Sweet potato chocolate cake

You may think that bringing a vegetable to a dessert is a step too far but I promise this cake won’t taste of sweet potato! The mere whiff of the chocolaty gooiness will have your nostrils levitating and your pulse racing. Any hint of vegetable is instantly consigned to oblivion. Packed with beta-carotene, antioxidants and vitamin C, sweet potato rocks this dessert.

The coconut flour makes an ideal substitute for gluten or grain flours (hello Paleo, hello coeliac). And you won’t beat this flour’s fibre content; it contains four to six times the amount of fibre in oat bran and twice as much fibre as wheat bran. (Goodbye haemorrhoids).

What you’ll need:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and then grated – use the attachments on your food processor if you have one)
• 2 medium eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 100-200ml honey (depends how sweet your tooth is)
• 200ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (or use 1 tsp cream of tartar and ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda mixed together)
• 200g of unsweetened, raw cocoa powder (try Green and Black’s)
• 2 tbsp coconut flour

How to make:

1. Fire up the oven to 200 degrees celsius.
2. Mix sweet potato, eggs, vanilla, honey and olive oil in a mixer.
3. Add cocoa powder and mix then add coconut flour and give it a final mix together.
4. Pour into a greased baking tray.
5. Cook for 30-40 minutes at 200 degrees.
6. Optional: melt 70-85% dark chocolate to drizzle over the top once cooled and serve with fresh raspberries. Yum.

But wait! There’s more! 5 great reasons to ditch your dairy chocolate for the dark variety.
It contains:

1. Vitamins and minerals including potassium, magnesium and iron
2. Theobromine – shown to strengthen tooth enamel. So unlike most other chocolate, lowers your risk of getting cavities
3. Compounds that have a positive effect on mood. Phenylethylamine – the same chemical your brain makes when you fall in love….
4. May help lower blood pressure when eaten in small quantities, 2-3 times a week, as it improves blood flow and may help prevent formation of clots
5. Helps control blood sugar; protecting against type 2 diabetes and the high flavonoid content helps reduce insulin resistance

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Islay, my friend's dog's reaction to the Sweet Potato Chocolate cake :)

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