Sweet Potato Loaf with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
No, this is NOT a pumpkin bread. So if you aren’t a pumpkin stan but are a fall flavor lover, this sweet potato loaf might be the recipe for you!
Everyone makes pumpkin bread in the fall. I get it! Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a classic. However, I like to shine by being different. With recipes and in life. So what can I make in the same vein to incorporate fall flavors. I was thinking about how some people make sweet potato pie instead of pumpkin pie, and decided I could make a sweet potato loaf. I’m fully aware this is not a ground breaking concept, but it definitely is the less popular option. Now, this will taste similar to a pumpkin version but it will have more of a sweetness and it’s a little more dense.
Baking Tips + Notes
Many fall loaves utilize cinnamon and nutmeg. While that IS a great pairing, I chose to go heavy on the cinnamon with a little bit of cardamom and cloves. I have paired sweet potato and cardamom before and they go really well together. Adding the ground cloves will add a little extra spiciness. If you don’t care for the flavor, you can easily omit. The frosting is completely optional as well. If you are looking for a less sweet option, just enjoy without!
I tested this in both a 9×5 and 8.5×4.5 loaf pan and the baking time really wasn’t too different. The 9×5 pan will only need a few minutes less, but the loaf itself will be more short and squat.
Sweet Potato Loaf Key Ingredients
- Sweet potato – Whenever I bake with sweet potato, I always opt to just buy whole sweet potatoes, peel, dice, boil and mash them myself. That being said, canned sweet potatoes do exist and you can use them. Keep in mind they will most likely have a little bit higher moisture content and you may need to reduce your liquids slightly. I did not test this loaf (yet) using canned, so I can’t tell you by how much.
- Cream cheese – Cream cheese is not in the sweet potato loaf itself, but it is the star of the frosting on top. Now we enjoyed an early test of this recipe sans frosting and it was perfectly enjoyable. So if you are aiming for a little less sweet, you can skip the frosting and still be happy but life is short – go for the extra.
- Cardamom – Cardamom is such a unique flavor. It’s floral, and spicy, and almost citrusy. If you like the flavor you can double the amount used in the recipe and it will be much more pronounced. I reduced it while testing to have it more be a background flavor though.
Ingredients
Loaf
- 250 g Sweet potato 1 large
- 200 g AP flour 1â…” cup
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- ¾ tsp Sea salt
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Cardamom
- ¼ tsp Cloves
- 100 g Vegetable or Canola oil ½ cup
- 200 g Brown sugar 1 cup
- 2 large Eggs room temperature
- ½ tbsp Vanilla
- 60 g Buttermilk room temperature
Frosting
- 113 g Cream cheese 4 oz, room temperature
- 28 g Salted butter 2 tbsp, room temperature
- 120 g Confectioners Sugar 1 cup
- ½ tsp Vanilla
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel and dice your sweet potato. I personally dice mine into cubes about ¾-1 inch but it's personal preference.250 g Sweet potato
- Add your diced potato into a saucepan, and cover with cool water.
- Place on the stovetop over medium heat. Bring to a low boil and let the potatoes boil until fork tender. How long this takes will depend on the size of potatoes but probably around 10 minutes or so.
- When potatoes are ready, remove from heat and drain water. Place potatoes in a small bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher.
- Let your mashed sweet potatoes cool while you prepare the rest of the batter.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan with parchment or lightly grease. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add your flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and whisk together, then set aside.2 tsp Cinnamon | ¼ tsp Cardamom | 200 g AP flour | ½ tsp Baking soda | ½ tsp Baking powder | ¾ tsp Sea salt | ¼ tsp Cloves
- In a large bowl, add brown sugar and oil and stir until combined.100 g Vegetable or Canola oil | 200 g Brown sugar
- Add your vanilla and eggs and mix well.2 large Eggs | ½ tbsp Vanilla
- Add your mashed potatoes and buttermilk. Most of this recipe a spoon or rubber spatula is fine but I would recommend using a whisk to incorporate the sweet potato to make sure you don't get lumps.60 g Buttermilk
- Add your dry ingredients to the wet and mix together with a spatula just until no dry areas remain.
- Pour your batter into your loaf pan and smooth into an even layer. If you would like to control where your loaf cracks, use your spatula to draw a shallow line down the center of your loaf.
- Place your loaf on the center rack of your oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. If you are using a larger pan, start checking at about 30 minutes.
- A toothpick or skewer should come out cleanly when loaf is ready. Remove from oven and allow to cool in loaf tin for at least 30 minutes before moving to a wire rack to come to room temperature.
- When your loaf is cooled, prepare your frosting.
- In a medium bowl, add cream cheese and butter and use a hand mixer to mix together until smooth.113 g Cream cheese | 28 g Salted butter
- Add in your powdered sugar, and mix until well combined and creamy.120 g Confectioners Sugar
- Add cinnamon and vanilla and mix on low until incorporated throughout frosting.½ tsp Vanilla | ½ tsp Cinnamon
- Spread your frosting over the top of your loaf in a generous layer. Store your sweet potato loaf in an airtight container for 2-4 days. Slice and enjoy!
