Sweet Potato Pudding Cake for Thanksgiving

I have never tried sweet potato pie, but I imagine this cake has a similar profile.

I love sweet potatoes....they don't need butter or maple syrup or anything to adulterate them, they are delicious just the way they are.  

They are loaded with vitamins and make a healthy lunch (for me anyway).  I love mixing leftover sweet potatoes into quiches and frittatas.  

I saw a recipe on Eating Well for a sweet potato pudding cake, and I knew I would try it and make it my own.

I don't like or use coconut milk, so subbed in a cup of Lowfat Dannon yogurt.  Perfect.

I added baking powder to the recipe, because I wanted more of a cake.  Again, perfect.

I also added in almond flour for good measure (and I love mixing it in with all purpose flour).   

What can I say?  This cake is pretty perfect.   If you like a bread pudding consistency, a dense, moist cake, then this has your name on it.

  The boozy raisins are wonderful too......I made a topping of unsweetened coconut mixed w/ chopped pecans, cinnamon and turbinado sugar.    

This smells like Thanksgiving.  

The original recipe can be found on the Eating Well website (if you can't have dairy, then use the coconut milk in the original recipe).   

Sweet Potato Pudding Cake: (loosely adapted from Eating Well)

3/4 cup of dark raisins

2 tbsp rum

1 large sweet potato, baked and mashed (skin removed, obviously)

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp melted butter

1 cup of packed light brown sugar

1 cup of flour

1/2 cup of almond flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of salt

I baked my sweet potato in the microwave, then mashed it.  Easy.

Soak the raisins in the rum for 15 minutes, then drain out the liquid.

Add to the sweet potato mash.  

Next, mix in the melted butter, vanilla, 3 eggs and light brown sugar.

Add in the dry ingredients last.   You will have a nice smooth batter.

Grease and line a 9" springform pan with parchment paper and pour the batter into the prepared tin.

For the topping:

1/2 cup of pecans, chopped

1/4 cup turbinado sugar

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup of natural, unsweetened coconut 

Spoon the topping over the cake and bake in a 350F oven for one hour.  You may need a few minutes more, but my oven runs hot, and I found 1 hour was fine.

Let rest in the pan 30 minutes before removing the sides.

This is delicious warm, but also great kept in the fridge, eaten cold with whipped cream.

xo