Tip: To make an easy sweet potato mash, peel 400g of sweet potatoes and cut into chunks. Cover with water in a saucepan and simmer on a medium heat for around 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Drain then mash well. To use in this recipe, ensure the mash has cooled enough so that it won’t scramble the eggs.
Ingredients
400g mashed sweet potato (see tip)
2 eggs
60g greek yogurt
½ tsp vanilla paste
125ml vegetable oil
210g plain flour
240g caster sugar
35g soft light brown sugar
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
-To decorate
40g pecans
70g icing sugar
¼ tsp vanilla paste
2 tbsp water
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180oc/160oc fan and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. In a large bowl, whisk together the sweet potato, eggs, greek yoghurt, vanilla and vegetable oil until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients then carefully fold into the sweet potato mix. Pour into the baking tin and bake for 70 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the loaf for ten minutes then take it out the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
To decorate, toast the pecans in a frying pan on a low heat for a few minutes until fragrant, taking care not to burn them. Roughly chop and set to one side. To make the vanilla glaze, whisk the icing sugar, vanilla paste and water together until smooth then drizzle over the cake using a spoon. Scatter over the toasted pecans then cut the loaf into slices and serve. The loaf will keep in an airtight container for up to five days.
Recipe by Victoria Sponge Pease Pudding at http://victoriaspongepeasepudding.com/baking/spiced-sweet-potato-loaf-with-vanilla-glaze/