Sweet potato is favored as a dessert in Asian countries. It is common to find vendors on street corners selling sweet potatoes cooked on hot stones in a coal bin. Vendors use tongs to pack them into small, brown paper bags. On cold winter days, nothing is more delightful than clutching that paper bag close to you as the sweet, smoky aroma reaches your nose and its rich, marshmallowy texture warms your palate.
I love to turn it into a summer dessert, especially since summer meals are much lighter, so a more decadent, fibre-rich dessert is always welcome. You can expect a delightful array of flavors from roasted walnut to orange tones and the creaminess of coconut. All the flavors work so well to bring our the decadence of sweet potato. Let's get cracking!
YIELDS
8 medium/ 16 small slices
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- Sweet Potatoes
- 4–5 sweet potatoes
- 1 tbsp ginger root, skinned, sliced
- 1 tsp nutmeg grated/ powder
- 1 tsp cardomam powder/ pods
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder/ stick
- Filling
- 1/2 cup raw coconut sugar
- 1 whole orange, skinned
- 2 oranges, zest only
- 1/2 cup cacao butter, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt
- Base
- 1/2 cup toasted walnut
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut/ instant oats
- 2 tbsp cacao nibs
- 1/4 cup raw coconut oil
- Aquafaba Meringue
- 1 can can of chickpeas
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp/ 2 tsp cream of tartar/ lemon juice
Directions
Sweet Potatoes
1. Scrub the dirt off the potatoes, skin, then cube.
2. Place skinned, cubed potatoes into a deep pan.
3. Add the sliced ginger root, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom.
4. Top with water and slow-cook until the potatoes are soft.
5. Drain and set aside to cool down.
Base
1. Toast walnuts until they crack.
2. After they cool down, process with desiccated coconut and coconut oil until you have a paste.
3. Hand-stir the raw cacao nibs in.
4. Press into a lined cake pan then chill.
Filling
1. Mill the coconut sugar down so that it resembles fine sugar. If you can’t mill, use maple syrup or turn your sugar to liquid in a pan.
2. Process the cooled down sweet potatoes (along with the cooked ginger root), fine coconut sugar, raw melted cacao butter, skinned and seeded whole orange, zest of two oranges, salt, vanilla and fresh lemon juice.
3. Once smooth, pour/ spoon this onto the cake base, smooth it out then chill.
Aquafaba (Do this stage just before serving)
1. Empty the can of chickpeas into a colander with a bowl under to catch the liquid.
2. Aerate the liquid by whisking it for a few minutes.
3. Next, add two teaspoons of lemon juice OR 1 tsp of cream of tartar.
4. Whisk and gradually add the powdered sugar a bit at a time.
5. Whisk until you reach stiff peaks
6. To test readiness, spoon some meringue onto a spoon then turn the spoon upside down. The meringue should effortlessly stick to the spoon.
Dress your Cake
In the video, I did a really simple layer of meringue on the cake but you can feel free to pipe shapes on and make it as glam as you like. The meringue will melt and liquify after a while whether in the fridge or not, so eat it as soon as you can.
Also by Prashantha: Stir Fried Noodles With Tempeh & Harissa Eggplant
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Photo & video: Prashantha Lachanna
