Sweet Potato Cornbread...it's a Southern thing!

Sweet potatoes and cornbread are definitely Southern staples.  I love both and when I came across this recipe in Cook's Country magazine, I couldn't help but put it on my list to try.  After all, I grew up on cornbread, the best made by my mother and always in a cast iron skillet.  However, trying to incorporate sweet potatoes is tricky--getting a sweet potato flavor without a soggy bottom. That's what I love about America's Test Kitchen.

They tested several precooking methods--boiling, roasting, and microwaving and found the latter to be the best in controlling the moisture that sweet potatoes can give off.  But, they didn't stop at just testing the sweet potatoes. You will also notice the ratio of cornmeal to flour this recipe has.  Most of my recipes call for equal proportions, but ATK found that a 3:1 ratio of cornmeal to flour made a light, yet sturdy bread by changing it.  Finally, they added brown sugar, to develop a deeper color and enhance the flavor, instead of granulated sugar and shied away from adding spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg.  I usually add buttermilk or sour cream to my cornbread, like mom did, but they found that whole milk was preferred by their tasters.  There is a science to baking!

My mother liked to start her cast iron skillet in the preheated oven with a tablespoon of butter and this recipe calls to do the same.  I declare, it was such a good recipe and with a bowl of (vegetarian) chili, it was perfect for the chilly, overcast day; hubby said it was the best I've ever made!

Sweet Potato Cornbread
1 1/2 lbs. (about 2 large)sweet potatoes, unpeeled

Wash and prick potatoes all over with a fork.  Microwave on a large paper plate for 10 to 15 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes until the potatoes are soft and surfaces are slightly wet.  Immediately slice potatoes in half to release the steam.  When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop flesh into bowl and mash until smooth.  You should have about 1 3/4 cups).

Preheat oven to 425F-degrees.  Add 1 T butter to a 10-inch cast iron skillet to heat while mixing up cornbread.

8 T (1 stick/4oz) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup whole milk (I used 2%)
4 large eggs
1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz.) firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz.) cornmeal 
1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz.) King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 3/4 tsp. salt

Whisk the melted butter, milk and eggs into the mashed sweet potatoes.

Whisk the dry ingredients together, then add to the sweet potato mixture and stir to combine.

Swirl skillet to coat bottom of skillet and pour batter into it.  Smooth top with a rubber spatula.  Bake until cornbread is golden brown and toothpick, inserted in center, comes out clean--25 to 30 minutes.

Allow cornbread to cool in skillet, about 30 to 1 hour.  Loosen edges and cut into wedges and serve. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato~Cranberry Streusel Bread

Benjamin Franklin may have coined the phrase, "waste not, want not," but it was my mother who took it to heart.  Nothing got thrown out; I imagine it was due to her growing up during the Great Depression or having eight children to care for on my Dad's income, but either way, she taught me a wise lesson.

So, after Thanksgiving and the refrigerator is full of leftovers, what to make to repurpose some of them...come up with a recipe that makes the family think they're getting something new!  That's what I did with a container of sweet potatoes and a half of a bag of cranberries (the other half went into a pie).

I actually had enough to create a recipe for two (2) loaves, but if you don't, it's easy to cut this recipe in half and add dried cranberries or nuts if there isn't any fresh ones left.  I also decided to make a quick streusel to add to the center for a little surprise and balance with the tartness of the cranberries.  My hubby, who is not particularly fond of mashed sweet potatoes, although he loves sweet potato fries, raved over the result...I hope you will too.

Sweet Potato~Cranberry Streusel Bread
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie spice
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

Streusel:
1 cup firmly light brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup King Arthur all-purpose flour
3 T unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Grease and flour (or spray with a baking spray) two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.  Mix up streusel ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together until thoroughly combined.  Add the melted butter, oil, and vanilla and mix again.  

Combine the dry ingredients and add to this mixture, just until incorporated--don't over mix!  Stir in the cranberries.

Spoon half of the mixture into each pan, then, divide the streusel mixture between them.  Finish with more batter to cover.

Bake in the preheated oven 55-60 minutes, but test to see if they are done by using a cake tester or wooden skewer.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning the bread out to cool completely.

There's one loaf to slice for now and one to put in the freezer for when the next few weeks become hectic from Christmas shopping.  Enjoy!

  

Southern Sweet Potato Pound Cake & October's Give-Away Apron

I bet you didn't know that North Carolina is the leading state in sweet potato production (38.5%); California and Louisiana are second and third.  Furthermore, the town of Benton, Kentucky celebrates sweet potatoes annually in their Tater Day Festival on the first Monday in April. (Whohoo, my Kentucky grandson would like that one!)

I know that my mother loved baking with sweet potatoes and quite often chose to bake a sweet potato pie rather than a pumpkin on several occasions.  This sweet, starchy tuber is rich in complex carbohydrates, beta carotene, and dietary fiber to name a few of the benefits so, understandably it was my choice when coming up with this pound cake.

Sweet potatoes are a reliable crop and grown all over the world for their resistance to the many common pests that plague other vegetables.  In addition to not requiring pesticides, they can be grown in somewhat poor soils without adding fertilizers.  That makes them one of the best "organically grown" vegetables we can eat.

Southern Sweet Potato Pound Cake
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter at room temperature
1-8oz pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups (about 4 medium) mashed sweet potatoes
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
3 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour

Peel and cut into 1-inch chunks, the 4 sweet potatoes.  Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer on a low boil until the sweet potatoes are tender.
Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray a tube pan with a non-stick baking spray and set aside. 

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together.  Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Add the mashed sweet potato and mix together, then add the cinnamon and vanilla and beat on medium for 1 minute.

Sift the dry ingredients and add to the mixture on low speed.  Beat 1 minute more to incorporate thoroughly.  Transfer mixture into the prepared baking pan.

I placed the baking pan on a parchment lined baking sheet and placed in the oven for 65 to 70 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan about 10 minutes, then, lift the bottom up and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

I used a metal spatula to loosen the bottom and around the "cone" then transferred the cake to a serving plate and dusted the top with confectioners' sugar. 

I remember my mother telling me how much more dense the sweet potato was than baking with pumpkin, so I can assure you that the cake transfers quite easily.

To serve, I whipped up heavy cream with 2 T confectioners' sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla.

 Now, finally the apron.  I've found this lovely quilt shop in Raleigh that had the perfect fabric for this month's apron.  The soft orange chrysanthemums revel the season and speaks volumes of the colours that Kelly loved.  She once said to me, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer..."you know, Mom, I really don't like the colour pink!"  We laughed and was reminded of a line from the movie Legally Blonde, when Reese Witherspoon says, "whoever said Orange was the new Pink!"  Well, that would be Kelly.

I'm back from traveling for work and should have quite some interesting recipes to share for the remainder of the month.  Just comment on any of the posts for October and you're entered to win this beautiful and memorable apron. Enjoy!