Sweet Potato Pudding
A beautiful, golden pudding, this is a Jamaican classic. Back in the Caribbean, we often make it in a pot over hot coals with more piled on a lid on top. As the saying goes, ‘Hell-ah-top, Hell-ah-bottom – and Hallelujah in the middle!
100g (3½oz) raisins juice of 1 orange 1 tbsp rum 100g (3½oz) butter, melted, plus extra for the tin 1kg (2lb 4oz) sweet potato, grated200g (7oz) soft brown sugar 200g (7oz) plain flour 3 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp grated nutmeg 1 tsp salt 3 tsp vanilla extract 200ml (7fl oz) coconut milk 2 large eggs single cream, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Put the raisins in a small saucepan with the orange juice and rum. Bring to the boil, turn off the heat and leave to soak for 10 minutes or while you prepare the other ingredients.
Grease a 26cm (10½in) springform cake tin with butter. Put thepotato in a big mixing bowl with the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well with your hands so the potato is coated in sugar and spices. In another, smaller bowl, mix together the vanilla extract, coconut milk, melted butter and eggs, then add in the raisins and any of their liquid. Stir this into the sweet potato mixture.
Pour the batter into the cake tin and cook in the hot oven for1¼–1½ hours, or until firm. This is a pudding rather than a cake and is meant to be moist inside. Eat hot, warm or cold – and definitely with cream. I love cream, and in this case it is essential.
