FOR CAKES BY HAPPY EATERY, THANKSGIVING IS SO MUCH MORE THAN PIES
The persimmon is an ideal fall fruit to cook and bake with and is found in two main varities: the Fuyu which looks like an orange, squat tomato, and the Hachiya, which is larger and heart shaped. Both are sweep when ripe and have a papaya/peach flavor.
Emily Wu-Rorrer (left) appeared on Fox 5's Good Day DC with Annie Mae Weiss to talk about all the delicious ways to use the persimmon in cooking and baking.
Wu-Rorrer (far left) and her sister and partner Vicoria Wu (center) appeared with WJLA's Kidd O'Shea to discuss a wide variety of alternatives to traditional pies for Thanksgiving baking.
Persimmons Are Among the Many Seasonal Options to Traditional Favorites
We love to embrace seasonal sugar and spices and take traditional flavors and comfort of the season and present it in a different way – there are so many wonderful alternatives to pumpkin and apple.”
MANASSAS, VA, UNITED STATES, November 25, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- When it comes to one of the biggest food holidays of the year, Victoria Wu of Cakes By Happy Eatery feels there is life beyond pies when it comes to desserts, and did just that last week with Kidd O’Shea on WJLA’s Good Morning Washington (https://wjla.com/good-morning-washington/alternative-thanksgiving-dessert-options-with-cakes-by-happy-eatery). — Victoria Wu, Co-Owner of Cakes By Happy Eatery
“We love to embrace seasonal sugar and spices,” Wu says. "Take the traditional flavors and comfort of the season and present it in a different way with treats like salted caramel bars, pumpkin rolls and sweet potato cupcakes with a toasted Marshmallow topping – there are so many wonderful alternatives to pumpkin and apple.”
One favorite alternative at the bakery is persimmons, the orange fruits that are in season in the fall and winter featuring multiple varieties that originated in China centuries ago. There are two main versions commonly found in most supermarkets: the Fuyu persimmon, which looks like an orange squat tomato or a miniature pumpkin, and the Hachiya persimmon, which is larger and elongated (kind of like a big, orange acorn) or heart shaped. Both varieties are sweet when ripe and taste like a cross between a papaya and a peach. Emily Wu-Rorrer – Victoria’s sister and co-owner of the bakery -- went on Fox 5’s Good Day DC (https://www.fox5dc.com/video/1742208) last week as well to demonstrate some of the best ways to take advantage of this cool weather delicacy.
One important difference between the two varieties: fresh Fuyu is non-astringent and can be eaten firm or ripe, almost like an apple with a peach/mango flavor. Hachiya is very astringent and must be eaten ripe, otherwise Wu-Rorrer says “your mouth will experience a dry, puckering sensation and even feel a little numb!”. Once ripe, persimmons to not keep well, so enjoy quickly!
“We love baking with them,” says Wu-Rorrer. “You want to puree the ripe fruit with the skin on, and blend into a pulp. I like to do bread muffins with them.” The bakery also does a Persimmon Upside Down Cake like the pineapple version, and also will broil them halved and serve drizzled with honey. Persimmon pie is another option which comes out like pumpkin pie.
“Once you’ve exhausted your baking options and still have some left, why not do a smoothie?” asks Wu-Rorrer. For her that means slicing the stem and cutting into wedges (leave the skin if they’re ripe), and she prefers a milk alternative such as almond, oat or soy mile with a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg.
If you cut Fuyu persimmons into rounds, they have a pretty star-shaped pattern on the inside which can work as an edible decoration. They can be eaten raw in a salad, or wrapped in slices of prosciutto with drizzled balsamic glaze, or even cut into wedges and roasted like potatoes.
“They are incredibly versatile,” says Wu-Rorrer. “Once creative option for Thanksgiving is a persimmon-cranberry chutney that includes onions, fresh ginger, red chili flakes, apple cider vinegar and brown sugar which is a phenomenal addition to a holiday turkey or even a simple roasted chicken for an easy weeknight dinner.”
Other seasonal dessert alternatives the bakery likes for this holiday include chocolate peanut butter crispies, cranberry frangipane tarts, and chocolate pecan tarts with bourbon caramel sauce.
“If you have a larger group, why not try a caramel apple dipping station with assorted toppings with candies, cookies n’ cream, nuts,” Wu suggests. “I also love mini oatmeal chocolate skillet cookies and ice cream and what we call gobble gobble turkey cupcakes where we use decorative icing of a turkey on any cupcake you like – delicious to eat and adorable decorations on the table.”
O’Shea, whose last day at WJLA was last Friday, is also a longtime friend of the bakery who Wu estimates has done more TV segments with the bakery both in studio and at the bakery than any other DC TV personality. After nearly a decade with Good Morning Washington, he’s returning to his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to join TMJ4 (WTMJ-TV ) as the station’s new traffic anchor and community correspondent, and returning to the same building where his career began as a teenager at WTKI-FM.
“We’re really going to miss him,” says Wu. “We’ve done everything from farmer’s markets to COVID donations with Kidd, and we’ve had so much fun working with him over the years."
For more information about persimmons and other season options, go to https://www.CakesbyHappyEatery.com.
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Richard Matthews
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