EASY! Sweet Potato Cake (Gâteau Patate Douce)

A Sweet Potato Cake flavored with vanilla and rum that melts in your mouth! Incredibly delicious! You can serve it hot or cold with or without whipped cream for breakfast as well as for your teatime.

This delicious recipe is inspired by a traditional sweet potato cake from Reunion Island known as Gâteau Patate Douce in French. It’s a unique Sweet Potato dessert, a cross between a pudding and a cake. And interestingly, there are many similarities between this Reunionese Sweet Potato Cake and the Japanese Sweet Potato Cake known as Suito Poteto.

Taste of Reunion Island

Réunion is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department of France. It is located in the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and southwest of Mauritius. The official language of Réunion is French and the majority population speaks Réunion Creole.
A crossroads of African, Asian, and European civilizations, Réunion Island is a true melting pot of cultures. The island’s cuisine known as Creole cuisine takes its unique flavors from centuries of mixed French, Malagasy, Chinese, and Indian influences.

Gâteau de patate douce de la Réunion
(Reunion sweet potato cake)

Discover at home the delicious flavors of Reunionese cuisine!

I love sweet potatoes, sweet or savory, so when I discovered this recipe for sweet potato cake in a cookbook written in Japanese, I couldn’t wait to give it a try and then I fall in love with it.

It’s a very simple recipe that you can easily make. After cooking and mashing the sweet potatoes, you just mix the mashed potatoes with the rest of the ingredients and then baked in a baking pan.

It’s known as a sweet potato cake, however, it doesn’t contain any leavening agents such as baking powder or baking soda and flour. The basic recipe includes cooked sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, and flavoring like vanilla and rum.

sweet Potatoes: A SuperFood

The sweet potato is an amazing vegetable that you can prepare in different ways: in fries, chips, mashed potatoes, in soup, in curry, and of course in cakes and desserts.

There are many varieties of sweet potatoes. I usually use Beni Haruka for my baking. Beni Haruka is one of the most popular varieties of Japanese sweet potato or Satsumaimo that has purple skin and golden insides. It is best for baking due to its soft creamy texture and natural sweetness.

Here are two of my favorite sweet potato recipes.

Japanese Sweet Potato Cake (Suito Poteto)-The BEST Recipe

EASY! Japanese Candied Sweet Potato Fries (Imo Kenpi)

HOW DO YOU COOK SWEET POTATOES?

Boil: Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into evenly sized pieces and then soak them in water for about 5 minutes. Cook them in hot water until fork tender.

Steam: Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into evenly sized pieces and then soak them in cold water for 5 minutes. Place them in a steamer and steam until fork tender.

Microwave: Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into evenly sized pieces and then soak them in cold water for 5 minutes. Place them in a microwavable bowl and add two tablespoons of water and then wrap the bowl tightly. Microwave on high for about 5 minutes and check. Then heat one minute at a time until it’s fork tender. (The time will vary according to the potatoes, and your oven.)

Bake: To bake whole sweet potatoes, pierce the skin in several places with a fork. Bake on a baking sheet at 200°C for about 20 minutes or so. (The time will vary according to the potatoes, and your oven.)

How do you make the sweet potato cake mixture?

The sweet potato cake mixture is typically made in an old-fashioned way by mashing the cooked potatoes by hand with a fork or wooden spoon and then mixing all the ingredients in a bowl. If you like your sweet potato cake dense and a bit lumpy, make the batter by hand.

However, this time, I made it the easy way in a food processor. It cuts the prep time down to just a few minutes, and the texture of the cakes is more creamy and smooth. (See the recipe for more details)

Ingredients for Making Sweet Potato Cake

• Sweet Potatoes: Make sure to choose sweet potatoes that are sweet, creamy, and less watery. I used sweet and creamy Japanese sweet potatoes known as Beni Haruka as they are best for making cakes.
• Butter: Butter makes the cakes creamier giving them a rich taste. You can substitute butter with margarine.
• Milk: Whole milk or coconut milk is commonly used. You can also use heavy cream.
• Salt: A pinch of salt balances the flavors.
• Eggs: You will need two eggs for making the batter and one egg yolk for egg washing.
• Sugar: I used white granulated sugar, however, you can also use cane sugar, coconut sugar, or brown sugar. Adjust the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of the sweet potato you use and to your taste.
• Rum: Rum is traditionally used to enhance the flavor and aroma of the cake. You can also add other liquors like brandy depending on your preferences. If you are non-alcoholic, don’t worry, it also tastes fine without the alcohol.
• Flavors: Vanilla is commonly used.
• Cinnamon: Adding cinnamon is optional but gives a nice aroma and flavor.
• Ground Nuts: I added some ground nuts for a crunchy texture, but not traditionally used.

Tips for Making the Best Sweet Potato Cake

• Use sweet creamy less watery sweet potatoes for the best results. I used Japanese Beni Haruka sweet potatoes.
• When you mash the potatoes in a food processor, process them for a few seconds until just mashed.
• After adding other ingredients to the mashed potatoes, pulse a few times until just combined. Do not process for too long.
• Gradually add milk, little by little, pulsing in between. Once you achieve doughy consistency, don’t add any more.
• This recipe doesn’t typically contain flour, so I made it without adding any flour and it has the perfect texture. However, in any case, if your batter is too wet, you can add some flour, otherwise, it will have less hold.
• The temperature and the cooking time may vary depending on the oven, the thickness of the batter, etc., so make sure to adjust the temperature and time as needed.

servING SUGGESTION

You can serve it hot or cold with or without whipped cream for breakfast as well as for your teatime. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

CHEESECAKE RECIPES

I am a big fan of cheesecake and I have tried pretty much many cheesecake recipes. I have shared several cheesecake recipes on this blog and many more to come…

Sweet Potato Cake (Step-by-Step Recipe)

If you like to make the cake mixture by hand, you’ll find the instructions at the end of the recipe.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8 pieces

Equipment

18 cm Baking Pan and Food Processor

Ingredients

For Cake Batter
500 g sweet potatoes, cooked
100 g sugar
1 egg +1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of rum
100 ml whole milk or coconut milk, at room temperature
30 g butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nuts, optional

For Egg Wash
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon water

Instruction

Preparation of Sweet Potato

Use sweet creamy less watery sweet potatoes for the best results. I used Japanese sweet potatoes known as Beni Haruka.

First, wash the sweet potatoes well. Cut and soak them in water for about 5 minutes. You can peel them before or after cooking.

Boil, steam, or microwave sweet potato until fork tender. I used steamed sweet potatoes and peeled them after cooking.

Sweet potato is ready. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a baking pan and line the base with parchment paper. I used an 18 cm springform cake pan.

Mash the potato while it is still slightly hot in a food processor. Process for a few seconds until just mashed with some lumps (not too smooth). You can also mash the potatoes with a fork and make the batter in a bowl.

Add the sugar, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, rum, and salt. Gradually add milk, pulsing in between. Once you achieve doughy consistency, don’t add any more.

Add softened butter and then pulse one or twice until just combined.

Add the ground nuts, and cinnamon, if using. Process for a few seconds until just combined.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Use a fork to create a pattern as you like (Drawing a grid pattern is common).

Whisk together the egg yolk and water to make the egg wash.

Brush the top of the cake with egg wash. (You can also create the pattern after egg washing the top)

Bake at 200 for about 20 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Temperature and time vary according to the oven, so make sure to adjust as needed.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Gently remove the side ring. Brush the top with honey or apricot jam, if you like.

You can serve it warm or cold. If you like it cold, chill it in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.

Serve & enjoy!

How to Make the Cake Mixture by Hand?

The cake mixture is typically made by mashing the cooked potatoes by hand with a fork or wooden spoon and then mixing all the ingredients in a bowl.

1. In a bowl, mash the cooked sweet potatoes with a fork while it is hot.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, egg yolk, sugar, salt, rum, and vanilla.
3. Add half of the milk and mix. (Do not add all the milk at once).
4. Add the mashed potatoes to the egg mixture and mix until just combined.
5. Add more milk as needed until you have a doughy mixture.
6. Add the melted butter and mix until just combined.
7. Add ground nuts and cinnamon if using and mix until just combined.

SWEET POTATO Cake RECIPE

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