Gluten-Free Spiced Sweet Potato Loaf with Tahini Coconut Cream
For whatever reason, I got a strong urge last week to bake up some sort of sweet-potato infused bread, full of warming spices and with a thick layer of frosting on top. I tested this gluten-free spiced sweet potato loaf recipe and it somehow turned out SO PERFECT, so I had to throw the recipe up here for all of you!
In case you haven’t noticed (if you follow me on Instagram, you have), I am extra obsessed with tahini these days. I have always loved it, but I’ve had a lot of fun recently infusing it in new ways that go beyond the typical lemon-tahini sauce or hummus. Tahini is a ground sesame seed paste that originates from the Middle East and now, along with being widely available in North America, appears heavily in Armenian, Turkish, Greek, East Asian and Indian cuisines. I adore the taste and texture that it adds to pretty much everything (especially desserts as of late), so I whipped it into a lightly sweetened coconut cream here and it is unreal. It’s truly the ideal compliment to this soft, flavourful and hearty sweet potato bread, which gives me strong carrot cake vibes but without the texture of veg!
I kept this loaf gluten-free by using a mixture of fine almond flour and gluten-free baking flour, which worked incredibly well. I can’t recommend substitutes since I haven’t tested any, but I CAN very much recommend the Bob’s Red Mill GF Baking Flour for this, which is what I always use as an all-purpose GF flour in my baking. Hope you make and love this! Tag me if you do :)
Gluten-Free Spiced Sweet Potato Loaf with Tahini Coconut Cream
Ingredients
¾ cooked mashed sweet potato
⅓ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup vegan butter or coconut oil, melted + cooled
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup almond flour, packed
½ cup gluten-free baking flour (I recommend Bob’s Red Mill)
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp sea salt
For the tahini coconut cream:
1 can of full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight, or coconut cream
¼ cup smooth tahini
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
¼ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Method
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease or line a standard loaf pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together your mashed sweet potato, coconut sugar, maple syrup, butter or oil, eggs and vanilla until you have a smooth mixture. To that, add your almond flour, gluten-free baking flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and sea salt. Use a spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until you have a smooth, thick batter.
Pour batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely.
Meanwhile, make your cream topping by scooping the solid coconut cream from your can (don’t get any of the coconut water in there - save it for smoothies!) and placing it in a large bowl. Whip with an electric mixer until fluffy, then add your tahini, maple syrup and vanilla and whip it again. You should have a smooth, thick, slightly airy mixture. If it’s too thin, don’t worry - you can refrigerate it to firm up!
Once your loaf has cooled completely (this is important so that the cream doesn’t melt), spread the top generously with the tahini coconut cream. Slice and serve! Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days to keep the cream solid.
Makes 10-12 slices
