Creme Brulee Sweet Potato Recipe

I didn't get to try an Imo Pippi creme brulee sweet potato while in Japan, but I was determined to make it at home.

Made popular by the Japanese brand, Imo Pippi, crème brûlée sweet potatoes are essentially just roasted Japanese sweet potatoes with a crème brûlée topping. Seems simple, but it's absolutely luscious.

Imo Pippi specialise in sweet potato desserts, from the humble roasted sweet potato with a little butter to the viral soft serve with purple sweet potato paste piped on top like a mont blanc.

They also use aged sweet potatoes, which sweeter – apparently they're aged at around 13°C and at a super high humidity. I've no idea how you'd go about this at home, but my simple recipe for crème brûlée sweet potatoes works more than well enough.

By roasting the sweet potatoes slowly for a long time at a relatively low temperature, more of the starches within the sweet potatoes have a chance to transform into sugar – and caramelise, too. The end result is a super rich, dessert-like sweet potato. Split down the middle, filled with crème brûlée filling and topped with torched caramel, it's a very indulgent dessert indeed.

You can also watch how to make these on my YouTube channel, Tashcakes:

Ready? Let's go.

(Makes four creme brulee sweet potatoes.)

Ingredients for roasted Japanese potatoes:

4 x medium-sized Japanese sweet potatoes

Ingredients for no-bake creme brulee:

2 egg yolks
30g caster sugar
10g cornflour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
300ml double cream

For topping:

4 tsp caster sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork.

2. If you'd like a juicier texture, wrap the sweet potatoes with foil. If you'd prefer a cake-ier texture, don't wrap them in foil. Either way, place on a non-stick baking paper or foil-lined baking tray, and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

3. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, make the creme brulee topping. In a bowl, stir the egg yolks, caster sugar, cornflour and vanilla together, and gradually stir in the double cream.

4. Pour into a small saucepan and cook over a low to medium heat, stirring continuously, until very thick.

5. Scoop into a bowl and cover with clingfilm, making sure the clingfilm touches the surface of the custard so a tough skin doesn't form as it cools. Leave to cool to room temperature.

6. When the potatoes are done, let them cool for 5–10 minutes before them splitting down the middle (don't cut all the way through them, just close to the bottom). Open them up a little and evenly divide the creme brulee filling between the potatoes, spooning it into the craters you've just made.

7. Sprinkle about 1tsp caster sugar evenly over each potato (concentrating on the filling), and either pop under the grill or blast with a cook's blowtorch to caramelise.

8. Leave to cool for another minute and serve.

Enjoy, and have fun.