Sweet Potato Pone Recipe
- Daniel
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 6 hours ago
After sharing my sweet potato tea cake, a few comments mentioned they’d prefer skipping the meringue. But removing it from a Tartine-inspired recipe felt a little disrespectful to the original creators.
Resemble a wet coleslaw...
So instead of altering that cake, I decided to make something that I wanted to be dense, rustic, and unapologetically humble: sweet potato pone. This is the kind of dessert that doesn’t try to be light or elegant. It’s comforting, grounded, and meant to be eaten warm.
Look at that crust...
Sweet potato pone has its roots in the Caribbean and the American South, especially in Jamaica, Barbados, and parts of Louisiana. The word pone originally described a simple baked mixture of grated roots, fat, and sweetener, more custard than cake, more pudding than bread.
Traditionally, it’s made with whatever sweet potatoes are available, mixed with molasses or brown sugar and warm spices, then baked until just set. Every household has its own version, and none of them aim for perfection.
For this one, I used Japanese purple sweet potatoes, but honestly, use whatever you have or love. Orange, yellow, purple, they all work. If you’re using sweeter varieties, my homemade cookie spice blend is a great complement. It rounds out the sweetness without overpowering the natural flavor of the potatoes.
This is a forgiving recipe, meant to be adapted. Serve it warm, maybe with coconut or vanilla ice cream, and enjoy it slowly. That’s really the point.
Ingredients:
(Serve 8)
Light Muscovado Sugar, 80g
Molasses, 80g
Eggs, 3
Unsalted Butter Melted, 60g
Coconut Cream, 120g
Coconut Rum, 2 TBSP Or Pure Vanilla Paste, 1 TSP
Sea Salt, Pinch
Chinese Five Spice Homemade, 1.5 TSP Or Cookie Spice Blend Homemade
Fresh Orange Zest, 1/2 Orange
Fresh Orange Juice, 45g
Sweet Potatoes Peeled Grated, 900g I'm using Japanese purple sweet potatoes
Coconut Oil, For Greasing
Coconut / Vanilla Ice Cream, For Serving (Optional)
Equipment:
Oven
Lodge 10" Cast Iron Skillet
Hand / Stand Mixer
Directions:
Please visit my "How To Make Chinese 5 Spice" page for the recipe.
Please visit my"Cookie Spice Blend" page for the recipe.
Preheat and Prepare the Pan
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F).
Generously grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet with coconut oil.
Mix the Base
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, molasses, and eggs until smooth.
Add coconut cream, melted butter, and coconut rum (or vanilla).
Mix until fully combined.
Add Spices and Citrus
Stir in Chinese five spice or cookie spice blend, orange zest, and orange juice.
The mixture should smell warm and fragrant.
Fold in the Sweet Potatoes
Add the grated sweet potatoes in batches, folding gently each time.
The mixture should look like a very wet coleslaw — dense and glossy.
Bake
Transfer the mixture into the greased skillet and smooth the top.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue baking for another 10–20 minutes, until the top is set and a skewer comes out mostly clean.
Rest and Serve
Let the pone cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Serve warm, ideally with coconut or vanilla ice cream.
Chewy, custardy and leaving a nutty aftertaste...
Nourishing...
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