Healthy Sweet Potato Bread
This healthy sweet potato bread will have your kids fooled! They will never believe they are eating super healthy sweet potatoes. Also great as muffins.
This recipe is part of my healthy kid breakfast repertoire. My kids can’t have dairy, and anyway I don’t want them eating sugary cereals that just drop them into a sugar low in the middle of school. So, I get creative with breakfast that is fast and yummy. I call it “cake” just to make them love it!
The ingredients are simple and I get the whole family involved bringing me ingredients or putting them away, mixing, and mashing. Don’t forget those aprons!
I made this recipe myself. I was quite amazed at how fantastic it turned out. Go me! I must be a pro…maybe I should get a new day job and work for Jamie Geller …not!
Preparation Time: 10 – 15 minutes
Baking time: 50 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Kashrut Type: Parve (or Dairy if you use milk)
INGREDIENTS
2 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
2 cups flour of your choice. Please don’t ruin these healthy muffins with white flour!
Note: The healthiest flour that I know of is 70% or 80% Spelt (make sure it has no added white flour! It is easy to hide this even by law unfortunately), but I use whole wheat since I have a child who is sensitive to everything else. It worked excellent and wasn’t too hard or heavy as whole wheat flour sometimes gets. I don’t see why this recipe wouldn’t be excellent with gluten free flour as well. I find such recipes need some vegetable or fruit binder to work well, and the sweet potatoes should do this perfectly!
2 eggs
½ cup almond milk (or regular milk or other soy milk of your liking)
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
Note: You don’t have to add it, but I like the flavor and texture it creates, and if you skip it, you’ll need more oil)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. baking soda + 1 tsp. lemon juice
Note: You can substitute for 1 tsp. baking powder, but I do this mix since I can’t find baking powder without phosphates – even the “healthy” aluminum–free ones.
Sweeteners of your choice. Adjust to your taste. Some ideas:
- 1/3 cup real maple syrup
- 3 tbsp. honey
- + 3 tbsp. date honey (make sure to buy 100% date syrup, otherwise you’re just getting mostly sugar)
- + ¼ cup demerara cane sugar (or sprinkle sugar on top, or another healthy alternative)
Chocolate chips (I am careful to only buy 70% cocoa without “E” additives)
INSTRUCTIONS
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Mix all ingredients.
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Pour into 9x13in. or Israeli 9x13cm. (220x315mm) baking pan.
It will also work well in loaf pans or Israeli English cake pans, but you’ll probably run into an issue trying to get the middle cooked if you make it too tall.
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Bake!
This is one of those thick cakes that is difficult to cook through without burning. I like 30 minutes on 350F°/180C°, then 20 min 300F°/150C°. It seems done, but it really isn’t.
You want to catch it just as it’s turning dark brown. The toothpick might not come out perfectly clean though, because of the sweet potatoes.
Personally, I have no patience for filling muffin tins, but if you do or your kids just LOVE having their own muffin, go for it! Bake 350F°/180C° for 20 minutes.
