Name: Clarissa’s new cake recipe uses sweet potato as its base
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 large sweet potato (350–400g); 120ml olive oil; 250ml pure maple syrup; 40g coconut sugar or brown sugar; 3 eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla essence; 180g almond flour; 130g gluten-free or plain flour, sifted; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda; Pinch sea salt; Vanilla ice cream, to serve; Almond caramel sauce; 200g unsalted butter, chopped, or coconut oil; 250ml pure maple syrup; 200g almond butter; Pinch sea salt

Sweet potato in a cake may sound a little quirky, but Clarissa Feildel guarantees that’ll be worth the effort. Using maple syrup, almond flour and olive oil, she’ll show you how to turn a roasted vegetable into a sweet, moist cake that’s the perfect after-dinner treat.

And, if you don’t eat gluten or wheat, you can swap out the plain flour for GF flour, and it will taste just as good!

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato (350–400g)

120ml olive oil

250ml pure maple syrup

40g coconut sugar or brown sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

180g almond flour

130g gluten-free or plain flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

Pinch sea salt

Vanilla ice cream, to serve

Almond caramel sauce

200g unsalted butter, chopped, or coconut oil

250ml pure maple syrup

200g almond butter

Pinch sea salt

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line a 23cm springform cake tin with baking paper.

Step 2

Pierce the sweet potato with a fork and roast whole with the skin on for 40 minutes or until completely tender. Once cooled, peel away the skin and mash the flesh thoroughly (you’ll need 250g of mashed sweet potato).

Step 3

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, maple syrup, sugar, eggs and vanilla essence. Add the mashed sweet potato and mix until well combined.

Step 4

Add the almond flour, sifted flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until the batter is smooth and free of clumps. Pour the batter into the prepared tin.

Step 5

Reduce oven temperature to 175°C/155°C fan-forced. Bake for 50–60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

Step 6

Meanwhile, for the almond caramel sauce, heat the butter (or coconut oil) and maple syrup together in a saucepan on low heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens slightly. Stir in the almond butter and salt, continuing to whisk until thickened slightly. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Step 7

Serve the cake with a generous drizzle of the almond caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.

clarissa's sweet potato cake with syrupy glaze on top and piece cut out of it. a plate on the side has a scoop of icecream with piece of cake — (Photography: Jeremy Simons, Styling: Emma Knowles)

Clarissa Feildel Chef

As an accomplished cook, author and television presenter Clarissa Feildel has always had food at the heart of everything she does. Clarissa’s Nyonya/Chinese and Sri Lankan background has given her a melting pot of dishes in her repertoire, which she uses every day when feeding her family.