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Sweet Potato Cake with Toasted Pecans and Coconut
This recipe is great for Rosh hashanah!
I had family coming over for a pizza party and I wanted to make a dessert. Since I am testing holiday recipes, I bought canned organic sweet potato puree from Trader Joes.
I wasn’t sure what to do with the puree- I know people usually have one sweet potato dish for Thanksgiving but I wanted to do something different.
I looked at a bunch of sweet potato recipes online and decided to make a spiced cake with the puree. I used cinnamon, cloves and cardamom powders. It is a fabulous blend of flavors with the sweet potatoes.
I then started thinking about a topping of some kind. Coconut and pecans came to mind. I toasted them and added them to a sugar icing. I also added cinnamon for some extra flavor.
The whole combination is fabulous- really. Give it a try and if you don’t like it let me know why.
I served the cake to adults and kids- they all loved it. What I loved about it was that it has the same healthy ingredients I always use. I was thrilled with the results and can’t wait for everyone else to try it as well.
- 1 cup pureed sweet potatoes
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup extra light olive oil
- 1 cup turbinado sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 teaspoon powdered cloves
- 1/3 teaspoon powdered cardamom
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour a 9” round pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. In a large bowl of a mixer, add the sugar and oil. Beat till the mixture is creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add the sweet potatoes and vanilla and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients and pour into the round pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until tester is clean. Let cool and then top with the coconut and pecan icing.
Toasted Coconut and Pecan Icing
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons milk
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
- ½ pecans, chopped and toasted
In a small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon and milk. Whisk well until all ingredients are incorporated and smooth. Add the coconut and pecans. Mix well and pour the mixture on top of the cake. Let it set for at least an hour before serving.
Pomegranate and Feta Salad
Pomegranates are festive. They are my favorite fruit- a bit labor intensive to take the seeds out but so worth all the work. For some reason, I can’ get myself to buy the shelled ones in the stores- so I choose to put in the work.
I love the tangy taste but most of all I love the way the seeds look- like tiny jewels.
I decided to incorporate a salad made with pomegranate seeds dressed with a pomegranate vinaigrette. I had a huge bowl filled with pomegranate seeds and a chunk of feta in my fridge. I thought of feta cheese to cut the tang of the pomegranate seeds. For the vinaigrette, I took out my bottle of pomegranate glaze. I mixed in some white wine vinegar a bit of honey and of course some extra virgin olive oil. The flavors were incredible- tangy, sweet and savory.
Definitely a great salad for the big feast..
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Pomegranate and Walnut Chicken
This was a delicious dish. My husband and I used to order a chicken dish made with pomegranates at an Afghani restaurant years ago. The placed closed down a while ago and I have not eaten that delicious dish for a long time.
I have had pomegranate glaze in my pantry for a long time. I had bought it a couple of years ago from Trader Joes (they had it briefly and don’t anymore). I did some extensive research on the internet and came up with my own version. The two main flavors are the walnuts and the pomegranate glaze. I marinated the chicken in ginger and garlic. In the meantime I made a gravy with onion, and lots of aromatic spices including cinnamon.
The dish has a very distinct taste- really delicious. Serve the chicken with some aromatic basmati rice or freshly made rotis.
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Honey Orange Walnut Cake- Great for Rosh Hashanah
I took this cake to a friend’s house the other day. I wasn’t sure if I would be in the mood to bake anything and was prepared to purchase one instead. The day before we were going for the dinner, I checked with her what she was cooking. That usually helps me coming up with something. Turns out she was serving falafels. Baklava came to mind but I am not a huge fan- I like it once in a while but usually the store bought ones are too sweet and baking them at home is quite labor intensive. I wasn’t looking to spend too much time in the kitchen.
Honey cake came to mind- I researched the internet and looked for something suitable. As I came up with this recipe, I realized this cake would be very appropriate for Rosh Hashanah. It is soaked with a honey orange syrup and the cake itself has orange zest and walnuts. The cake is made with healthy ingredients including white whole wheat flour, raw sugar and extra light olive oil.
The cake was delicious- everyone loved it. It was light yet very moist due to the honey orange syrup.
Try it for the upcoming holiday…
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Ribbon Salad with Zucchini and Carrots
I loved making this salad. It is a great way of introducing different vegetables without cooking them. I took a vegetable peeler and made lovely ribbons with carrots and zucchini.
Speaking of vegetable peelers- it is very important to have a good one. I would highly recommend a Messermeister peeler. I got one a couple of years ago and absolutely love it. It makes peeling a cinch.
Making lovely ribbons was very easy with my great peeler. I combined feta cheese with the carrots and zucchinis. I made a delicious dressing cumin seeds, orange and lemon juices.
The salad was delicious with the chicken on the side- healthy and yummy…
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