To be honest I was not sure what to call this cake in terms of its sugar content! Basically, there is no sugar mentioned in the recipe list, because I did not use any. I also did not use any sugar free alternatives. I did, however, use some chocolate spread (which does contain sugar) and some peanut butter (naturally recurring sugars) and sweet potato which adds natural sweetness to this delicious cake.
Please do not be put off by the addition of sweet potato – you would not know it even has any in, or indeed peanut butter as it does not taste of peanuts either, but it does make for a wonderfully moist and tasty sponge. There are tiny orange flecks inside the sponge which is the only give away that the vegetable has been added.
There has been a lot of bad press surrounding sugar in the press and media recently, and now that Jamie Oliver has had his sugar tax approved by the government, this has only added to the worries and concerns over how much sugar we should all be consuming in our diets. To be honest it can all get a tad confusing, and thank goodness for information that is readily available to help explain it all. while I happily signed Jamie’s sugar tax petition following on from his TV show that aired last year, I will be honest my children do eat cakes, biscuits, sweets and chocolate still. BUT they are not allowed fizzy drinks, and this is something I hope to keep away from them and their teeth for many more years to come!
I think that while fizzy drinks, cakes, sweets etc are obvious sugar foods, I mean I know that if my kids eat sweets then they are basically eating flavoured sugar. However, it is the foods that contain hidden sugars that you have to be more wary of, and even so-called ‘healthy’ options such as fruit, smoothies and fruit juice contain high levels of sugar, and even though they are naturally occurring, they are still just as damaging to health and teeth.
It is all a bit of a sugar minefield isn’t it?
Regular readers of my blog may recall that from time to time I post (refined) sugar free or low sugar recipes, sweet and savoury, because as much as I prefer to give my boys homemade bakes and cakes I am wary that cakes can contain high levels of sugar, after all it is why they taste so nice! I often add less than the recipe might call for, plus I like to search the web for sugar free or low sugar recipes for inspiration, because there are so many out there to see.
Anyway, back to my sweet potato chocolate cake – with no added refined sugar!
This is such an easy recipe to make and it could be one you could make with your children, because it does not involve too much weighing out of ingredients, although obviously boiling the sweet potato would require supervision. Bear in mind though, that this cake does contain peanut butter so it is no suitable for anyone with a nut allergy. BUT you can buy a nut free peanut butter from most supermarkets now, which you could use instead, and then not add the desiccated coconut either, making it more suitable.
This cake is almost dairy free as I have used chocolate spread (a low sugar one) and peanut butter, so again, you could substitute the chocolate spread for an extra dollop of peanut butter instead, and then not add the chocolate (a sugar free chocolate no less) topping at the end. Ok, so if that all makes sense (*ahem*!), then here is the recipe and method:
- 200g self raising flour
- 4 eggs
- 2 dessert spoons of peanut butter
- 2 dessert spoons of Jim Jams 83% less sugar chocolate spread (I used a non hazelnut one)
- 200g boiled sweet potato cubes
- *For the Topping (which is optional)*
- 100g Free'ist No Added Sugar milk chocolate (from Holland & Barratt)
- 25ml low fat double cream
- desiccated coconut
- raspberries
- Pre heat the oven to 160oC / 180oC
- Grease and line a brownie tin
- Place the chocolate spread, peanut butter, cooked sweet potato, eggs and flour into to free standing mixer bowl and beat for a few minutes to make the batter
- Pour in to the prepared tin and smooth over
- Bake in the oven for 35 minutes approx - until cooked all the way through.
- Leave to cool completely
- If you want to add a topping, then melt the chocolate and stir thought the cream to make a ganache
- Pour over the cake and then sprinkle some desiccated coconut over the top and add some raspberries.
This cake is delicious and you would not know it was virtually sugar free, because it tastes like a cake should! The sweet potato does not affect the cake and you cannot tell there is peanut butter in it either, as it just tastes like a moist chocolate cake. Yummy!
Ooh yum! This sounds so scrummy Jenny. I can certainly vouch for the fact that you can’t detect sweet potato in a cake even though it may have it in the ingredients list; we were really pleasantly surprised with the one we tried too.
You know, I had no idea that a nut free peanut butter is available in the supermarkets these days, I wonder what goes into it 😉
Gorgeous cake Jenny
Angelax
This looks gorgeous Jenny! I quite often bake with vegetables, I think they’re brilliant in cakes. Must give this one a try. Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare X
You make everything look and sound so yummy. We have sugar free peanut butter too so I may try this – if nothing else to get sweet potatoes in my youngest.
This cake looks and sounds delicious Jenny. I have recently seen recipes for cakes using both white potatoes and sweet potatoes, I think I need to have a go! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Wow what an inventive recipe Jenny! I love how Sweet Potatoes are becoming more and more popular to use in sweet cooking. I have to admit I’ve buried my head in the sand with regards to the sugar controversy – even our dentist said we could give the girls lemonade once in a while, which really confused me. Thanks again for joining in with #BakeoftheWeek
That’s a lovely looking cake! I’ve done sweet potato cakes and enjoyed them but not had chocolate in it as well – sounds fab! Thanks for joining in with #BAKEoftheWEEK !
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I’ve just made this and it looks nothing like yours! I cooked it in a square silicone pan and it only took about 18mins to cook, but it’s flat as a pancake and feels kind of rubbery, lol. I’ve made a sweet potato frosting to go on it that tastes delicious, but I’m thinking the kids might suspect that this cake is one of mummy’s weird things again 😀