Persimmon Cupcakes – How to Bake with Persimmons

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Persimmons don’t hold to a traditional standard of beauty. When you think that your persimmons have gone bad – when they are ugly and smooshy and make people turn away in disgust – that’s the perfect time to eat them. In fact, if you eat a persimmon when it’s still “pretty”, it can cause a weird numbing reaction in your mouth.


Persimmons are elusive. You have to be in the store during the correct couple of weeks of the year or be lucky enough to know someone with a persimmon tree. Once you find persimmons, you’re never quite sure what to do with them. While there are millions of pumpkin recipes, persimmons are almost exclusively used to make pudding cake – a dark and heavy dessert.

Other Persimmon Uses

If you are looking for a unique flavor, use persimmons in place of pumpkin in any pumpkin recipe. You can make persimmon pie, persimmon cake, persimmon cookies, persimmon ice cream, and of course persimmon cupcakes!

Special Thanks

Special thanks to freelance writer Matt Sorrell. He was working on an article about persimmons for one of St. Louis’s food magazines, Feast, and wanted to feature a persimmon cupcake. I checked my archives twice, but I found no persimmon cupcakes. I wrote Matt back and told him that I didn’t have a persimmon cupcake, but that I would surely rectify the situation in time for his article to go to print. Here is the online version of the article in Feast.

Special thanks also to Chef Josh Galliano for giving me persimmon pulp from the fruit of his family’s persimmon tree to use in these cupcakes.

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3.50 from 4 votes

Persimmon Cupcakes

Finding perfect persimmons can be tricky, but they make some amazing cupcakes.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chill 3 hours
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12 cupcakes
Calories 334kcal
Author Stefani

Ingredients

Cupcake Ingredients

  • cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup persimmon pulp the insides of 1 to 2 seeded over-ripe persimmons
  • ½ cup orange juice

Persimmon Frosting Ingredients*

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 2 large eggs
  • cups persimmon pulp the inside of 2 to 3 over-ripe seeded persimmons
  • 12 oz evaporated milk

Instructions

Cupcake Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda.
  • In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar, then mix in eggs, persimmon pulp and orange juice until thoroughly combined.
  • Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
  • Fill cupcake liners ¾ full with batter.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed clean.

Persimmon Frosting Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
  • Stir continuously until the mixture comes to a boil.
  • Allow to boil for approximately 1 minute.
  • Remove from heat and allow mixture to come to room temperature.
  • Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
  • Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes using a pastry bag with a star tip.

Notes

*This frosting recipe can also be used to make persimmon pie: simply mix all of the ingredients and bake in a pie crust as you would pumpkin pie.

Nutrition

Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 157mg | Potassium: 143mg | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 5.7mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 1.1mg
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14 comments:

  1. Gaylesays:

    I found a recipe lately and did some experimenting…. If you beat/whip your persimmons with your rising material (baking soda and let it set awhile (10-15 min) it makes the persimmons not so heavy. You will actually see the difference after they have set.

  2. Gracesays:

    To Laura and Anonymous, the problem may be the type of persimmon used. There are two types of persimmons, astringent and nonastringent. The astringent ones tend to have more water in them. So depending on which type you used that may be the problem.

  3. Anonymoussays:

    I agree, we followed the recipe exactly for the frosting, but it turned out super liquidy, i tried to strain most of the juice out, but it still didn’t work. We left ours in the fridge over night and still no good. Is there something else it can be used for? Or should we just toss it?

  4. Jethysays:

    About the frosting, were we supposed to stop stirring during that 1 minute of letting it boil?

  5. Stefsays:

    Laura – It may need to be colder. How long did you let it chill?

  6. LauraKorffsays:

    How can I make the frosting turn out. It is very liquid like.

  7. Debra Lawsonsays:

    The persimmon cupcake was very good – and I followed the recipe for the “frosting”, but it did not turn out – had to throw it away and instead put a brown sugar glaze on top of the cupcake.

  8. löki galesays:

    I have 20 kilograms of persimmons sitting in my kitchen and this sounds like a great way to use them!

  9. K.says:

    I grew up with persimmon trees. Despite my mom baking everything, she never used persimmons. The only thing I ever knew they were good for was wine. I ADORE the flavors, though, and may have to try a persimmon cupcake.

  10. Andreasays:

    This looks like such a great recipe- can’t wait to try it! I have a recipe for persimmon cookies that I used to make years ago- I need to make those again too!
    Thanks for your recipe!

  11. Cupcake Linerssays:

    Ok, I must be honest here – I didn’t even know what a persimmon was! However, got some from my mother in law and this is a great use for it, since I’m not a huge fan of them raw. Thanks for the great ideas – keep ’em coming!

  12. Melodysays:

    Oh my! I’m so glad you shared this :) My mom loves Persimmons and she loves cupcakes, so, as I was eating one today, I was actually thinking about whether or not YOU had a recipe for a Persimmons cupcake.

    And I’m so glad you do! And, ironically, posted on the same day I was thinking about it :) Hehe. I can’t wait to surprise my mom.
    Thanks a bundle :)!

    PS. your son is adorable! :)

  13. Passiflorasays:

    Hi, these seem to be delicious. I quoted your recipe in my blog as well and traslated it (at http://cookingmovies.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-i-met-your-mother-best-burger-in.html). I Hope you don’t mind: I ‘ve never baked anything with persimmon and can’t wait to try it.

  14. Jen Hsays:

    Gorgeous cupcake! I had a persimmon and hazelnut salad last night and now obsessed! May have to try these cuppies out now.

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