Let's Bake A Cake!

A cake with a difference...these cupcakes are made using sweet potato! Don't be put off, they are fantastic!

I baked these cakes a while ago, but came across my photos yesterday so I thought I would post about them. The recipe is from this book – not my recipe unfortunately – but it is too good to keep to myself, so enjoy J

Makes 12

For the cakes:

2 medium free range eggs

160g caster sugar

200g peeled and finely grated sweet potato

100g white rice flour

100g ground almonds

2tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

3tbsp coffee essence

For the icing:

50g unsalted butter

200g icing sugar, sieved

50g mascarpone

2tsp coffee essence

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Line the cake tray with paper cases.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowel for 5 minutes until pale and quadrupled in volume. Add the grated sweet potato and whisk again. Whisk in the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt, as well as the coffee essence until they are well introduced.

Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, aiming for it to come four fifths of the way up each case. Place in the oven for 20 minutes until the cakes are risen and cooked. Don’t be alarmed if they are flat on top rather than dome shaped.

Whilst the cupcakes are cooking, make the icing. Whisk the butter with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Next, add 100g of the icing sugar and whisk together to create a paste. Beat for an extra 10 seconds at this stage to stabilize and appease the butter.

Add the mascarpone and coffee essence, along with the rest of the icing sugar, and mix by hand with a wooden spoon until all are combined in a happy and unified mixture. Refrigerate until the cupcakes are ready.

Once cooked, remove the cakes from the oven and cool them in the tin for 15 minutes. Ice the cakes, using about 1 tablespoon of icing for each one.

282 calories per cupcake.

This book is a lifesaver for anyone who can’t eat gluten, or is on a diet! My boyfriend bought it for me for my birthday and it’s the nicest cookbook I’ve ever seen! The author uses a vegetable or two in every recipe and until I tried it for myself I never really believed it would work or taste very good – but the cakes are absolutely divine. They are light, fluffy, and tasty and you would never guess what has gone into them. Taking cakes from this book to a party creates a brilliant talking point and I love seeing peoples reactions when I say ‘oh it’s made out of courgette – do you like it?!” I can’t recommend it enough, and I’m sure I’ll post more recipes from it because I do love to bake!