When I was making this dessert, I was reminiscing of a time before the pandemic, when there was a popular dessert chain in L.A. called Cafe Bora. They were best known for serving these aesthetically pleasing purple sweet potato desserts that were dusted in vibrant lilac purple sweet potato powder, and they were all the rage back in the day. Geez, I feel old thinking that 2020 was 5 years ago. This dessert was partially inspired by Cafe Bora, but also one other specific memory. I always had a soft spot for purple sweet potatoes because my mother loves them. For her, sweet potatoes and yams were a special treat, and only something that she makes for someone she loves. I thought it was a really sweet sentiment as well, so this dessert is both a nod to Cafe Bora from an aesthetic standpoint, and my mother for her love of the ingredient itself, being a fun take on essentially a sweet potato pie, but with a gorgeously vivid purple color!

For this recipe, we have a pate sucre or sweet pastry tart shell, stuffed with a purple sweet potato custard, a purple sweet potato namelaka(white chocolate-based mousse), and purple sweet potato chips to finish. Literally the main flavoring agent here is the purple sweet potato and pretty much nothing else, which is why almost all of the components utilize a puree made from it! In terms of time and commitment there, the purple chips, while pretty, do take a 20 minutes to bake, so keep that in mind as you are getting the other garnishes ready. The pate sucre itself does need to be chilled before rolling and baking, while the namelaka needs a whopping 1 hour of setting time before you whip it to ensure it has set firm enough to retain a pipe-able consistency. In terms of where this recipe could go wrong or be challenging, it would be the namelaka and the custard. The namelaka can be overwhipped, and it is really hard to fix it if it starts to split. I found that sometimes whisking hot water into the mixture does re-emulsify it, but it is not a consistent solution. Fortunately, with the purple yam puree, since there is a lot of starch there, it actually helps with emulsifying with the fat from the white chocolate, butter, and cream in the namelaka to ensure a smooth, creamy end product. For the custard, if you overheat it, you will have sweet scrambled eggs. Which is why for my recipe, we add the purple puree after the custard is thickened so that if something goes wrong there, you don’t have to make more puree. All in all, this recipe is a bit component-heavy, but each component works in adding a different texture, and really celebrates purple sweet potatoes in so many different iterations!

For the pate sucre:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 dark granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold
a pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a food processor, blend the flour, sugar, butter, and salt together until a fine crumbly dough forms. Then add in the egg yolk and vanilla, and continue to mix until it comes together into one dough. Refrigerate it for 15 minutes, then roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/8 inch-thickness. Cut the dough out into 4-inch disks, re-rolling as necessary, and place into 3 1/2-inch tart tins. Freeze the tart tins for 20 minutes before baking at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. While the shells are still warm, use a cylindrical heatproof object(I used a metal 1/4 cup measure) to re-press the shells against the tart tins in case the shells shrank during the baking process.

For the purple sweet potato puree:
2 purple sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/4 cup heavy cream
a pinch of salt

Boil the potatoes in water until fork tender. Transfer just the potatoes into a food processor and puree with the cream and salt until smooth. Allow the puree to cool down before attempting to use in anything.

For the purple sweet potato custard:
1 cup whole milk
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
3oz purple potato puree


In a pot, bring the milk to a simmer. Then in another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Pour half of the milk into the egg yolks while whisking. Then pour the egg yolks into the milk and whisk everything on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the custard begins to thicken and cling to your whisk. Take the custard off heat and whisk in the potato puree. Pass the pastry cream through a sieve to remove any lumps. Allow the custard cream to cool, covered with cling wrap pressed against the surface, until time to assemble.

For the purple potato namelaka:
4oz white chocolate
8oz heavy cream, in two parts
a pinch of salt
2 tsps gelatin powder + 2 tbsp cold water
1g vanilla bean paste
1oz purple potato puree

In a pot on medium heat, melt down the white chocolate with one part of the cream, a pinch of salt, and the gelatin powder and vanilla bean paste, stirring constantly to prevent the bottom of the pot from burning. Allow the mixture to cool down in the refrigerator for 1 hour, and then mix in the purple potato puree and the remaining heavy cream using a rubber spatula. Transfer to a piping bag.

For the purple sweet potato chips:
1 purple sweet potato
a pinch of salt
olive oil

Thinly slice the sweet potato on a mandolin. Toss the slices with salt and olive oil. Roast at 325 degrees F for 20 minutes. Store in an airtight container until time to use.

For garnish:
Purple sweet potato powder

To assemble, start by piping into the bottom of each tart shell the custard. Then pipe on top of that the namelaka. Finish with a dusting of sweet potato powder and the chips on top.