I had a great group of friends in Portland, Oregon. Every Christmas we would have our “Girlfriend’s Christmas Party.” I am SO grateful for the two friends who stepped up and started this fun tradition. They would plan it for the rest of us, and some things were different from year to year, and other things stayed the same. One thing we did every year was play White Elephant. But it was not your normal game of White Elephant. We each had to bring a yummy dessert on a beautiful dish. A cake plate, or bowl, or dish etc. that we would each search high and low for the perfect one for months. We would fight over those desserts and dishes tooth and nail! Some years I fought for a specific dessert I wanted. Other years I fought for the dish I wanted. Either way, my family was always excited to see what fancy dessert and dish I would come home with.
One year my friend Holly brought this Sweet Potato Souffle made in ramekins for individual servings. This recipe has been one I have treasured ever since and have made over and over.
Canned sweet potatoes are good to use, if you can find them. I mostly do raw, whole sweet potatoes. Throw them straight onto the oven rack to roast. Poke with a fork to test for doneness. They need to be soft enough to mash.
When they are done, place them straight onto a cooling rack. Sometimes I roast them in the morning, and they sit there all day waiting for me to come back to them. I like getting the roasting part out of the way earlier, so they are ready to go.
Mash them up well with an electric hand mixer. Whip them up till smooth. Then add the rest of the souffle ingredients. Whip it all up till very smooth.
Pour into a prepared 9×13 baking dish or into ramekins for individual servings.
Prepare the crumb topping by mixing all the ingredients with a fork till fully combined. It will the like wet sand.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. For ramekins they bake more like 25 minutes. Check with an inserted butter knife or toothpick. It should come out clean. It will like the consistency of a pumpkin pie.
Sweet Potato Souffle
Ingredients
- 6 cups sweet potatoes, mashed can use canned or roast your own
- 1½ cups white sugar
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 5 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 can evaporated milk 12 ounces
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup flour
Instructions
- Start by prepping the sweet potatoes. TWO 29-ounce cans of sweet potatoes (we recommend the Princella brand) work or buy raw sweet potatoes in the produce section. Somewhere between 7-10 depending how big they are. **I roast them all, then whatever I don't need after the 6 cups, I store in the fridge to eat later. A little butter with cinnamon and sugar makes some sweet potato mash a great snack.
- Roast your sweet potatoes – No need to scrub them. Poke each one with a fork to allow heat ventilation. Place straight onto the upper oven rack. Cook at 400° for 40 minutes. Poke each one with a fork to check for doneness. The smaller ones will finish first. Remove any that are done to a cooling rack. Check back every 5 minutes till they are done. They need to be soft enough to mash.
- Peel the roasted potatoes or drain the canned potatoes and place in a mixing bowl. It helps if there are measurements on the side, so you know if you are at your 6 cups mark.
- I suggest using an electric hand mixer or could use a potato masher to mash up the sweet potatoes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °.Add in the rest of the ingredients. Mix well till smooth.
- Prep your baking dish by lightly spraying with olive oil. Pour into a 9×13 baking dish or into ramekins for individual servings.
- Mix up the ingredients for the crumb topping. I use a fork and mix till well combined. Should be the consistency of wet sand.
- Crumble evenly, in small pieces, over the top of the sweet potato filling.
- Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes. A knife or toothpick should come out clean. It will be the consistency of a pumpkin pie.