ORLANDO, Fla. — Personal Chef Benjamin Oakley, known also as "Plate God," has a special place in his heart for both sweet potatoes and corn bread. He decided to combine them, creating a recipe that went viral on his social media platforms.
“It is just gives like another flavor that you are kind of not expecting and I love sweet potato pie and I love candied yams, I just love it,” said Oakley, who has been in the kitchen since he was a kid.
Here is what you’ll need:
- 1 Large Sweet Potato
- 1/2 Cup Buttermilk
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1/2 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Cup Melted Unsalted Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1/2 Cup white Sugar
- 4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 6 Tablespoons Cornmeal
- 1/2 Cup Flour
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
First thing you need to do is wash, peel and boil the sweet potatoes. Once they are soft, toss them in a mixer.
“It’s important to put the sweet potatoes in first and get it moving and get some air inside of there, because when we put the eggs in if it's too hot, we’ve got scrambled eggs and we don’t want scrambled eggs inside our sweet potato corn bread,” said Oakley.
To your mixer, add buttermilk, egg, cinnamon powder, nutmeg, vanilla extract, melted butter, honey, white sugar and brown sugar. Mix until combined.
Then in a large bowl mix together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour in your sweet potatoes and mix. The consistency will be thick but still pourable. If it's too thick, add a little milk
“A little thicker than pancake batter is what we are looking for,” said Oakley. Pour your cornbread mix into your baking dish and put it in your preheated 375F oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until done.
Add toppings and enjoy!
“It kind of gives that desert feel to it,” said Oakley.
For more information on Chef Oakley or to have him cook for you, visit his website here.