Sweet Potato date snacking cake
Sweet Potato Date Snacking Cake! Tender, roasted sweet potato snacking cake sweetened with maple syrup and caramelly dates. An easy dessert snack full of fresh ginger and lots of ground cinnamon, deliciously served with sweet whipped maple butter. Enjoy!
Snackable Dessert
If you're anything like me, you always crave something sweet after dinner. That's why I love snacking cakes - they're easy to make and satisfy my sweet tooth without being too heavy. This sweet potato recipe is like a mix between a quick bread loaf and a dessert bar. Since there's no frosting, it's not as sugary as a cake or pumpkin bars, but it's still super moist and tender. You can even have it for breakfast! Just slather it with some whipped maple butter, and you're good to go.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Have you ever tried roasted sweet potatoes in a cake? I hadn't really thought about it. Initially, I was going to treat the sweet potatoes like a carrot cake and grate them raw, but I was missing out on the incredible flavor and moisture developed by roasting them before adding them to the batter. They have a natural honeyed sweetness that shines when you roast them and fold the velvety mashed sweet potatoes into a cake with chunks of chewy dates. It creates a beautifully tender, moist, sweet crumb that's simply irresistible. All this sweetness is balanced with lots of freshly grated ginger and cinnamon, bringing together all the flavors. A whipped maple butter is the perfect creamy accompaniment to this snackable treat.
Alternative to carrot cake
I also think this would be lovely to share for an Easter brunch or any other gathering. It is similar to carrot cake in some ways, but it has so much more depth of flavor from the roasted sweet potatoes. It still hits the mark for something sweet and easily sharable, making it a versatile dessert option.
How the snacking cake comes together
Roast the sweet potatoes until tender.
Soften the dates in milk.
Mix the mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, maple syrup, coconut sugar, avocado oil, vanilla extract, fresh ginger and softened dated until combined.
Next, fold in the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until no flour clumps are left.
Pour and smooth batter into a square greased baking pan. Bake at 350 F. for 25 minutes, let cool completely.
Serve with whipped maple butter and enjoy!
SNACK
Sweet Potato Date Snacking Cake
Total Bake Time: 1 hr. 15 minutes
EQUIPMENT
9” Square Baking Pan or 9” Round Cake Pan
INGREDIENTS
1 medium sweet potato (1 ¼ cup mashed)
8 Medjool dates, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
6 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup coconut sugar
½ cup avocado oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
1 2/4 cup einkorn flour or AP Flour
2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
Whipped Maple Butter
1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
¼ cup tablespoons pure maple syrup
Pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the sweet potato on a sheet pan and pierce the skin with a fork. Roast for 40-50 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender and a fork pierces through easily. Let cool for 5 minutes, and then carefully peel the skin from the flesh of the sweet potatoes. This is easiest to do while the potatoes are still warm. Place the roasted sweet potato in a large bowl and lightly mash with a fork. It's ok to have some small clumps of sweet potato.
Next, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Warm the chopped dates and milk in a small saucepan over low heat. As the dates soften, lightly smash with a spatula into smaller pieces. Remove the pan from the heat when all the dates are very soft and have melted into the milk. Set aside to cool slightly.
Next, mix the wet ingredients. In the large bowl with the mashed sweet potatoes, add eggs, maple syrup, coconut sugar, avocado oil, vanilla extract, and grated ginger. Whisk together until combined. Add the date and milk mixture and whisk until thoroughly incorporated.
Then, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix with a spatula until combined and there are no more dry flour clumps.
Pour the batter into a lightly greased square 9" baking pan and spread evenly into all the corners. Bake for 25 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cake is golden brown and puffed on top. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the whipped maple butter. Whip the softened butter and maple syrup in a medium-sized bowl with an electric mixer until lightened in color and fluffy in texture.
Cut the snacking cake into squares to serve and spread with whipped maple butter, and enjoy!