Jamaican sweet potato pudding is a year-round treat but especially nice during the holidays, made with warm spices and a moist base. This authentic recipe bakes into a dense pudding you can slice, with rich flavor in every bite.
8-inch cake pan (at least 3 inches high) or 10-inch springform pan
Ingredients
3lbsboniatoknown in Jamaica as sweet potato, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2lbyellow yamcut into 1-inch pieces
1/2lbkabocha or calabaza squashreferred to as pumpkin, cut into 1-inch pieces
4cupscoconut milkfresh or canned
1 1/2 to 2cupsbrown sugaraccording to taste
¼cupsalted buttermelted
1tspground nutmeg
1tspground cinnamon
½tspground ginger
¼tspground allspice
¼tspground cloves
½tspsalt
1tbspvanilla extract
1tbsprose water
¼tspalmond extractoptional
2tbspwhite rumoptional
1/2cupall-purpose flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, add coconut milk, brown sugar, melted butter, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, salt, vanilla extract, rose water, almond extract (optional), and rum (optional). Whisk well. Reserve 1 cup for later.
Blend sweet potato, yellow yam, and pumpkin in a blender with the coconut milk mixture, minus the cup that was reserved. Might need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of the blender. (Or, instead of cutting up the sweet potato and pumpkin for the blender, another option is to grate it.)
Pour the mixture back into the mixing bowl. Sift and mix in the flour until the batter has a consistent texture. Be careful not to over mix.
Pour the batter into a buttered 8-inch cake pan (at least 3 inches high) or a 10-inch springform pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
After the first 1 hour and 10 minutes of baking, pour the reserved coconut milk mixture over the top and bake for another 35 minutes.
Allow to cool at room temperature for at least one hour before cutting.
Notes
Store uneaten portion in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days, or freeze and consume within 4-6 weeks for best results. Warm refrigerated slices for 20 seconds, if desired. Allow frozen slices to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying.