CARIBBEAN SWEET POTATO PONE

Every month I look forward to the new issue of Delicious Magazine landing at my front door, and this month was no exception. It was jam-packed full of amazing Autumnal recipes and this recipe in particular caught my eye. I have never heard of sweet potato pone before but reading chef Shivi Ramouter‘s tale of how she used to love it as a child growing up in Trinidad, and the fact she described it as halfway between a chewy flapjack and a moist carrot cake, I had to try it out straight away.

Ingredients
250g/8.8oz sweet potatoes, grated
60g/2oz polenta or cornmeal
100ml/3.4fl oz coconut cream
50g/1.8oz desiccated coconut
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground mixed spice
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
150g/5.3oz demerara sugar
25g/1oz unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas 4. Line a 20cm square baking tin with baking paper so the paper overhangs – this will make it easier to lift the pone out once baked.

In a mixing bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, polenta/cornmeal, coconut cream and desiccated coconut.

Stir in all the spices, demerara sugar and a small pinch of salt. Add the melted butter and vanilla extract then mix well.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tin using the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread it out evenly.

Bake for 55-60 minutes until the pone is golden, then remove from the oven.

When the pone is col enough to handle, carefully lift it out of the tin on to a wire rack (keep it on the baking paper). Cut the pone which ever way you want…into squares or at angles to give irregular pieces.

Serve warm with custard, or leave to cool completely to enjoy with a cup of tea.

It really is a perfect mix of a chewy flapjack and a moist carrot cake, and absolutely delicious. I really hope you try it out.