Gluten Free Sweet Potato Chocolate Marble Cake

Hello friends,

I bring to you today a wonderful seasonal cake that has familiar spiced autumn flavor but is just a little bit more exciting than ye olde pumpkin bread.

This lovely creation is very inspired by my friend and fellow cooking instructor Paige Vandegrift. (See her original version here) Paige and I both worked for a lovely health food co-op for many years in their fabulous education program. Throughout the years bits and bobs of leftovers from Paige’s classes that had happened the night before were always around with staff popping in and out hoping for a bite, and while she created many amazing dishes, this simple cake was always their favorite!

I remembered this recipe and threw this together one night after some GIGANTIC sweet potatoes failed to cook in time for dinner. We WAITED and we WAITED and then we just ate the rest of the dinner without them.

I know, I know, I should have cut them smaller before I roasted them. Such is life eh? I don’t want my kids to get away without a few things to tell their future therapists.

Whether they’re failed dinner sweet potatoes or not, the silky mashed sweet potatoes add more personality and heft than pumpkin would.

The deep chocolate counterpoints the sweetness and makes this a totally arguable breakfast dish as well as dessert. I added a dab of espresso powder to boost the chocolate flavor but if you’re anti coffee you can leave it out.

The high number of eggs and the olive oil make this cake so tender. It’s really perfect with a scoop of ice cream for an unexpected holiday dessert. The oil also gives this a wonderful texture if it’s been frozen, so you can make both loaves and freeze one, or just freeze individual slices for a future “emergency” gluten free dessert.

Let me know in the comments what your favorite sweet potato recipe is, or just hit the heart at the top so I know you’re here!

Happy Baking,

Rachel

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Gluten Free Sweet Potato Chocolate Marble Cake

Yield: One 10-inch tube cake or 2 8x4 loaf cakes

2 3/4 c. (330g) gluten free one to one flour mix (ex: King Arthur Measure for Measure, Bob’s Red Mill One to One, or another mix meant to substitute for all purpose flour one to one)
1 Tb (12g) baking powder
2 tsp (6g) baking soda
1 Tb (12g) pie spice (I’m partial to Penzey’s brand!)
1 tsp (6) fine salt
2 c. (500g )mashed cooked sweet potatoes (from 2lbs raw sweet potatoes)
1 1/2 cups (300g) olive oil
1 1/2 cups (320g) packed brown sugar
2 tsp (10g) vanilla
4 large eggs
4 oz. (113g) semi-sweet chocolate, melted
2 tsp (4g) instant espresso powder

Butter a 10-inch tube pan or 2 8x4 loaf pans.   Mix the dry ingredients together and set them aside.

Beat the sweet potatoes, sugar, oil and vanilla with an electric mixer at medium speed until very smooth and glossy. Add the eggs one at a time. 

Fold in the dry ingredients.  Once thoroughly mixed scoop one third of the batter into a separate bowl.  Into the smaller amount of batter mix the melted chocolate and espresso powder. 

Dollop the batters in the pan(s), alternating as for a marble cake.  With a skewer or the blade of a table knife, gently draw swirls through the batter to create the marble effect.

Bake in a 350° oven (not on convection) until the cake springs back and a thermometer inserted in the center reads 200F—about 65-70 minutes for the loaves and 70-75 for the tube cake.  Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.