Prepare your spoon because I’m coming with a delicious persimmon and cocoa pudding! Would you believe me if I tell you that to prepare this delicious dessert you need only two ingredients?! Yes, indeed! Of course, they are essential and NOT replaceable! What are they? A nice ripe persimmon and some unsweetened cocoa powder! Nothing else! No eggs, butter, oil, flour, yeast, or milk. In short, a gluten-free, lactose-free, and no-bake dessert suitable for everyone! And you won’t need to turn on the oven or soil “bowls” or use electric whisks!
The persimmon and cocoa pudding is a vegan, no-bake dessert. It is also light, perfect for those on a diet! To prepare it, you need a blender where you put the cleaned and chopped persimmon and the unsweetened cocoa. It will only take a few seconds to blend it before pouring the mixture into molds of your choice. It should rest in the fridge for a few hours and then we can finally enjoy it!
The light persimmon and cocoa pudding is perfect as a snack or to serve at the end of a meal. For those with a sweet tooth, it can be enriched with whipped cream or nuts.
The persimmon harvest begins in September and ends with the arrival of the first cold. We are therefore still in time to enjoy this light dessert that is truly delicious! The only precaution for making this no-bake vegan dessert is to use ripe persimmons. At the end of the article, I explain how to recognize a ripe persimmon 😉
Why is it called persimmon? Actually, we derived this name from the Japanese name for the fruit: kaki. Diospyros kaki is the plant that produces these delicious fruits. Of Chinese origin, it is more widespread in Japan. It is one of the oldest fruit trees cultivated by humans. The Chinese call it the “tree of seven virtues“. In 1880, Diospyros kaki also arrived in Italy, and from here the name persimmon. It’s a fruit rich in vitamins and fiber, and we can consume it with the peel if washed properly. We only need to wait for the fruit to ripen to appreciate its goodness!
I’ve talked too much! Let’s see how to prepare persimmon and cocoa pudding together!
Other delicious and easy-to-prepare treats!
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2 puddings
- Cooking methods: No-bake
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall
Ingredients
- 1 persimmon (ripe and large, cleaned weight about 7 oz)
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (or sweetened cocoa)
- Half vial almond flavoring (not essential)
- 2 amaretti
- to taste unsweetened cocoa powder
Tools
- Blender
- Molds
- Spatula
Steps
As I mentioned before, preparing this dessert is simple and very quick!
Simply remove the stem and peel. Chop the persimmon into pieces and place it in a blender.
Blend for a few seconds until it becomes a puree. At this point, I advise tasting with a spoon.
This pudding is made without adding sugar because the persimmon is already sweet.
However, depending on our tastes, it might be necessary to add a teaspoon of sugar.
So I recommend tasting and if you like the taste, add the unsweetened cocoa powder.
If you want to avoid using sugar, you can replace the unsweetened cocoa with sweetened cocoa to balance it out!
I also added half a vial of almond flavoring (it is not essential) to flavor the pudding.
Blend again for a few seconds until you get a cream.
Mix the composition quickly with a spatula and pour it into aluminum molds (or silicone or ceramic).
With these doses, I obtained two puddings using the classic disposable aluminum molds.
Gently tap the molds on a surface to level them and then place them straight in the fridge for at least four hours.
After the time has passed, take the molds and turn them over onto nice serving plates.
I wanted to sprinkle the surface with some unsweetened cocoa and decorate it with a crumbled amaretto.
Of course, it’s not essential, but it makes this very simple dessert more chic!
Those who are not on a diet can make it even more delicious with the addition of whipped cream clumps!
I discovered this delicious persimmon dessert thanks to Valentina, author of the blog Profumo di limoni. You can find the original recipe here. Valentina calls it “kapi di cachi pudding” but I won’t tell you the meaning of this name! You will have to go to her blog and read her beautiful story as I did. Once you start, you won’t stop being on her blog 😍
FAQ
How many varieties of persimmons are there?
There are particularly 4 varieties of this famous Chinese fruit: Fuyu, Hana Fuyu, Jiro, and O’Gosho. We also find hard and soft persimmons. Among the hard persimmons, the most appreciated is “Kako O’Gosho” or “Apple Persimmon” with a vanilla flavor and a paler, firmer, and crunchier pulp. A peculiarity of this variety is that apple persimmons can be consumed right after picking (also with the peel) without waiting for ripeness. Why? They contain a lower amount of tannins, which would otherwise make them inedible. In fact, unripe persimmons are unpleasant! The term “allappare” is often used to indicate the sensation you feel after eating them! The Apple Persimmon is my favorite!
How do I know when a persimmon is ripe?
Persimmons can be consumed when they are ripe. Their peel turns an intense orange color and they have a soft consistency. In this case, they will have lost the high tannin content they have when not yet ripe and can be enjoyed in all their sweetness. If consumed earlier, they release a really unpleasant sensation in the mouth! This rule does not apply to the Apple Persimmon as explained above.
How to store persimmon pudding?
It can be stored in the fridge for about 2 days, in an airtight container to prevent it from absorbing other odors.
How is it possible that no gelatin is needed to set persimmon pudding?
The answer is “thanks to Mother Nature”! The pulp of persimmons has a high thickening power, making it unnecessary to use gelatin or other thickeners to prepare persimmon pudding.
