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Praline Pecan And Sweetpotato Pie

Carolyn Quick Tillery - editor: African American Heritage Cookbook
Who doesn't love Sweetpotato Pie? Praline sauce makes a wonderful sweet addition to this recipe.
[Editor's note: This recipe was found in my grandmother's cookbook as a photocopy. The African American Heritage Cookbook was first published in 1976 and reprinted in 2005.]
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Equipment

  • 9 inch deep dish-glass pie plate
  • food processor

Ingredients
  

Crust

Note: If using a traditional pastry pie shell, prick the bottom of the pie shell and bake in 350℉ oven for 10 minutes until lightly golden brown. If using a prepared pie crust bake according to directions of package.

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • 5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Filling

  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup packed granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • cups heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • cups mashed sweetpotatoes, Note: Approximately 2½ whole sweetpotatoes will equal 1½ cups mashed.

Praline Topping

  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • ¼ cup cane syrup
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ tablespoon grated orange peel
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions
 

Crust

  • In a food processor, combine 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon allspice, and 5 tablespoons melted butter. Blend together by pulsing food processor until crumb mixture is moist.
  • Press crumbs onto bottom and sides of pie plate and set aside.

Filling

  • Preheat oven to 350℉.
  • In a bowl, combine 2 eggs, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup packed brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon allspice, and 1¼ cups heavy cream. Beat well.
  • Add to the bowl, 2 tablespoons softened butter and 1½ cups mashed sweetpotatoes. Beat well.
  • Place sweetpotato filling in pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes.

Praline Topping

  • In a large bowl, add 2 tablespoons softened butter and ¼ cup sugar. Beat together.
  • Add to bowl, 1 egg. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  • Then add to bowl, 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, ¼ cup cane syrup, pinch of salt, ½ tablespoon grated orange peel, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Blend well.

Assemble Your Pie

  • Spoon praline topping over pie filling. Bake approximately 20 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Enjoy!

    About the Author

    For more than 100 years, the small Southern town of Tuskegee, Alabama, has been a mecca for African Americans. The African American Heritage Cookbook brings alive the pride and courage of the thousands of Tuskegee alumni, among them George Washington Carver and Rosa Parks, who have gone forth to change America and the world. More than a collection of wonderful recipes, The African American Heritage Cookbook is a tribute to the abundantly rich history and civil rights legacy that have made the Tuskegee Institute a landmark and an inspiration.