A vintage baked dessert recipe for winter, Persimmon Pudding with Hard Sauce is an easy and fun addition to a dinner party or holiday entertaining. Seasonal persimmons add a beautiful flavor to this simple, special dessert.
I will confess to being a bit of an Anglophile. Whether due to having family roots in England (and Scotland, and Wales and France; the signature of a native born American) or my love of the country from my travels, I’ve always loved signatures of England. Certainly, Downton Abbey amplified that in more recent years.
I’ve dappled with recipes here for Hedgerow Gin and shared the ‘deets’ on what Boxing Day is all about (the holiday the day after Christmas no one in the U.S. understands). Today I’m sharing a family recipe for Persimmon Pudding and Hard Sauce I think you’ll love!
Whenever I would travel through the United Kingdom anytime around the holidays I’d always bring home a Christmas Pudding and jarred Hard Sauce. Christmas Pudding is a bit like a souped up fruitcake equivalent for those in the U.S. (though candidly really tasty unlike my personal experience of fruitcake). It’s steeped in booze so literally can be kept for a year before eating.
When I found a recipe for Persimmon Pudding with Hard Sauce in my Grandmother’s recipe box I knew I wanted to make it. I don’t have a recollection of her making it for meals I shared with her so wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.
Hard sauce if you aren’t familiar with it, is a boozy topping with warm flavors of rum, whiskey, brandy or sherry, butter and sugar. It’s sophisticated and homey, always reminding me of friends and loved ones in the U.K.
Americans will associate the term ‘pudding’ with a creamy, custardy dessert but this is truly the form more of the UK experience. More like a dense cake, perfectly seasoned with holiday signature flavors without being ‘too much’. And let’s face it; anything with Hard Sauce can’t be beat.
Persimmon Pudding with Hard Sauce
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Persimmon Pudding:
- 1 cup All- Purpose Flour (gluten-free or regular)
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
- 1 cup peeled , seeded, mashed Persimmon pulp (approximately 2-3 large persimmons)
- ½ cup Milk
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter , melted
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup chopped Pecans or Walnuts (or a mix of the two)
Ingredients for the Hard Sauce:
- ¼ pound (one stick) Unsalted Butter, melted
- 2 cups Confectioner’s Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 Egg White , beaten
- ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream , whipped (I hand whisked the cream to ‘lift’ it but not to make it peak)
- 1 ‘jigger’ (ounce) of Rum
Instructions
Instructions for the Persimmon Pudding:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Mix together (with mixer or by hand) flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.
- To the dry ingredients above add the persimmon pulp, milk, butter; mix until well combined.
- Stir in the vanilla and nuts to fully combine.
- Fill ramekins* 2/3 full and bake on a cookie sheet for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and top has begun to brown.
Instructions for the Hard Sauce:
- Blend all ingredients and serve with the Persimmon Pudding.
Recipe Notes
**I used 2-6 ounce and 4-4 ounce ramekins for this recipe
This recipe was originally shared as part of a Guest Post on Chow and Chatter.
Nancy says
I need to make this with Gluten Free flour, which is new to me. Will the consistency be the same as the regular flour version or will it be more like a loose pudding vs. a cake?
Toni Dash says
I am gluten-free Nancy so evertlyrhivg pictures on my website is made gluten-free, this included. If you substitute a measure-for-measure flour blend I find recipes come out the same whether with gluten or gluten-free.
Sara S says
We have persimmon trees in Indiana. I make a persimmon pudding that is more the consistancy of pudding because you stir it while it’s baking. My mother has tweak the recipe so that we can make it in the crockpot. I think I will try the hard sauce for the next batch I make this fall.
Christabel says
I just made this the other day and it was so incredibly rich and delicious! I had a little problem with the hard sauce as I should have used a mixer instead of hand whisking it…it didn’t get to the consistency that it should have…it was a little on the runny side, but still delicious, nonetheless! Thanks for sharing : )
Kiri W. says
'm intrigued, I have to say – I tried my first persimmon a few weeks ago, and while the flavor was great, it left a nasty, mealy feeling all around my mouth. If the pudding gets rid off that, I'd love to try! The spicing and sauce sound awesome.
Anonymous says
Did anyone actually make this recipe or are you all just thinking it would be good. Sure would like some comment from a few people who cooked it.
Elyse @The Cultural Dish says
This looks so interesting… I've never had this before but I have heard of it and definitely want to try it out!
Christine says
I recently encountered hard sauce for the first time a few days ago, and I have to admit I was really put off by it at first (maybe it was just the name)! But then I tried it and became a total convert. I bet it's the perfect accompaniment for this pudding. 🙂
Rachel says
ooooh persimmons! I looooove persimmons but I love them so much that I never want to actually bake with them. What a luscious, decadent dessert – it really, really says Christmas.
Cheryl | Black Girl Chef's Whites says
I've got some ripe persimmons in the freezer in need of a new recipe! And here it is!
pattypan.2 says
I think I am going to try this one out – Persimmons are currently available here in the UK. I am looking forward to trying this one out as well as the Grasshopper pie.
Pattypan
x
Kimber says
Wow! This looks like something I just want to grab my spoon and dig into! I'm really loving persimmons right now as well!
thedustybaker.com says
Oh my goodness I can't wait to try this!
All That I'm Eating says
These look lovely. I really like the snowflake shape you've got going on here! I've never heard of hard sauce and I think it sounds amazing. I very recently tried persimmons and they weren't my thing but I did have them on their own…but this dessert seems irresistable.
Angie's Recipes says
The pudding sounds heavenly! I love your snow flake ramekins..so sweet.
Rebecca Subbiah says
thanks again Toni hugs have a great Sunday
rosemarried says
This reminds me so much of the very first recipe swap! CM and I had to re-interpret 'Autumn Spiced Persimmon Pudding'. I had never cooked with persimmons before, but quickly discovered that they are an amazing fruit. Bravo with this recipe…the pudding sounds delightful, and your hard sauce sounds AMAZING.
Eliotseats says
Love those snowflake baking dishes!
Carolyn says
Persimmon pudding? How fantastic. I adore hard sauce, but I've generally only had it with mincemeat. But I would dive into this one. Buzzed! (and I love Rebecca on Twitter, she's a doll!)
bananamondaes says
mmmm – nutty fruity pudding. Looks a bit like our 'Sticky Toffee Pudding'. Never tried persimmons though.
MyFudo™ says
I bought a bunch of persimmon the other day and my daughter kept saying how light the color of the tomatoes were. I was telling her they were not tomatoes but're distant cousins. I haven't tried persimmon like this before. I am excited to try this out. Looks really unique and tasty!
Tina says
This is also a new one to me, but I am definitely intrigued by the textures as well as flavors that were pulled together to make this dish. I always enjoy coming across new dishes like this-thanks for sharing. Definitely worth a try-your pictures are tempting.
Toni (Boulder Locavore) says
Ping: You described this perfectly! It is exactly as you imagined made all the better with a dab of the hard sauce (sweet with the light flavor of rum). Really delicious.
ping says
I don't believe I've had anything like this before. I'm imagining it to be crunchy on the outside and chewy, sticky on the inside with a caramelly flavor and with a subtle flavor of the persimmons …. gosh, I'm salivating just thinking about it. I'd love to pick at those bits along the outside of the ramekins 😀 Gorgeous!