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Dessert

Traditional Persimmon Pudding

A baked pudding made with persimmon pulp, milk, eggs, flour, sugar, spices, raisins, and walnuts.

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Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Traditional Persimmon Pudding

Oven325°F
Timeabout 83 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

  2. Use a colander to separate the persimmon seeds from the pulp if using native American persimmons; Japanese persimmons usually have no seeds.

  3. Once the seeds and dried sepals are removed, add both the pulp and the skin to a blender and puree.

  4. Dilute one can (13.5 ounces) of coconut milk with water until you have 2½ cups liquid; this works well as a substitute for rich milk.

Make the batter

  1. Mix the milk, melted margarine, eggs, and persimmon puree in a blender.

  2. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl.

  3. Stir the mixture to break up any pudding-like setting and return it to a liquid state.

  4. Sift the dry ingredients together, except for the raisins and walnuts.

  5. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the large mixing bowl.

Bake and set

  1. Bake the pudding in a greased 9×9‑inch baking dish or 9‑inch casserole dish until softly firm (only the slightest hint of movement when tilted), about 83 minutes.

  2. Let the pudding set for 20 minutes; it will continue to cook and set after removal from the oven.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

941Calories
29 gProtein
30 gFat
140 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 12 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Walnut1 walnut half (4g)26
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Persimmonnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together11,917 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,380 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  3. Persimmon + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together47 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  4. Ginger + nutmegtop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,324 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  5. Persimmon + nutmegtop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together26 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Persimmon pulp
Provides the main body, moisture and sweet, fruity flavour of the pudding.
Eggs
Set the pudding as they cook, giving it a firm, sliceable structure.
All-purpose flour
Adds structure so the batter firms into a pudding rather than staying liquid.
Rich milk
Adds moisture and richness, softening the texture and carrying the spices.
Sugar
Adds sweetness and helps browning and a tender crumb.
Margarine
Adds fat, contributing richness and a smoother, more tender texture.

The step that matters

Bake until just softly firm. Eggs and starch keep setting as the pudding cools, so pulling it too late can leave it dry and overset. Removing it while a slight wobble remains lets carryover heat finish the set smoothly.

Swap the ginger

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (persimmon, egg, milk, sugar, cinnamon, flour, nutmeg):

  1. Cardamomfits better
  2. Clovefits better
  3. Allspicefits about as well
  4. Gingerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against persimmon, egg, milk, sugar, cinnamon, flour, nutmeg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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