The Sweet Potato Bread Recipe Savory sounding, this is very much a sweet cake and similar to a banana bread in looks and texture.

Ingredients:

7 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, plus extra

for greasing

1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

6oz (175g) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1⁄2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1⁄2 tsp cinnamon

2⁄3 cup sugar

1⁄2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

1⁄2 cup chopped dates

2 large eggs

1⁄2 cup sunflower or vegetable oil

Method:

1 Grease the pan and dust with flour, knocking out any excess. Place the sweet potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes,

until tender. Mash and set aside to cool.

2 Preheat the oven to 335°F (170°C). In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and sugar. Add the pecans and dates and mix in thoroughly.

Make a well in the center.

3 In a large measuring cup, whisk the eggs with the oil until emulsified. Stir in the potatoes until smooth. Pour into the flour mix and stir until well combined with no lumps.

4 Pour the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top with a palette knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour, until well risen and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before turning out.

5 STORE The cake will keep in an airtight container for 3 days.