Have you ever seen those “which one would you give up?” picture collages online? If you had to choose one dessert to live without forever, which one would it be?? How could you possibly choose? Actually it would be incredibly easy in our house - CAKE. Of all the rich, gooey, decadent indulgences out there, why on earth would you settle for a piece of what is essentially just sweetened bread? Even pre- clean eating, I always said the only purpose for a piece of cake was as a vessel to carry the frosting! So you can imagine my shock and dismay when our wonderful daughter asked very specifically, for a vanilla cake, with chocolate frosting, in the shape of a heart for her 5th birthday. How on earth was I supposed to pull that off?
Have you ever looked for a way to make a cake with unprocessed ingredients? You’d better buckle up for some crazy ingredients and complicated concoctions! Tapioca starch and xanthan gum (heads up - this simple sugar derived polysaccharide is not as clean as many recipes make it out to be), and 4 different types of flour that are all imperative to the recipe for the texture to come out as anything resembling a cake. I’m not saying that you’ll never have to buy an unusual ingredient, but stripped right down, the idea of a clean eating lifestyle is to use the most simple, untouched ingredients possible. If you can start every recipe with that in mind, almost every meal will start in the same place, the produce section!
Our birthday cake journey was no different! Lots of research about different ways people have made cakes using paleo, gluten free, keto, etc. etc. etc., guidelines - and yes, I absolutely made a practice cake just to be sure before the big day! Not only did we come up with a winning recipe, but it included the most unexpected, and fun!, secret ingredient in both the cake and the frosting - purple sweet potatoes! This is one of my favorite ingredients to work with, mostly because of its truly endless health benefits, but also because of how versatile it is! One day it’s a yummy side dish, the next it’s in a warm savory summer salad, today it’s the base of a dessert! I could easily launch into a doctoral dissertation on this one, but in the interest of keeping it (somewhat) pithy, here are just a few fun filled facts that will hopefully get you as hooked as I am on this tantalizing tuber!
First of all, get ready… it’s not even a potato! It’s actually a member of the morning glory family, and although it is commonly mistaken for a yam, they differ entirely in taste and nutrition. The gustatory properties of each sweet potato can differ drastically purely based on how it is prepared; the enzyme amylase is activated at a certain temperature and begins to convert the starch into sugar, but deactivates at high temperatures. So in savory recipes, a faster roast at a higher temperature would be preferred; whereas in sweet recipes, a low/slow roast would be ideal to allow those sugars to fully develop. The extensive list of micronutrients in sweet potatoes include carotenoids, polyphenols, and flavonoids - all proven in lab studies to inhibit tumor growth as well as the blood vessels feeding the tumors, which leads to shrinking existing tumors (anti-angiogenesis). George Washington quickly caught on to the sweet potato craze that was already well established in America with the Native Americans, growing them himself on his farmland at Mt. Vernon. Over a century later, during a time of avid agricultural study - especially in the area of crop rotation - George Washington Carver fervently encouraged southern farmers to continuously cultivate sweet potatoes as a nitrogen fixing crop and consequently, one of the few food crops that could be affordably and reliably produced year after year. The nutritional benefits were not lost on him either, as he even included it in his discussions with Ghandi regarding the importance of nutrition on the development of a nation. Also, did you know that February is national sweet potato month?? We didn’t even plan that…
Alright, lecture over. On to the important stuff; how did it taste?? We have actually had to rethink our family status of cake less-than-enthusiasts because of this one. The rich cake is more than just “sweet”, it actually has its own delicious flavor, combined with its fudgy texture this is in no way just a “frosting carrier.” Although the frosting would probably make an old shoe worth eating with it’s thick, extra chocolatey, ganache-like goodness. Combining the two makes for the perfect, health-packed birthday cake, or maybe just a Saturday afternoon cake!
Cake Recipe:
4 C Purple Sweet Potatoes - roasted or steamed *
4 Large Farm Fresh Eggs
1 C Coconut Oil
1 C Pure Maple Syrup
1/4 C Pure Vanilla Extract
1 C Coconut Sugar
2/3 Coconut Flour
1 1/2 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
Place cooked potatoes in the food processor, and puree until smooth. Add eggs, oil, syrup, and vanilla, and process again until smooth and well mixed. Add sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt - process until well mixed, the batter will be thicker than other cake batters. Separate the batter into two different (sprayed) 8” pans - square or circle, depending on the final shape you want - and bake at 350° for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.
Chocolate Cake Option: To make this cake chocolate, just drop the amount of coconut flour to 1/2 cup, and add 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder with the other dry ingredients.
Frosting:
2 C Purple Sweet Potatoes - roasted or steamed *
1/2 C Avocado
1/2 C Pitted Dates
1/2 C Cocoa Powder
1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt
Add all ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth - if frosting ends up too thick, add heavy cream, milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or whatever kind of milk you prefer, until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
*If roasting the potatoes, be sure to tent them with tin foil to keep them from having crispy edges.
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