Old-Fashioned Persimmon Pudding

From the garden

• 2 cups dead-ripe persimmons, pulped through a food mill or sieve · about 2 pounds American persimmons, or 4–5 fully soft Hachiyas

From the pantry

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1½ cups milk
• 4 tbsp butter, melted · plus more for the dish
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup heavy cream, softly whipped (optional) · for serving

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 2-quart (8-inch square) baking dish. Work the persimmons through a food mill or push them through a sieve to catch skins and seeds; measure 2 cups of pulp.
2. Whisk the pulp with the sugar and eggs in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in the milk and melted butter.
3. Whisk the flour mixture and salt into the wet ingredients until no lumps remain. The batter will be thin, and that's correct.
4. Pour into the dish and bake 50–60 minutes. It will puff, darken to mahogany, and settle as it cools; the center should be set but soft, like a baked custard rather than a cake.
5. Serve warm in spoonfuls with softly whipped cream. It's just as loved cold from the pan the next day.