Recipes to Make with Kids: Japanese Sweet Potato Cakes

Jessica Hamby
Aug 12, 2020
4 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

A Sweet Potato by Any Other Name

The Japanese sweet potato, called a satsumaimo, differs in appearance and taste from the American sweet potato. Japanese sweet potatoes have a bright yellow colored flesh and a sweeter, nuttier flavor. Try one for yourself and see - Japanese sweet potatoes can be found at most Whole Foods, and here in Birmingham, AL, at Homewood Market.

Box of organic Japanese sweet potatoes with reddish-brown skin, priced at $2.99 per pound. Green signage in a grocery store setting. — Japanese sweet potatoes on sale at Whole Foods

However, universally-speaking, sweet potatoes are still sweet potatoes in that they pair well with sugar and serve as a great source of nutrients. The following recipes using Japanese sweet potatoes are a great way for kids to eat.more.veggies. When kids shop for and make recipes with vegetables, they are more likely to consume them, and like them! So, the next time you want an outing and activity to do with kids - shop for some Japanese sweet potatoes and whip up one of these recipes.

Baked Sweet Potato (Yaki Imo)

When I lived in Japan, I saw a passenger on a city bus munching on a cooked sweet potato just like you would an apple. While tutoring middle school kids in English, I saw a student pull a cooked sweet potato wrapped in cellophane out of her lunch box and begin eating it, just like an apple.

Basket with roasted sweet potatoes, showcasing yellow and purple flesh, on white paper. Wooden background, fall leaves nearby. — Photo of Baked Japanese Sweet Potatoes taken from the Sudachi website of Yuto Omura. Learn more and follow his baking steps here.

In America, it's unlikely you'll see someone eating a cooked sweet potato by hand, not to mention without butter, cinnamon, or brown sugar being on it. However, in Japan, the flavor lends itself to the cooked sweet potato being a great on-the-go snack.

This way of eating the Japanese sweet potato is called yaki imo. For my American taste buds, though, I still thought this could use some sugar. Bake some for yourself and see what you think. Your next lunchbox food? Maybe!

Candied Sweet Potato (Daigaku Imo)

Just like the Sweet Potato Pie in America, Japan has a classic dessert devoted to the sweet potato. It's called Candied Sweet Potato in English and daigaku imo in Japanese. This dessert looks like glazed or candied sweet potato wedges with a little bit of black sesame seeds on top. It can be found just about everywhere from conveinence stores to bakeries to restaurant menus.

Glazed sweet potato wedges with black sesame seeds in a dark bowl on a wooden table, bright and glossy with a warm, inviting feel. — Photo of Candied Sweet Potatoes taken from the Sudachi website of Yuto Omura. Try his recipe here, it's great!

It tastes good, but compared to American desserts - even compared to the Sweet Potato Pie - it's not that sweet or dessert-ish. But by Japan's dessert standards, it's definitely a sweet treat.

Sweet Potato Cakes (Suito Poteto)

But, wait, there's one more use for the Japanese sweet potato you can make at home here in America. In Japan, they simply call this dessert Sweet Potato or Suito Poteto, prounouced like (ス(su) イ(ee) ト(to) ポ(po) テ(te)ト (to).

Six golden, glazed sweet potato cakes topped with black sesame seeds sit in foil cups on a cooling rack against a white background. — Traditional Sweet Potato Cakes. Photo taken from the Sudachi website of Yuto Omura. Try his recipe here.

This dessert is unlike anything we have in America. Is it a cake bite, a puff cake, a ball of baked creamy mashed sweet potatoes? Yes, it's all of those things. It can be eaten by hand or with a fork, and is usually baked in foil cupcake liners. So, for that reason, the best English term would be Sweet Potato Cakes.

Baking Class Experience

Two women smiling indoors; one in a polka dot shirt, the other in a floral top. Bright setting with cars visible through windows. — My sweet friend Maki and I planning the baking class she'll teach.

In 2019, my friend Maki taught an Itty Bitty Bakers class for preteens where the students made Sweet Potato Cakes. She had recently seen a version online where traditional Sweet Potato Cakes could be made into cute characters. If Japan is known for anything, it's known for making things cute. Very kawaii!

As with all of our baking classes, the students took our sample picture of the cute baby chick design and made their own versions. We ended up with chacters such as Pikachu, Stitch, a mouse, and maybe one chick.

In addition to the decorating, all of the students enjoyed working hard in the kitchen by slicing, mashing, and stirring the sweet potatoes. And they actually liked eating them!

In my opinion, this recipe is pretty easy. Try it with your kids and serve it as a side dish with dinner!

Recipe: Japanese Sweet Potato Cakes

Yield: 1 medium sweet potato makes about 5-6 cakes

Ingredients:

1 medium Japanese sweet potato
½ tablespoon salted butter
1 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoon milk or heavy cream (add more, if needed)
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
Sesame seeds, pine nuts, almonds, dried fruit, etc (optional)

Directions:

1. Peel the skin off the sweet potato, slice it into rounds, and soak them in water for about 3 minutes.

Place them in a microwave-safe dish, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave until soft.
Once soft, mash the sweet potatoes thoroughly using a potato masher.
While still hot, add the butter, sugar, and salt, and mix well.
Add milk little by little until the mixture becomes smooth enough to shape.
Shape the mixture into small portions. Place them in foil cupcake liners on a cookie sheet or directly onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Decorate as desired.
Brush the tops with the egg yolk for a shiny finish.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until the color turns light brown.
Let cool slightly before serving.