Sticky Toffee Persimmon Pudding

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This Sticky Toffee Persimmon Pudding is the most delicious one-bowl dessert that consists of a single layer sponge that’s topped with sticky toffee sauce. Pair it with a cup my Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte for peak fall behavior!

Sticky Toffee Pudding with toffee sauce poured on top.

Persimmons are romantic. I know that sounds silly but if you’ve ever been to Japan in the fall, you’ll see persimmons hanging from the ceilings by string. It’s called hoshigaki. The art of dried persimmons. It’s absolutely gorgeous and it uses my favorite type of persimmon: the hachiya.

Ingredients for Sticky Toffee Persimmon Pudding

Ingredients all laid out for the Sticky Toffee Pudding.
  1. Hachiya Persimmons – this pulp from very ripe hachiya persimmons is what will give this cake the most moisture and delicious flavor.
  2. Butter – melted butter in the cake is our fat of choice, giving moisture and flavor. More butter is used in the toffee too.
  3. Egg – This gives the sponge structure and body.
  4. Heavy cream – This is added to the sticky toffee to offer a creamy element.

For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe card below!

Ingredients being mixed in a bowl.

What is Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding is a traditional British and English dessert. It’s also popular in New Zealand and Australia. The colonizer’s dessert! It’s made of a moist sponge cake that is sweetened with ripe dates and served with a toffee sauce on top. It’s absolutely delicious. This is definitely my favorite British winter dessert; while my favorite British summer dessert is Eton Mess.

We are obviously doing it a bit different by using hachiya persimmons instead. I like to think of this as an American and British mash-up. Persimmon cake is very American and I’m combining the two.

Fuyu Persimmons vs. Hachiya Persimmons

There are two types of persimmons: fuyus and hachiyas. Fuyas are round and stout and eaten best when they’re firm. They’re perfect for salads or even in stuffing.

Hachiyas should be eaten when they’re very, VERY soft. The ones I had were so soft I thought they were going to burst

Before it's baked in a pan.

How to Make Sticky Toffee Persimmon Pudding

  1. Whisk the persimmon pulp until smooth. I like to start this in a very large measuring cup so I can measure out the persimmon pulp and then it’s turns into a one-bowl cake! You want to whisk the pulp until it’s smooth.
  2. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Add in the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, white sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, egg and vanilla. Lastly, add in the flour.
  3. Bake it up! Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and transfer it to the oven. It’ll take about 45 minutes to be done.
  4. Make the Sticky Toffee – This is my favorite part. In a saucepan, add in the butter, brown sugar and salt. Cook it until it starts to caramelize. Then pour in the heavy cream and whisk it until smooth.
  5. Pour on top – When the cake comes out of the oven, let it stand for about 5 minutes. Then pour the warm sticky toffee on top. Add some flakey sea salt.
Sticky Toffee Persimmon Pudding in a pan.

Tricks and Tips

  • Re-warming the toffee sauce – If you make it early on in the process and it cools down, it might stiffen up. No problem. Just set it over medium low heat and whisk it until smooth. Add a splash more of heavy cream if needed.
  • How to store the cake – I love this cake warm or at room temperature. Store it on the kitchen counter. I’ll often times put it on a large plate or cutting board and top it with a colander to protect it from anything.

Recipe FAQs

Do Americans have sticky toffee pudding?

Not really but they should! I think this is a nice American take lol.

Why is it called a pudding when it’s actually more like a cake?

The British call this super moist sponge a pudding. I think it resembles the texture of a cake more. But I will say it’s a nice in-between. Regardless, it’s delicious.

Sticky Toffee Persimmon Pudding with a scoop taken out.

Other Seasonal Desserts

If you tried this Sticky Toffee Persimmon Pudding or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

5 from 5 votes

Sticky Toffee Persimmon Pudding

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 55 minutes
Cooling Time: 10 minutes
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
This Sticky Toffee Persimmon Pudding is a mash-up between an English classic and an American persimmon pudding. This soft sponge is made with very ripe hachiya persimmons and topped with a sticky toffee.

Equipment

  • 1 (8-inch round cake pan)

Ingredients 

Persimmon Pudding:

  • 1 cup hachiya persimmon pulp, from 3 very ripe hachiya persimmons
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

Sticky Toffee:

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 vanilla bean, scraped 
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream 
  • Flakey sea salt, for garnish

Instructions 

To Make the Persimmon Pudding:

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a 4-cup measuring cup, measure out the persimmon pulp; give it a good mash with a fork until it’s resembles a smooth(ish) puree. Stir in the baking soda, white granulated sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, egg and vanilla extract
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined, being sure not to over mix the batter. Transfer to a 7-inch or 8-inch round baking dish. Bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until the center puffs up slightly and the edges pull away from the pan. 

To Make the Sticky Toffee:

  • In a medium saucepan, set over medium low heat, add the butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Cook until the butter has melted and the brown sugar begins to caramelize, about 2 to 3 minutes. When the brown sugar begins to bubble, add the heavy cream and stir. Cook for an additional 3 minutes. During this time the toffee sauce will thicken and reduce by a little bit.

To Assemble the Pudding:

  • When the persimmon pudding comes out of the oven, pour the warm toffee sauce over the pudding and sprinkle with a few generous pinches of sea salt. 

Notes

Tips and Tricks: 
  • Alternatively you could use a 8×5 or 9×5-inch loaf pan. 
  • The persimmons should be VERY soft to the touch. Even bruised looking is ok. 

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 250mg | Potassium: 228mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 70g | Vitamin A: 496IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American, British
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!

Cozy Latin-Inspired Comfort Food Recipes

Hi! I'm Adrianna and this is my cozy space on the internet that is super-charged by butter, flour and copious amounts of pasta. Stay awhile, will you!

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26 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is wonderful and not your typical dessert! I only had access to fuyu persimmons, but it was no problem. I ripened them in a bag with a banana for about 6 days and then once I was ready to bake the cake, I peeled and blended them to get that smooth texture. The toffee sauce along with some flaky salt and homemade vanilla ice cream….a delightful and light dessert! Was a hit with everyone, thanks for sharing.

  2. 5 stars
    Absolutely fantastic! This is one of the few, if any, recipes for persimmon pudding that does not include milk. I was hesitant about it, but it is just spectacular! However, I did double up the recipe, but halved the sugar in the pudding since I knew the butter toffee syrup would be sweet. It was just perfect! This is definitely a keeper recipe! Thank you!

  3. Hi, and thank you for the recipe. I’m planning to make it for the upcoming T-Day. Would you say you should serve the pudding right out of the oven/warm/cooled to room temperature, and how long does it keep? Happy Thanksgiving!

  4. I tried getting into this American Life – I can’t get into it… but I totally can get into allll dat pudding.

  5. This was probably the first time I used persimmons in baking, but I’m glad I did! I only had quite ripe persimmons of the firm variety (never seen hachiyas here), but they pureed nicely with immersion blender. Hopefully one day I can try this with hachiyas to find out how the taste compares.

  6. A friend offered the best theory I’ve heard so far: Hae had something on Jay, threatened to tell Stephanie, so Jay convinced her to meet him and strangled her to keep her quiet.

    1. Girl, read this:

      http://www.reddit.com/r/serialpodcast/comments/2n15kb/how_jay_killed_hae_with_adnan_none_the_wiser/

      It makes sense.

  7. This looks amazing! I am also hooked on Serial. Sooo good. May I ask where you found your little white enamel pot? It’s such a handy size! I’ve been on the lookout for one just like it.

  8. This looks so good! I can’t always get persimmons. Do you think I could substitute canned pumpkin? I know it would taste good, I’m just not sure how it would affect the moisture of the final product. Aren’t ripe persimmons quite a bit wetter than canned pumpkin? What do you think?

    1. Hmm…I’m not sure. It would be super risky because persimmon pulp and pumpkin puree are very different–it’s must wetter than pumpkin puree and the viscosity and sugar levels are also super different. I’d say if you give it a go, definitely hold off on making the toffee sauce until you know the pudding itself worked!

  9. I’m addicted to Serial.. I don’t think I would make it through the ridiculous traffic in Atlanta without it. This sticking toffee looks amazing and would be great for the holidays.