Sweet Potato Chocolate Marble Cake
By Aden B. at Pantry Twenty.
Produce:
- sweet potatoes (orange/gold variety)
Pantry/Fridge:
- cashews, ground chia or flaxseed
- whole wheat flour
- baking soda, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, coconut sugar, plant-based milk, apple cider vinegar
- salt
Makes 1 round cake (23 cm / 9 in.) or 6 large cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cooked & mashed sweet potato^
- 3/4 cup raw whole cashews
- 1 cup soy milk^
- 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbs ground chia^ + 6 Tbs warm water
- 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar^
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder^
- 1/4 cup just-boiled water
^ see notes below for substitutions
Instructions
1. Mash the flesh of some cooked sweet potato to fill 3/4 cup. Soak 3/4 cup raw cashews in just-boiled water from the kettle and set aside to soak for 30-60 min.
2. Preheat oven to 180degC conventional and grease a round cake pan (23 cm / 9 in.) or a 6-cavity large cupcake pan. Mix together 1 cup soy milk and 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar, then set aside for 5 min to thicken. Mix together 2 Tbs ground chia seeds and 6 Tbs warm water, then set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift 2 1/4 cups flour*. Add 1 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt then use a whisk to distribute evenly. Set aside.
4. Rinse and drain the soaked cashews then place them in a bullet/personal blender or mortar and pestle, along with 3/4 cup coconut sugar. Process until creamed together with a grainy texture, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add the mashed sweet potato, the milk mixture and the chia mixture. Now add 1 tsp apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix together until combined.
5. Mix 1/2 cup cocoa powder with 1/4 cup just-boiled water from the kettle until no lumps remain, then set aside.
6. Form a well inside the large mixing bowl containing the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet mixture and fold together until just-combined (do not over-mix). Transfer half of this batter into a separate bowl and set aside.
7. To the remaining batter inside the large mixing bowl, add the cocoa mixture. Fold together until just-combined. You should now have one bowl of light-coloured batter and another bowl of dark-coloured batter.
8. Place the 2 bowls of batter next to the cake/cupcake pan. Create a marble effect by placing alternating dollops of light-coloured and dark-coloured batter into the pan (like a checkerboard pattern). Holding a butterknife or chopstick upright, swirl it through the batter in a continuous smooth motion**.
9. Bake for 40-50 min (cake) or 20-25 min (cupcakes) until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and leave in the pan for 5 min before turning it out. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer once completely cooled.
Notes:
^ Suggested ingredient substitutions:
3/4 cup 160 g cooked & mashed sweet potato = 1 medium sweet potato, preferably orange/gold variety
1 cup soy milk = 1 cup almond milk or other creamy plant-based milk
2 Tbs ground chia seeds = 2 Tbs flaxseed meal (leave for 10 min to thicken)
3/4 cup coconut sugar = 3/4 cup date sugar or 3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder = 1/2 cup natural cocoa powder. Dutch-processed gives the batter a darker colour. If using natural cocoa powder (which is acidic), leave out the 1 tsp apple cider vinegar at Step 4.
* There will be approximately 1/3 cup of flakes of bran in the sieve/sifter once all the whole wheat flour is sifted. Keep this sifted-out wheat bran to use as a substitute for breadcrumbs by storing it in a container in the freezer for future use.
** As soon as you mix the wet ingredients with the dry ones, the baking soda starts a chemical reaction with the acidic ingredients, which makes the cake rise. The rising effect doesn’t last long (single-acting/fast-acting) so aim to get the cake into the preheated oven within 10 min of completing the batter (don’t take too long creating the marble pattern).
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