Ingredients:

Cake

• 3/4 cup peeled cooked, and cooled orange sweet potato (see note)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water divided
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole-grain spelt flour
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup mini or regular nondairy chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp scant sea salt
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tsp scant baking soda

Frosting

• 1 cup loosely packed peeled cooked, and cooled sweet potato (see note)
• 2/3 – 3/4 cup coconut sugar or other unrefined sugar see note
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup scant raw cashew butter or almond butter
• 1/4 tsp rounded sea salt
• 2-5 tbsp nondairy milk see tip
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat an 8” x 8” brownie/cake pan or a 9” round cake pan with coconut or other oil, and fit the bottom of the pan with a small piece of parchment paper. In a blender (or using a handheld blender and a deep cup or vessel), puree the sweet potato, 1/2 cup of the water, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and vanilla extract until completely smooth. In a large bowl, combine the flour, coconut sugar, chocolate chips, and sea salt, then sift in the cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the wet ingredients to the dry (be sure to scrape out all the blended ingredients with a spatula, and use the remaining 1 tablespoon of water to rinse the blender jar and get out any remaining puree). Mix until just well incorporated. Transfer to the prepared pan, bake for 21–23 minutes, remove, and let cool on a cooling rack.

Frosting

Place the sweet potato, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, cashew butter, sea salt, 1–2 tablespoons of the milk, and vanilla extract in a blender or food processor and puree until very smooth. It’s best to use a blender or processor (versus a stand mixer) if using orange sweet potato, to fully smooth out the potato. Taste, and add more sweetener if desired, and also another 2–3 tablespoons of milk if needed to thin to preferred consistency (you may need more milk using yellow sweet potato as they aren’t quite as moist as the orange). Puree until smooth, scraping down the blender/processor bowl as needed. Puree until as smooth as possible. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to use on the Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake. Or, get a spoon and dig in!