This can be done ahead of time. Wash and dry the two sweet potatoes. Preheat your oven to 425 °F. Pierce the potatoes with a fork in multiple places. Run the canola oil over them.
Bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and soft. Remove and cool.
Sweet Potato Casserole Filling
Preheat your oven to 350 °F. Scoop out the inside of the sweet potatoes into a large bowl. Add in the sugar, eggs, butter, cream and vanilla.
Using a hand mixer or immersion blender, beat together the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Scoop into an 8x8 pan.
Crispy Pecan Topping
In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour together. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse and has small pieces of butter throughout, smaller than peas.
Stir in the pecans, then sprinkle the mixture on top of the casserole. Cover with tinfoil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and keep baking for another 25-30 minutes, until the casserole is cooked and set in the middle and the topping has browned. If the topping browns too quickly, cover again with the foil.
Remove and cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. This casserole stays HOT a long time!
Notes
You can make this ahead of time. Simply prepare and then wrap the casserole dish in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the next day. Simply preheat your oven and bake according to the instructions the next day.