Gluten-free sweet potato, coconut & chai loaf

This not-so-naughty spiced loaf is given a nutrient and moisture boost with sweet potato, which also makes it slower in energy release.

Gluten-free sweet potato, coconut & chai loaf Credit: Lottie Hedley, The Great Australian Baking Book

• serves

  8-10

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

The vinegar is optional, but adds lightness to the loaf.

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond meal (or grind your own almonds – see method)
• 1½ cups grated sweet potato, skin included
• ½ cup grated or desiccated coconut, or coconut flakes
• 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• 1 tbsp chai powder (or ½ tsp ground cinnamon mixed with ½ tsp ground nutmeg)
• 4 eggs
• ¼ cup olive oil or coconut oil
• ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (optional)

Optional topping

• 2 tbsp pumpkin, sesame or sunflower seeds, or a mixture (you can also use crushed nuts)

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 180°C fan-forced. Grease an 11 cm x 21 cm loaf pan with oil and line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper. Place almond meal in a large bowl (to make your own, finely grind whole almonds in a high-speed blender until you have 2 cups). Add grated sweet potato and stir to combine. Add the coconut, baking powder and spices. Mix together and set aside.

 

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs lightly. Add oil and honey and whisk well to incorporate. Add this wet mixture to the bowl of dry mixture. Before stirring, pour the vinegar (if using) on top. Using a wooden spoon, stir together until well incorporated, but avoid over-working the mixture. Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan. You may wish to sprinkle the top with seeds or crushed nuts to decorate. Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and leave in tin to cool.

 

Tip:

When mixing the dry and wet ingredients, be careful not to over-work the mixture or it will turn out rubbery. 

 

This recipe is by The Nutrition Guru and The Chef - Tara and Jeff Leong from The Great Australian Baking Book - edited by Helen Greenwood, Tim Harper and Ruth Hobday. Photography by Lottie Hedley (Echo Publishing, pb, $39.99)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

The vinegar is optional, but adds lightness to the loaf.