Monday, January 17, 2022

Sweet Potato Loaf Cake


 Hello Everyone... I'm back with another Sweet Treat.

It's Winter It's sweet potato season, and this aromatic cake from Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking is an ideal cozy-weather snack. The outside is completely cloaked in glossy ganache, but when you slice into the cake, it reveals its heart: tender, gently spiced, and faintly citrusy. You can use canned sweet potato purée instead of making your own, but you’ll need to use less of it to make up for the additional moisture.


INGREDIENTS:


CAKE 1 lb. sweet potatoes (2–3 medium), peeled, cut into 1" pieces, 

or 1 cup (250 g) canned sweet potato purée Unsalted butter or nonstick vegetable oil spray (for pan)

 2½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour 

1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 

1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt 

1 tsp. baking powder 

½ tsp. baking soda 

2 tsp. ground cinnamon 

½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 

¼ tsp. ground cloves 

2 large eggs, room temperature 

1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar 

2 tsp. finely grated orange zest 

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

1 cup vegetable oil


 GANACHE AND ASSEMBLY 

½ cup heavy cream 

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1" pieces 

3 Tbsp. granulated sugar 

2 Tbsp. brewed coffee 

½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 

¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt 

8 oz. (227 g) bittersweet chocolate 

½ tsp. vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS:


CAKE 

Step 1 

Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 400°. If using raw sweet potatoes, wrap in foil and roast on a parchment-lined baking sheet until tender (a knife should slide easily into flesh), 50–60 minutes. 

 Step 2 
Unwrap sweet potatoes and let sit until cool enough to handle. Transfer to a small bowl. Using a potato masher or fork, smash until smooth. Measure out 1¼ cups (250 g) purée; save any extra for another use. 

 Step 3 

Reduce oven temperature to 325°. Butter a 9x5" loaf pan or lightly coat with nonstick spray. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on long sides. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a medium bowl. 

 Step 4 

Whisk mashed sweet potato (homemade or canned), eggs, granulated sugar, zest, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually add oil, whisking constantly until completely incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, fold in dry ingredients in 2 batches, mixing just until combined after each addition. 

Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth surface with an offset spatula. 

 Step 5 

Bake cake until golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 75–90 minutes. Transfer cake to a wire rack and let cool in pan 15 minutes. Using parchment overhang, lift cake out of pan and onto rack. Remove parchment and let cake cool completely. 


 GANACHE AND ASSEMBLY 

Step 6 

Bring cream, butter, sugar, coffee, and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, add chocolate and vanilla, and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool until thickened slightly, 40–60 minutes. 

 Step 7 

Pour ganache over cake (it should flow over the sides) and, using a small offset spatula, smooth it evenly over surface. Chill cake until ganache is set, 20–30 minutes. Bring cake to room temperature before serving. Do ahead: Unglazed cake can be baked 3 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

ENJOY!
Posted by at
Labels:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Food Safety Tips
Protect yourself against food-borne illnesses.


1. Use a "refrigerator thermometer" to keep your food stored at a safe temperature (below 40 degrees fahrenheit).

Cold temperatures slow the growth of bacteria. Ensuring that your refrigerator temperature stays at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of food-borne illness. You can buy a refrigerator/freezer thermometer at appliance stories, home centers (i.e. Home Depot), and kitchen stores including online ones, such as Cooking.com.

2. Defrost food in the refrigerator, the microwave, or in cold water... never on the counter!

Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter for longer than two hours because, while the center of the food may remain frozen, the outer surface may enter the Danger Zone, the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you’re short on time, use the microwave or you can thaw meat and poultry in airtight packaging in cold water. Change the water every half-hour so it stays cold and use the thawed food immediately.

3. Always use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/fish and cooked foods/fresh produce.

Bacteria from uncooked meat, poultry, and fish can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. An important way to reduce this risk is to use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/ fish, and cooked foods/fresh produce.

4. Always cook meat to proper temperatures, using a calibrated instant-read thermometer to make sure.

One effective way to prevent illness is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and egg dishes. The USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures are as follows:

* Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks and roasts), fish - 145 degrees fahrenheit

* Pork and ground beef - 160 degrees fahrenheit

* Poultry - 165 degrees fahrenheit.

Cook meats like roasts and steaks to lower temperatures, closer to medium-rare, so that they retain their moisture. It is recommended that those who are at high risk for developing food-borne illness (i.e. pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, or certain chronic illnesses) should follow the USDA guidelines.

5. Avoid unpasteurized/raw milk and cheeses made from unpasteurized milk that are aged less than 60 days.

Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized (heated to a very high temperature for a specific length of time) to kill harmful bacteria that may be present. These bacteria, which include salmonella, E. coli and listeria, can cause serious illness and sometimes even death. The bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses. Raw milk cheeses aged 60 days or longer are okay, since the salt and acidity of the cheese-making process make for a hostile environment to pathogens.

6. Never eat "runny" eggs or foods, such as cookie dough, that contain raw eggs.

Even eggs that have clean, intact shells may be contaminated with salmonella, so it’s important to cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees fahrenheit and you can use an instant-read food thermometer to check. Eggs should always be cooked fully and those who are at high risk for developing foodborne illness (pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems or certain chronic illnesses should follow the USDA guidelines. If you can’t resist runny eggs or sampling cookie batter, use pasteurized eggs. They’re found near other eggs in large supermarkets.

7. Always wash your hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food and after touching raw meat, poultry, or eggs.

You can pick up a lot of bacteria out in the world, so it’s important to always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food. You should also wash your hands after touching any uncooked meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, as the bacteria from these foods can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. Use soap and warm water and wash thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

8. Always heat leftover foods to 165 degrees fahrenheit.

The USDA recommends heating all cooked leftovers to 165 degrees fahrenheit in order to kill all potentially dangerous bacteria.

9. Never eat meat, poultry, eggs, or sliced fresh fruits and vegetables that have been left out for more than two hours or more than one hour in temperatures hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you leave perishable foods out of the refrigerator or freezer for more than two hours they may enter the Danger Zone—the unsafe temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly.

10. Whenever there’s a food recall, check products stored at home to make sure they are safe.

You should discard any food that’s been recalled because it’s associated with the outbreak of a food-borne illness. But, according to a survey conducted by Rutgers University during the fall of 2008, only about 60% of Americans search their homes for foods that have been recalled because of contamination. For more information on food recalls, visit the website Recalls.gov






Cavier & Vodka
Courtesy of The Lady (Bug) of the Household