Bake the Book
20121031-brownn-betty-cookbook-sweet-potato-peeling.jpg

[Photograph: Alison Conklin]

Versatile, simple, and delicious, this sweet potato pudding is warm, sweet and filling. Perfect for a cold fall afternoon.

Reprinted with permission from The Brown Betty Cookbook by Linda Hinton Brown and Norrinda Brown Hayat. Copyright © 2012. Published by John Wiley & Sons. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • One 8-ounce package Philadelphia® cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon regular salt
  • 11/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
  • 11/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Vegetable shortening
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Procedures

  1. Arrange the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

  2. Rub the potatoes with vegetable oil and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the potatoes on the lower rack of the oven until fork tender, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool until easy enough to handle. Peel the potatoes.

  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy. Add the potatoes and beat until smooth. Use a spoon to push the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and into a medium bowl.

  4. Transfer the potatoes back to the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and salt and beat until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until blended. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the milk, orange juice, vanilla, and nutmeg and beat until the pudding batter is smooth.

  5. Position the rack in the center of the oven. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with vegetable shortening and set the pan on a baking sheet.

  6. Pour the pudding batter into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle the top with cinnamon. Bake in the middle of the oven until the pudding is set in the center, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer the pudding to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Serve at room temperature or cold.