Sweet Potato Pie Recipe With Whipped Cream

Sliced Sweet Potato Pie With Molasses Whipped Cream

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This pie may look unassuming, but taking out a slice shows off its true beauty.

Nancie McDermott

Updated on November 8, 2023

Recipe tested by

Southern Living Test Kitchen

sliced sweet potato pie with molasses whipped cream — Photo:
Victor Protasio; Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Active Time:

1 hr

Stand Time:

4 hrs

Total Time:

6 hrs 30 mins

Servings:

This old-fashioned, double-crust pie may look ordinary on the outside, but when it's sliced, the inside reveals vibrant orange layers of sweet potatoes flecked with spices and sweetened with sugar and sorghum syrup. We love the simplicity of the classic custard-style sweet potato pie, but on a special occasion, this handsome antique version is well worth the extra time. We suggest topping each slice with a dollop of whipped cream flavored with molasses and vanilla.

Ingredients

Crust:

Double-Crust Pie Pastry

Sweet Potato Filling:

3 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 6 medium-size sweet potatoes, about 2 in. in diameter)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 cup sorghum syrup or molasses or pure cane syrup or honey
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, chopped into small pieces

Egg Wash:

1 large egg
1 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar (optional)

Molasses Whipped Cream:

1 cup cold whipping cream or heavy cream
2 Tbsp. molasses (not blackstrap), pure cane syrup, or sorghum syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Prepare the Crust:

Unwrap chilled pie dough disks from Double-Crust Pie Pastry, and place on a lightly floured surface. Let stand at room temperature until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle each disk with flour. Roll 1 disk into a 12-inch circle. Carefully fit dough circle into a 9-inch deep-dish glass pie plate, leaving a 1 1/2-inch overhang. Refrigerate until ready to use. Roll remaining disk into a 10-inch circle, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Boil sweet potatoes:

Place whole, unpeeled sweet potatoes in a large pot with water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a rolling boil over high. Reduce heat to medium, maintaining a gentle boil. Cook until sweet potatoes are just tender enough to be sliced, but not so tender that they fall apart, 25 to 35 minutes. (Remove any smaller sweet potatoes as they are done, allowing larger ones to cook until they reach the ideal texture.)
Combine spices and sugar:

Stir together sugar, flour, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl.
Slice potatoes:

Drain sweet potatoes, and transfer to a platter to cool. Peel potatoes; trim and discard any fibers. Cut potatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. (You will need about 4 cups to generously fill piecrust.) Gently toss sweet potatoes with sugar-spice mixture.
Fill piecrust:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover bottom of piecrust in pie plate with a layer of Sweet Potato Filling; continue to layer to fill piecrust. Add additional filling to center, building it up a little higher than outer edges. Sprinkle all remaining sugar-spice mixture in bowl over top of pie; drizzle with sorghum syrup, and dot with butter pieces.
Add top piecrust to pie:

Carefully place 10-inch dough circle over filling. Fold edges of bottom crust up and over edges of top crust, and press firmly to seal. Using the tines of a fork, press dough around piecrust edge to make a decorative design. Using a sharp knife, cut 8 slits in top piecrust for steam to escape.
Prepare the Egg Wash:

Stir together egg and water in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush egg mixture evenly over piecrust. Sprinkle sugar over crust, if desired. Place pie on a baking sheet.
Bake pie:

Bake in preheated oven until crust is browned, filling is bubbly, and sweet potatoes are tender all the way through, about 1 hour.
Cool pie:

Transfer pie to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature, about 4 hours.
Make whipped cream:

Using chilled beaters and a large chilled bowl, beat cream with an electric mixer on high speed until thickened, 2 minutes. Add molasses, and beat until stiff peaks form, 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract; beat 1 minute. Cover and chill whipped cream until ready to serve. Serve Molasses Whipped Cream with pie.