Persimmon Apple Pudding is a decadent, cake-like, dense, and slightly chewy traditional American dessert topped with saffron-flavored butter sauce. This pudding dessert is also known as Christmas pudding or Quince pudding.
Also, check out some of the best Christmas holiday desserts and unique Thanksgiving dessert recipes.
What are persimmons?
Persimmons are orange-colored fruits that taste sweet, like honey. The skin of this fruit is very thin, and you can eat persimmon with skin on it or peel it. This fruit is available in the United States mainly from fall through winter.
About persimmon pudding
Persimmon pudding, also called classic American pudding, has a dense texture like gingerbread cake. I am from Indiana, and this is one of the popular dishes prepared during Thanksgiving and Christmas, along with sugar cream pie.
One of the best and most unique desserts you can make for Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday for your family and friends is not a pie.
Ingredients
For the persimmon apple pudding
You will need ripe persimmons, apples, milk, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, baking powder, soda, and flour.
For the saffron-flavored butter sauce
This sauce creates a unique flavor, and you will need butter, flour, cardamom powder, saffron, heavy cream, and sugar.
How do you make apple persimmon pudding?
To prepare persimmon apple pudding, first puree apple and persimmons in a blender, adding some milk. Add butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, baking soda, and mix. Finally, add the baking powder flour and mix till combined. Transfer this to a 10-inch spring form pan and bake for about 55 minutes. The pudding will rise when baked but will fall when removed from the oven. This is normal. Set aside to cool.
How to make butter sauce?
To prepare the sauce:
- Add butter to a pan on medium-low heat.
- Once the butter turns light golden in color, add flour and mix continuously for 2 to 3 minutes till you get a nice nutty aroma.
- Add cardamom powder, sugar, saffron strands, and heavy cream and whisk continuously until the sauce simmers and starts to thicken.
- Switch off the flame.
Upon cooling, if the sauce is too thick, you may thin it down using more cream or milk.
Serving suggestions
This persimmon pudding dessert is traditionally served warm, and it tastes very good, even though you can serve it cold as well. Today, I have topped it with saffron-flavored butter sauce. You can serve it with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, apple sauce, brandy sauce, or even crème anglaise.
Store and Make Ahead
If you are preparing persimmon apple pudding for a larger crowd or holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas, you can make this dessert ahead and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days. Just warm it when you are ready to serve. One of the best dessert recipes that isn't pie and you want to bake this holiday.
Recipe FAQs
Persimmon fruit pairs well with apples, cinnamon, citrus fruit, pears, and cranberries. The desserts with persimmon are prepared mainly during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Ripe persimmons are best when they are eaten immediately. Unripe persimmons can be refrigerated for up to a month.
Persimmons can be eaten raw, dried, or cooked. There are multiple ways in which this fruit can be used. You can prepare persimmon jam, add it to salad, make salsa, add it to oatmeal or bars, prepare entrees such as persimmon chicken, etc. Recently, as I was surfing the Internet, I learned that persimmons are locally grown in the state of Indiana, where I live, and are very popular during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It is a reaction between the persimmon fruit and the baking soda you add. This is completely normal and good to eat.
More Holiday Desserts
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Recipe card
Persimmon Apple Pudding Recipe | Best Persimmon Dessert
Equipment
- 10 inch pan
Ingredients
For Persimmon Apple Pudding
- 4 Persimmons
- 2 Apples
- 2 cups Milk
- ¼ cup Butter melted
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 2.5 cups All purpose flour
For Saffron Butter Sauce
- ¼ cup Butter Melted
- 2 tablespoon All purpose flour
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon Cardamom powder Check substitute
- 6 to 8 strands Saffron
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- ½ cup Sugar
Instructions
How to make the persimmon apple pudding?
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 10 inch spring form pan.
- In a blender or food-processor, puree persimmon and apple along with milk, and add the puree to a large mixing bowl.4 Persimmons, 2 Apples, 2 cups Milk
- To this, add melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, salt, and baking soda, and mix well using a hand-held blender.¼ cup Butter, 1 cup Sugar, 2 Eggs, 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder, ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- Next, add baking powder and flour and mix until everything is combined.2 teaspoon Baking powder, 2.5 cups All purpose flour
- Transfer the batter to the pan, and then bake for 55 mins.
- Remember, we are baking a pudding, so when you insert a knife to check if it is done it will be slightly sticky but cooked.
- The pudding will rise when baked, but will fall when removed from the oven. This is normal. Set aside to cool.
For the Saffron Butter Sauce
- In a pan on medium-low heat, add butter. Once the butter turns light golden-brown, add flour and mix continuously for 2-3 minutes or until you get a nutty aroma.¼ cup Butter, 2 tablespoon All purpose flour
- To this add cardamom powder, sugar, saffron strands, heavy cream and whisk continuously until the sauce simmers and starts to thicken.½ to ¾ teaspoon Cardamom powder, 6 to 8 strands Saffron, ½ cup Sugar, 1 cup Heavy cream
- Switch off the flame. Upon cooling, if the sauce is too thick, you may thin it down using more cream or milk.
- Persimmon Apple Pudding With Saffron Butter Sauce is ready. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- To make this dessert unique, I have flavored butter sauce with cardamom and saffron. You can simply skip this and use vanilla extract.
- Instead of butter sauce, you can even serve persimmon pudding with brandy sauce, apple sauce, whipped cream, or ice cream.
- If there are any leftovers, wrap them in aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. Reheat in the microwave just before serving. You can also freeze persimmon pudding for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Note: We originally posted this Thanksgiving and Christmas Persimmon Apple Pudding in Nov 2019. It has now been modified in Oct 2023 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.
Sasha
Ive made this innumerable times, a family favorite.
Ingrid S.
Love finding unique recipes like this!