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Persimmon Pudding Cake Recipe

Filed under Bakery, Dessert, Seasonal Favorites: Fall

Persimmon Pudding Cake

Hachiya persimmons can bake up into a delicious, moist cake that is almost a pudding. This recipe takes only a half cup of added sugar and uses the sweetness of the persimmon pulp.

persimmons.jpg persimmons-1.jpg
Left: unripe Hachiya persimmons; Right: ripe Hachiya persimmons

Persimmons are a fruit of fall, displaying their bright orange orbs right around the time a chill sets in and trees begin to lose their leaves. They come in two varieties - Fuyu and Hachiya - with very different properties. The Fuyu persimmons are short and squat, looking a little like tomatoes; they are meant to be peeled, sliced, and eaten like apples. Hachiya (those pictured are Hachiya) are larger than the Fuyu and somewhat acorn shaped. They need to ripen completely.

persimmon-pulp.jpg
When the Hachiya persimmon behaves like a seriously overripe tomato (completely soft to the touch all around) and its insides are a slurry, that's when they can be opened, and the sweet pulp spooned out and eaten. One makes baked goods with the pulp from Hachiya persimmons. For convenience the pulp can be frozen in one or two cup batches.

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Persimmon Pudding Cake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups of Hachiya persimmon pulp
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
3/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon all spice

1 cup chopped nuts - pecans or walnuts

Whipping cream

Method

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, mix the persimmon pulp, eggs, butter, milk and vanilla.

2 In a separate bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

3 Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, a third at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Add the chopped nuts.

4 Bake in a square glass pan, buttered, at 400°F until done (about 50 minutes).

Top with a dollop of whipped cream.

Serves 8.

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Posted by Elise on Nov 2, 2006 and indexed Cake, Persimmon

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Comments

Made this today--it came out very well! I only had 3 ripe persimmons, but I used a supplemental bit of applesauce to make up the 2 cups. Nice and light, with a little bit of crispness on the edges. Thanks for the recipe!

Posted by: Jeanine on November 1, 2006 3:01 PM

This looks like a great recipe that I'll make this weekend. I've got some delicious persimmons at home. Its a shame that Jeff has never had persimmons. I grew up eating them every fall because my mother is Korean and its a very popular fruit in Korea. To enjoy persimmons all year round, they dry hachiya persimmons to be eating plain or to be made into persimmon tea. My mom's last name in korean means "fuyu persimmon". She remembers being teased as a child but that hasn't stopped her from eating them.

Posted by: Noel on November 3, 2006 7:28 AM

Oh goodness. To be back in California for the fall.... My best friend, growing up in No. Cal., had a persimmon tree in her Dad's front yard. He would make persimmon pancakes (!!!) with the pulp as long as they had ripe fruit. Needless to say, I spent a LOT of autumn nights at their place, just so I could wake up to persimmon pancakes.

Unfortunately, persimmons are pretty rare in Ohio. Thanks for the post - that cake looks divine!!

Posted by: Tammy on November 3, 2006 8:44 AM

I don't know as I've ever had a fresh persimmon... and am now intrigued enough to try them. :) Wonderful to discover new flavors "later" in life!

Posted by: beth on November 3, 2006 10:01 AM

That looks positively delightful!

Posted by: Jesse Gardner on November 3, 2006 1:46 PM

Cool! I got persimmony as well... and made some persimmon madeleines. Yum. Your cake looks luscious.

-L

Posted by: L on November 3, 2006 3:18 PM

Like Noel, I grew up with persimmons thanks to my Korean mom.

Something about the phrase "pudding cake" just makes me so happy I'll have to try out this receipe.

Posted by: Jeremy Henderson on November 3, 2006 3:32 PM

I just had to let you know that my Armenian grandmother made this every year and she brought the recipe from her homeland... Armenia. My dad loves it so much that he planted a persimmon tree 30 years ago and I learned to make it, too. The only difference is that we have always served it with a lemon curd type of syrup, which makes it absolutely OVER THE TOP! Here's a hint to check for ripeness: when the persimmon has black spots on the outside and feels just a bit squishy then it's just right!

Posted by: Beverly on November 3, 2006 3:51 PM

Oh, how lovely! I will have to try to make a gluten-free version of this. I have not yet really been exposed to the world of persimmons, but they are bountiful at the farmer's market right now.

Posted by: Gluten-Free By The Bay on November 3, 2006 4:16 PM

What about the seeds? How do you get them off?

Posted by: AMM on November 3, 2006 5:07 PM

One of my favorite fall desserts, and my go-to dish for Thanksgiving potlucks! I love the homey, moist, spicy goodness that is a nice change from pumpkin if one needs it. My recipe is very similar, but uses buttermilk which adds a bit of tanginess to the pudding.

Great photo, too!

Posted by: Xanthippe on November 4, 2006 12:15 PM

I was lucky enough to taste this fabulous dish today at the potluck! It was so great to meet you. My husband and I found you to be very engaging and so "down to earth".

Check out the local food forum site..and please consider linking us up at your wonderful blog.

Posted by: Melody Elliott-Koontz on November 4, 2006 3:38 PM

AMM, you asked about the seeds and how to remove them. If you put the ripe fruit through a food mill (which is what I do) or potato ricer, the seeds won't end up in the pulp; either method works beautifully.

Posted by: Xanthippe on November 4, 2006 7:42 PM

Persimmons all around! I have a few recipes, and a little story about what they taste like here:

http://www.kqed.org/weblog/food/2005/11/persimmons-please.jsp

It's great you have a very ripe persimmon photo. They should indeed be as liquidy as possible!

Posted by: shuna fish lydon on November 6, 2006 11:50 AM

Wow. that looks really interesting. I have never baked with persimmons. I have only eated up to 10 of them in my life.

Posted by: Gabriella on November 8, 2006 3:15 PM

It says to bake in a square pan, can anyone suggest a size? I think this would be really good to bring to Thanksgiving dinner.

Posted by: katie on November 19, 2006 11:46 AM

Turned out very very good, can't seem place the taste, very mild, Kate I am taking this to thanksgiving dinner. It will be a different kind of hit.

Posted by: judy on November 19, 2006 11:14 PM

I grew-up in Illinois. Always had lots of persimmons, love them. Now live in So. California and have never baked with the kind that grows out here. These are sweeter.

Posted by: J. Hill on December 13, 2006 2:48 PM

Hey there, both kinds of persimmon are quite plentiful this time of year here in Alicante, Spain. I let the fruit sit for about a week and a half, nice and ripe, and just pulled the cake out of the oven. The aroma is sensational and it looks very good. Thanks for the guidelines!~
mike

Posted by: michael pallante on October 28, 2007 8:45 AM

Hi,I just made the persimmon cake and it was terrific. I left out the nuts because my daughter won't eat them but it still beat all the other recipes I've tried. Persimmon pudding/ cake is one of my husband's favorite foods. For years I've tried to make a recipe that we could both live with. Most recipes, it seems to me, don't have much flavor or are too sweet. This one was perfect - I did add a bit of lemon zest to see how it would be and I liked it. It has a nice festive flavor - I think it would be lovely for Thanksgiving.

Posted by: Diane Smith on November 8, 2007 11:51 AM

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