Réunion's beloved sweet potato cake — baked rather than fried, with Bourbon vanilla, cardamom, brown sugar, and rum. Dense, moist, fragrant; the signature Réunion home dessert.
Gateau patate Réunionnais is the home dessert of the island — baked in a round cake pan, sliced into wedges, served at family lunches especially Sundays. Always Bourbon vanilla and sweet potato as structure.
Cut a wedge — dense, moist, golden-orange from sweet potato + vanilla. Sweet potato structural sweetness, cardamom-vanilla aromatics, rum subtle warmth. More like a quick bread than sponge cake. With coffee or arranged rum, the Réunion afternoon at home.
Mashed sweet potato provides structure and moisture. Baking powder + eggs provide lift. Vanilla and cardamom aromatics survive 50-min baking. Rum alcohol evaporates but leaves flavor.
Variations
Coconut variant adds desiccated coconut. Chocolate adds cocoa. Spiced adds cinnamon nutmeg. Vegan uses flax egg.
On the Palate
Where Gateau Patate Réunion sits in the Reunionese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8
How it's made
9 steps · 30 min active · 70 min waiting
- 122 min
Boil 800 g sweet potatoes 18 min. Drain.
- 217 min
Mash; cool 15 min.
- 35 min
Preheat oven 180°C. Grease 9-inch cake pan.
- 45 min
Add to potato: 150 g sugar + 100 g melted butter + 3 eggs + 1 vanilla bean + 1 tsp cardamom + 100 g flour + 1 tsp baking powder + ½ tsp salt + 2 tbsp dark rum.
- 53 min
Mix uniform. Pour into pan.
- 651 min
Bake 45-55 min until golden and skewer clean.
- 716 min
Cool in pan 15 min. Turn out to cool.
- 81 min
Dust with powdered sugar.
- 91 min
Slice into wedges. Serve with coffee or arranged rum.
