Have you ever had sweet potatoes laying around and wanted something more than just the oh so yummy sweet potato casserole? Well, I generally have odd desires like that, so after baking and cooling a whole bunch of sweet potatoes, I opted to change up a tried and true banana bread recipe to fit with my mood.
Here’s what you need:
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) salted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp EACH baking powder and baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Optional: handful of walnuts
1. Start by breaking up the 4 tablespoons of butter into a bowl. The butter should be soft but not runny.
2. Add both types of sugar and cream together.
Now, dear reader, I have a confession to make:
I do not own a KitchenAid or any other type of stand mixer. Nor do I own a regular electric mixer. Yes, this would make my cooking and baking life much easier, but it goes against everything in me to pay full price for a KitchenAid. So I wait. And in the meantime, I wear out my hands beating my sugar and butter together until I get a creamy consistency. Okay, back to the recipe.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
5. Measure out 1 cup of the mashed sweet potatoes. This isn’t a super exact recipe so don’t feel bad if you have less than that. Use as much as you have! Add to the butter/sugar mixture.
6. Add the milk and egg.
(*Unrelated: I own a very old point and shoot digital camera. One day, one day soon I hope, I will have a nicer camera to take super sexy food pictures!)
7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet incredients and add cinnamon. Mix until just combined. Don’t overmix them!
8. Optional: add about a handful of chopped walnuts. I love the crunchyness it adds, so this is a must for me.
9. Mix until the walnuts are well-distributed and pour into loaf pan.
10. Now this step, this one right here, explains why Neil puts up with my experimentations:
Oh yes, shake on the granulated sugar on top. It makes my heart sing.
11. Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes-1 hour, depending on your oven. Test with a toothpick and remove when it comes out clean.
Let cool for a bit and enjoy! Or, if you’re like me, break off a big piece and eat it straight out of the oven to “test” it.
