Sweetly Spiced Sweet Potato Bread

Why is it that everything that is made with yam is actually called sweet potato? Sweet potato fries, sweet potato loaf, sweet potato salad etc. I think it is partly because it just sounds more appealing than yam. Yam sort of sounds like yak – not so appealing. Sweet potato sounds sweet – way more appealing. In reality, yams are the better tasting and the sweeter of the two.

WAIT! I just learned something. Both are actually sweet potatoes! I was going to say that yams are sweeter, moister and more orange while sweet potatoes are less sweet, dryer and more yellow. However, I just learned that what I think of as yams and what are generally sold as yams are in fact just a different variety of sweet potato! True yams are not even related and have a very dark skin and can grow up to SEVEN FEET!!  (see this site  and this one if you don’t believe me!)

So now at least I can call this sweet potato bread without lying to you (I figured I had used yams)! Anyways, if you like pumpkin bread, or carrot cake, or zucchini loaf (bread vs cake vs loaf – let’s not go into differentiating those today! I already lost one battle) then you will love this loaf – or rather bread! It is sweet and moist and deliciously spiced. The picture doesn’t really do it justice (and I only took a couple, late at night!) Enjoy!

Sweetly Spiced Sweet Potato Bread
(adapted slightly from this recipe by loveveggiesandyoga.com)

• 1 1/2 cup orange sweet potatoes (likely labeled at the grocery store as yams!) – peeled, cooked and mashed (I boiled mine but you could steam them or cook them however you prefer)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (or yogurt or sour cream)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tb molasses
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tb cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tb coarse sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. To bowl containing mashed potatoes, add eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in sugars and molasses.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices and salt (not the coarse sugar).
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (it may still be somewhat lumpy – don’t overmix it!)
5. Pour evenly into a greased or parchment paper lined loaf pan. Sprinkle with coarse sugar over the top.
6. Bake 55-65 min or until a toothpick/cake tester comes out cleanly.
7. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes in the pan before removing it to cool completely on a rack.