Sweet potato loaf with apple butter

Some mornings I just need things to happen a little quicker than usual. Avocado on a slice of rye sourdough will always be a favourite, but for something different try baking this loaf the day before. It was born out of my eternal quest to incorporate more vegetables into our daily eating and the kids love it with raw lightly salted butter. As a special treat (and to keep it dairy-free), slather it with the apple coconut butter below. This gorgeous spread keeps well in the fridge for a week or so and is equally delicious stirred into hot porridge, as a topping on pancakes, or on crunchy toast.

Sweet potato loaf

Ingredients

5 medium organic free range eggs, lightly beaten

520g (about 2 cups) mashed cooked sweet potato

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

100g (just over 3/4 cup) coconut flour

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

50g (about 1/3 cup) dried cranberries, soaked in juice from 1/2 an orange for at least 2 hours

60g (1/2 cup) pecan nuts, roughly chopped

some coconut sugar to sprinkle over, optional

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (or 160°C in a fan oven).
2. Grease a medium sized loaf tin and line with parchment paper, allowing the paper to overhang on the long sides.
3. Beat together the mashed sweet potato and the eggs until smooth, light and fluffy.
4. Sift in the baking powder, add the salt, coconut flour and grated ginger, and mix well.
5. Stir in the soaked and softened cranberries, any remaining orange juice and chopped nuts.
6. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes to give the coconut flour time to absorb the liquids.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, sprinkle over a little coconut palm sugar if using, and bake for 50 minutes or until the top begins to brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre of the bread comes out clean.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing. Store covered for a couple of days at room temperature or in the fridge for several days. You could also freeze it. Like most gluten-free breads, it is quite fragile and can’t really be slotted into a toaster, but I do sometimes toast it in a medium hot pan in some butter or coconut oil.

Apple and coconut butter

This will only really work if you have a high-speed blender, as the coconut butter is quite solid in anything other than very hot weather and you will end up with a lumpy mess. But if you don’t own one, try gently heating the coconut butter and then stirring in the apple sauce. It won’t be as spreadable, but still pretty darn delicious as a topping. 

Ingredients

160ml (2/3 cups) home-made or store-bought apple sauce

70g coconut butter (also called coconut manna or creamed coconut) at room temperature

squeeze of lemon juice

Method

1. Pour the apple sauce into the blender, then cut the coconut butter into small chunks and add. If the fat has separated and formed a layer on top of the more crumbly coconut component, make sure you include some of the fat when adding to the apple sauce. 
2. Blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides once or twice.
3. Add lemon juice to taste, blending in between additions.