Okay, so spring. Blah blah, the weather sucks. Blah blah it is cold and I’m sick of it. Blah blah blah, when is it ever going to get nice out??? I know we are not alone here in Upstate NY – spring seems to have lost it’s way in a lot of the country this year, and everyone is complaining about it everywhere.
This week though, I am going to take advantage of this half-way season and bake up one of our favorite treats – Sweet Potato Quick Bread. From the photo, you might think this is pumpkin bread, or maybe my favorite cheat, some kind of winter squash bread, right? But no – this bread takes advantage of the fact that in very late winter, or very early spring, sweet potatoes are often at their best – in good winter storage, they just keep getting more flavorful and delicious. Match that up with warm spices and you have a perfect combination. In addition, I have changed up a few ingredients I might normally use for some healthier counterparts – and ended up with some ramped up flavors as well.
I made this last week, and when our older daughter, Ellyn and her family arrived on Thursday, we had the last loaf with our afternoon tea – it was gone in no time at all. When that happens, you know you have a winner. And it makes the cold weather a little easier to take too! 
Getting the sweet potato ready for this recipe is super easy – just bake an extra when you are making them for dinner – it takes one good sized, or two smaller sweet potatoes to end up with the cup called for in the recipe.
- 1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 3 tablespoons dark molasses
- ⅓ cup raw sugar
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ fat free Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose white flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Prepare 4 mini loaf pans, or 1 large loaf pan, by buttering very generously.
- In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potato, coconut oil, molasses, sugar, eggs, yogurt and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the remaining ingredients.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the sweet potato mixture, until well combined.
- Fill the pans evenly and level the tops with a spoon.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes for the small pans, or about 50 minutes for a large one, turning pan half way through to bake evenly. There should still be a few moist crumbs sticking to a tester inserted near the center.
- Cool the loaves in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
- Wrap leftovers tightly - this will keep at room temperature for a couple days, and much longer in the refrigerator.
- Serve with soft butter, or cream cheese - it is delicious toasted.
So, get yourself some sweet potatoes and enjoy this while you are waiting for spring to figure out where it is supposed to be!
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