Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake
The combination of sweet potato and chocolate may raise some eyebrows here, but I want to give a little perspective. We use mashed banana in baked goods, we use grated zucchini, we use applesauce, all of these lend a moisture that can’t be replicated using more butter or sugar. They are all sweet in their own right, which means we can use less actual sugar. The texture completely disappears in the final product to the point that you’d never be able to tell it was there in the first place. Since I first tested this recipe, I’ve remade them three times, tweaking and refining it. They’ve become such a staple in our kitchen that I’ve decided I’ll always have a baked sweet potato in the fridge now so we can whip these up at the drop of a hat. Next time you’re cooking something in the oven, just pop a sweet potato in until it’s really soft, it’s that easy! The size doesn’t have to be exact, not a tiny potato, not a huge one, just a normal one. I’ll always say, cooking isn’t a science, it’s like magic :)
Ingredients:
Makes one 8x8 pan
1 medium sized sweet potato, baked whole in the oven until very soft
¼ cup of butter, melted
½ cup of maple syrup
¼ cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup cacao powder
⅓ cup flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
¼ cup chocolate chips or chunks to sprinkle on top
Directions:
Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grab a medium sized bowl and use a fork to smash the baked sweet potato until smooth-ish (without the skin). Add the butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and cacao powder to the bowl and whisk well. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined. Pour into the pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over top and pop in the oven for about 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean when it’s done, but you don’t want to overcook them! Let them cool a bit before slicing and enjoy ;)
