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.
Does this recipe actually need a full table spoon of backing power ? That seems like a lot and I don’t want it to be bitter .
Yes, because the batter is quite heavy.
I made it but it turned out more like loaf cake…what did I do wrong? I was really looking forward to the pudding texture.
I’m not sure if you did anything wrong. The texture of this pudding cake is supposed to be dense, similar to a gingerbread cake or sticky toffee pudding.
WOULD IT WORK WITH ALL BROWN SUGAR?
Yes, you can use all brown sugar. Just note it will make the cake a bit darker.
Can you make any of this ahead?
You can make the whole thing ahead. It keeps well.
Super delicious! Because the persimmons that I used were already very sweet, I reduced the amount of sugar — I used 1/4 cup of date syrup instead. My husband, who is an IU grad, said the pudding was fantastic. Now that’s a real compliment! 🙂 Thank you so much for the recipe.
You’re very welcome, Pinkie! Thank you for your kind words. Happy New Year to you and your husband!
Can we make the persimmon purée using fresh persimmons or is there a specific recipe? Can u just blend them?
Yes, you can make puree by simply blending fresh persimmon pulp. That’s what I do. Enjoy and happy New Year!
I forgot to mention that I used 1/4 C. regular sugar which was just the right sweetness, and didn’t add the nuts. The next time I’ll make it with them and judge my preference.
My hobby is cooking/baking having accumulated many wonderful dessert recipes. I don’t experiment or create my own but can tell from looking at the ingredients if it is a winner from years of experience.. This recipe is one of the best desserts I have ever tasted! I cut the sugar by half, BTW and topped it with whipped cream. Two large Hachiya yielded enough for 1/2 of the recipe so next year I’ll buy four. Thanks so much!
I am going to try this with canned pumpkin soon.
You’re very welcome, Marti! Thank you for your kind words and I’m so glad you enjoyed it:)
Halved the recipe because that’s all the persimmon puree I had and it worked great. This was SO delicious. Tastes much more decadent than the sum of its parts!
I’m looking forward to making this for a gathering this weekend I wonder… I am thinking to add some lemon as a contrast to all the sweetness. How do you think that would come out?
I’m not sure if lemon would go with persimmon. You could reduce the amount of sugar if you want to cut down on the sweetness.
This is a delicious pudding. I did substitute 3/4 cup honey in place of 1cup of granular white sugar and I used 1/2 teaspoon of allspice in place of cinnamon.
Thank you for your kind words, Regina, and great idea using honey as a healthier option.
I’ve lived in indiana since I was about 2 years old and had never even heard of persimmons up until a couple years ago and I’m now 29. I’ve paid people to bake me cookies, bread, and pudding for those couple years. Now, I’ve began to start baking myself, and I have to say this is the best recipe I’ve tried so far! Thank you, it’s amazing, and so easily explained I got it right the very first time.
You’re very welcome, Jennifer:) Enjoy and happy baking!
Sooo delicious thank you so much
You’re very welcome, Randa:) Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Help! I am new to harvesting persimmons (just found a tree in the woods). I want to try this recipe but I feel like 6 of my small, wild persimmons would never make 2 cups of pulp. Is it normal to need a BUNCH to make the pulp if you’re using random wild ones? Mine areaybe an inch or so in diameter. Any input would be so helpful!!!
Hi Tammy, wild persimmons don’t have a lot of pulp considering how small they are and have huge seeds in them. You’re going to need about 50 wild persimmons to make 2 cups of pulp, so I would recommend buying 2-4 (depending on the size) of the Hachiya persimmon from the store. They have the most pulp.
I have a tree in my yard (I think it is an American or Texas persimmon tree) and it has very small fruits, but there are tons of them. I just gather them every day or so and process as often as I can. I usually end up with a few cups every other day, so I portion it out and freeze it until I’m ready to use it. So for some varieties, it’s absolutely normal to need quite a few! Blessings ❤️
Wasted 2 cups of pulp. Was in a hurry to make. It didn’t come out right. Went back to look at receipe there is no milk listed in ingredients. Would of added it had I noticed. Nasty. Pulp and sugar with pulp and eggs along with spices etc. Makes a sticky, gummy . I am not sure what you call it.
It’s called a pudding cake. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out as expected for you, but there is no milk in this recipe. Also, the texture is supposed to be dense like an Enligh toffee sticky pudding or a super fudgy brownie. So if you were expecting a light and fluffy sponge cake, this is definitely not the recipe.
I’ll be making this to represent my Indians friends at a party later this summer.
I am going to try majoring it in mini muffin pans and will keep and eye on the baking time – fingers crossed!
Sounds like a great idea to make them into bite-sized portions. I’m thinking 10-15 minutes should do the trick.
Yes – I did with zero white sugar and just a tablespoon of brown. Added some maple syrup and it was plenty sweet. Yum!
absolutely incredible idea.
I made this vegan swapping butter with EVOO and using 2 tbsp soaked chia for egg. Omitted cane sugar too. Perfectly sweet with ripe persimmons. I drizzled date syrup on top before baking as well.
Thank you for your wonderful feedback, Chris! Glad you enjoyed the pudding cake:)
Hi, in the recipe it says add the wet
to the dry ingredients but your video shows the dry being added into the wet ingredients. Which order is correct?
It doesn’t matter. Whichever order is easier or you prefer. Enjoy the persimmon pudding! I’m making some myself tomorrow:)