So it’s January and like probably most of the UK i’m on a bit of a health kick, trying to right the wrongs of stuffing my face with mince pies, cheese and chocolate for 4 festively delicious weeks. Although light soups and salads are well and truly on the menu I can’t go totally without the odd treat so when we had some friends round for a healthy Caribbean inspired dinner I decided to bake a healthy ish cake for dessert. I wanted to use the Caribbean flavours of sweet potato and rum and looked around the internet for a recipe but in the end decided to adapt this recipe which i’ve successfully made before (it’s delicious and great for Halloween). Because I was trying to make it healthier and was using sweet potato which is naturally sweeter I was able to cut the sugar level down, I also increased the amount of spice in the cake. So with all this sweet potato and spice this cake is practically a health food right? I served it warm with a little ice cream or low fat creme fraiche.

 

Healthier, Gluten Free, Spiced Sweet Potato and Rum Cake

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Makes: 12 squares

Ingredients:

150g gluten free self raising flour (I used doves farm)

80g light muscovado sugar

3 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

100g sultanas

zest of 1 orange

½ tsp salt

2 eggs – beaten

100g butter – melted

1 tbsp orange juice

1 tbsp dark rum

300g sweet potato – peeled and grated

1 shot of dark rum

Heat an oven to 180C and line a 20cm square tin with baking paper.

Place the gluten free flour, muscovado sugar, mixed spice, bicarbonate of soda, sultanas, orange zest and salt into a bowl and mix well.

In a different bowl mix the eggs with the melted butter until it is well combined. Stir in the orange juice and the tbsp dark rum.

Mix the wet ingredients with the dry and stir well, then stir in the sweet potato.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.
When the cake is cooked pierce all over with a skewer and drizzle over the shot of rum. Leave to cool completely in the tin. When the cake is cool cut into squares and enjoy with a nice cup of tea. Or even better warm it up and have it with a scoop of ice cream. 

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