to have a persimmon tree in their backyard, this is a great way to use a lot of that lovely fruit. For those who love persimmon, well then this dessert was made for you, because it’s jam-packed with it.
- Easy to make – All you have to do is mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, combine the two, and bake! Easy peasy.
- Mouthwatering good – There are only 4 tablespoons of butter in this 13 x 9″ cake, yet it’s rich and dense like a brownie. With the mild taste of persimmon fruit, brown sugar and cinnamon were added to bring a warm depth of flavor to the pudding cake. The taste is fruity and sweet with a hint of molasses and spice. It’s super moist and has a nice contrast with the added walnuts or pecans to balance the chewy texture.
- Here are some reviews:
“Made this yesterday. My family can’t stop eating it. Great recipe and helpful information on working with persimmons!” -Mary
“It’s awesome! I’ve waited all year to have persimmons again to bake this wonderful cake. It’s my boyfriend’s fav cake. Thank you for ur fantastic recipe!” – Shireen
“I LOVE this recipe. Have made it at least a dozen times and works every time. Haven’t met anyone who doesn’t love it, even those who don’t like persimmons.” – Belinda
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Overripe persimmons
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Granulated & brown sugar
- Vanilla extract & ground cinnamon
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder & salt
- Walnuts or pecans
How to make persimmon pudding:
(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)
- Remove any seeds and lightly puree the persimmon pulp to break apart the seed casings using a stand or handheld blender. Measure out 2 cups for the pudding.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the persimmon pulp, butter, eggs, sugars, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Sift the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir by hand until combined. Fold in the chopped nuts.
- Pour the batter into a greased 9×13″ glass baking dish. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Expert tips:
What type of persimmon to use:
Any type of persimmons that gets soft when ripened, like Hachiya, Sharon fruit, or wild American persimmons are best to use for this recipe.
How to ripen persimmons:
The old trick my mom taught me was to place the unripe persimmons in a plastic or paper bag with an apple. The natural ethylene gas released from the apple will help ripen the persimmons quickly, in about 3-6 days.
How to make persimmon pulp:
Remove the stem and break or cut the fruit in half. Remove any hard black seeds and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Then using a stand or handheld blender, pulse the fruit a few times to break up the seed casings. And there you have it, persimmon pulp.
FAQ:
Where did persimmon pudding originate?
In the state of Indiana, where wild persimmons are native to the region. Persimmon festivals are also popular in the area, where they host persimmon pudding contests. Some recipes go as far back as 150 years.
Does persimmon pudding need to be refrigerated?
It can be kept at room temperature for a day or two, but after that, it should be refrigerated because the cake is quite moist.
Can persimmon pudding be frozen?
Yes, persimmon pudding freezes well. Tightly wrap the cake in a double layer of plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature or warm up slices in the microwave before serving.
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Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.
PrintPersimmon Pudding Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 45 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 min
- Yield: 18-24
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
A dense, moist, and chewy spiced pudding cake made from the delicious persimmon fruit.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (500ml) persimmon pulp (about 3 large, 4 medium, or 6 small 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 or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 x 9″ glass baking pan and set aside.
- Remove the stem and break or cut the fruit in half. Remove any hard black seeds and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Then using a stand or handheld blender, pulse the fruit a few times to break up the seed casings. Measure out 2 cups.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the persimmon pulp, butter, eggs, sugars, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Sift the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir by hand until combined. The batter will be lumpy. Fold in the chopped nuts and pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the edges start brown too quickly, loosely cover with foil and continue baking until done. Enjoy with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
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.
Leftovers can be tightly covered and stored at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This recipe was originally published on November 16th, 2018, and has been recently updated with new photos and more information.
May I add brandy? How much? Substitute? Recipe sounds awesome and I don’t want to mess it up am omitting nuts and some white sugar
Hey Donna,
Yes, you can add brandy. I would say about 2 tablespoons and also yes, you can omit the nuts and a bit of the white sugar. Enjoy and happy Saturday!
I made a double batch of this tonight and used Splenda brown and white sugars. Also added a full cup of chopped dates.
This came out really really good! My husband doesn’t eat sweets so I have to share with my neighbors tomorrow.
Thank you for your kind words and your neighbors are going to love you!:)
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.
hachiyas are very close to wild persimmons and that’s when they’re the best sweetness–when they’re so soft, they’re almost rotten. when you get to that point, they’re perfect to use! an unripe hachiya is unpleasant to eat before they’re overripe, but a fuyu is great for fresh eating.
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:)