Creme Brûlée Baked in Sweet Potato

5 Servings
2 hr 15 min

I discovered this particular dessert on social media and I immediately knew that I needed to figure out how to make this. Baked sweet potatoes are such a treat but adding creme brûlée custard and torching it takes this dessert to a whole other level. Here I decided to make the custard taste slightly salty which pairs very well with the sweet potato. It has a nice balance and contrast and the custard stands out from sweet potato.


I prefer to buy the smaller longer sweet potatoes rather than the rounder ones as the shape works better for this dessert. The kind I used is the Japanese purple sweet potato but any variety will work. The Korean sweet potatoes work very well too as they are extra creamy and sweet when roasted.

Creme Brûlée Baked in Sweet Potato
Recipe details
  • 5  Servings
  • Prep time: 15 Minutes Cook time: 2 Hours Total time: 2 hr 15 min
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Ingredients

  • 5 hand sized Japanese purple sweet potato or any sweet potato of your choice
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • Additional granulated sugar for the topping
Instructions
Sweet potato
Preheat oven to 375.
Line a baking sheet with foil. Wash and scrub the sweet potato under water. Using a fork, pierce all over to allow steam to escape.
Bake for about 45 minutes to a hour until soft and the skin is starting to collapse and wrinkle.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly on the baking sheet.
Once cooled enough to handle, cut off a cap of the sweet potato and scoop out some of the flesh. You want to keep enough inside of it for support but enough to make room for the creme brûlée custard. They should now look like tiny canoes/boats ready for the custard filling.
Custard
In a medium saucepan, heat the cream until scalding.
In a medium sized bowl, mix the egg yolks, sugar and salt together. Using a ladle, slowly stream in the cream while continuing to whisk. Once all of the cream has been mixed into the egg yolk mixture, pour everything back into the saucepan. Over medium heat, using a rubber spatula, stir until the mixture has thickened to a runny custard.
Pour the custard into the roasted sweet potato boats.
Once the sweet potatoes are all filled, return to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the filling is almost setting up with a slight jiggle in the center.
Remove from the oven, transfer to a plate and place into the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes to cool the custard slightly. It should remain somewhat warm. You don’t want it to be completely cold.
Once cooled slightly, cover the custard with generous sprinkle of granulated sugar. Using a blow torch, torch the sugar until melted and caramelized. Return to the fridge for a few minutes to harden the caramelized sugar.
Serve and enjoy slightly warm.
Tips
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Comments
  • Terri Terri on Feb 12, 2024

    I bet this would end up tasting like a caramelized sweet potato pie, minus the crust...a good option for gluten free friends.

  • Cso51108026 Cso51108026 on Feb 13, 2024

    This sounds absolutely incredible; I intend to try this weekend!! Butane torch charged and ready to go! I plan to add brown-sugar toasted chopped pecans to the sweet potato before adding the creme brulee mixture. I'm, legit, salivating, thinking of it!!!

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