I just love cake. Plain and simple! I’ve been baking cakes for years and will never tire of a beautifully made sponge and I particularly love trying out new flavours. I used to adopt the approach of ‘training to eat’ with a view that with all the training I was doing- I could eat whatever I wanted. I’ve flipped that on it’s head more now to an ‘eat to train’ mentality. This doesn’t mean I don’t love cake anymore (far from it) but I’m finding new ways to satisfy those sweet tooth cravings in better ways. Balanced ingredients, using natural sugars like maple syrup and honey, wholegrains and even some sneaky fruit and veg!
My recipe for sweet potatoes muffins contains all the above. Wholegrain Flour, Oats, sweet potato, maple syrup, pecans and coconut oil.
Inspiration for this recipe comes from across the pond with spiced pumpkin base but it’s not something we get here unless it’s Halloween! Sweet potato ended up being a great substitute.
They are light and fluffy, not overly sweet and absolutely delicious washed down with a cup of coffee after a training session or to fight off the mid afternoon hunger pang whilst I’m sat at my desk at work or busy with a million projects at home. The batter is easy to make and can be done from start to finish in about 30-40 minutes. It means we have a batch of these bad boys in a box ready to grab and go whenever we fancy one!
Spiced Sweet Potato
and Pecan Muffins
Makes 12
Ingredients
130ml maple syrup
90ml coconut oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
60ml milk
260g mashed sweet potato
230g Wholemeal plain flour (you can also use plain white flour)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
60g chopped pecans
60g Oats
Optional extras: you could add a few tablespoons of dried fruits (cranberries or sultanas) or even some chopped/grated crystallised ginger. you could even add half a grated courgette or carrot to sneak in some vegetables!
Topping
15g Oats
20g chopped pecans
Pinch of cinnamon
Method
1- Pre-heat the oven to 170°C.
2- Combine all the wet ingredients into a bowl and whisk together (maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, vanilla and milk).
3- Add the mashed sweet potato and whisk until combined.
4- Add the oats, flour, spices and bicarbonate of soda to the bowl. Then add the chopped pecans and any other extra flavourings you fancy! Fold gently together to combine. It will be quite a thick batter.
5- Spoon the mix into cupcake/muffin wrappers. Approximately 75g batter in each.
6- Combine the topping ingredients together and sprinkle over the top of each cupcake/muffin, pressing lightly into the batter.
7- Bake for 16-18 minutes until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean (when pressed lightly, the cake should feel springy). Any doubt- leave in for an extra minute or so.
8- Leave to cool and enjoy!
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