Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls

I'm a little sad that this will be my last sweet potato post for awhile. They are such a great year round treat and so very versatile. Alas, my family has turned a bright shade of orange and, since they don't want to risk being poster children for bad tanning products.... I bid farewell. But not before I share my last hurrah:

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls with Orange Cream Cheese Icing

Printable Recipe

Dough:

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 package)

3-3 1/2 cups flour (I used bread flour)

1/2 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Filling:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

Icing:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

2 - 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Combine the milk and butter in a measuring cup and microwave for about 45 seconds on high or until the temperature is 110 ° F. (bathwater warm). If it gets too hot, just let it cool for a few minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl and stir in the sugar and then the yeast. Let this mixture stand for about 5 minutes, or until it begins to foam.

Add two cups of the flour, sweet potatoes, cardamom, salt, and orange peel to the yeast mixture and beat well. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. (Alternately, add 3 cups of the flour right away and just use the dough hook on your mixer to knead the dough for about five minutes).

I love the orange color of the dough...this is going to be so good!

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean damp towel. Allow dough to rise until double, about 1 hour. In the mean time, in a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and 3 tablespoons sweet potatoes.

Roll out the dough into a 12X9 inch rectangle (I like to do this on my Silpat). Spread the dough with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Roll up the dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal sized pieces and place into a greased 9X13 inch pan. Cover and let rise until doubled.

If you look closely, you can see the flecks of orange peel.

My filling got a little warm and melty. I was a bit concerned that I made too much, or that I should have chilled it......

.......and it was a little messy getting the rolls cut (I used the dental floss method), but it was all good in the end. Next time I may chill the dough for a bit before slicing, but there was just enough filling to make a nice gooey roll.

Bake at 375 ° F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven and frost while warm.

For icing, combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla, orange juice and orange peel in a medium sized bowl. Beat well with a hand mixer. Slowly beat in enough of the powdered sugar to make the desired consistency.

I think the best part of making these with sweet potatoes is that they didn't dry out right away.

And there you have it: warm, gooey, soft, and sweet....with a hint of orange and a subtle sweet potato taste. My husband snarfed up two of them immediately. I think the recipe is a keeper.....

Sweet Potato Ice Cream

With Spring finally making an appearance, I couldn't help but think of what kinds of things I want to be making as the weather warms up.....and, gee, how could I incorporate a sweet potato into it? Ice cream immediately came to mind. I've had pumpkin ice cream before, always near the beginning of Fall, but would  a sweet potato work? Yes, as a matter of fact!

When I was a child, my best friend's father was a milkman. Not only was he a milkman, but he also owned and operated a restaurant, right on Main Street, across from my own father's bakery. This was one of those fabulous small town restaurants that had an authentic soda fountain. The best part was that they served ice cream that was made right on the premises. Oh, how I remember watching as the fresh ice cream came out of the machine....and we always got to have the first taste. I was forever after a big ice cream fan.

Nowadays, we get to make our own ice cream at home with one of those modern little ice cream makers. It makes the job a real cinch and the great thing about it is that you can come up with any flavor your heart desires. Let me show you how I made my concoction.

Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Printable Recipe

3 large egg yolks

1 large egg

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon ginger paste (or 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder)

Combine the egg yolks, egg, maple syrup, and sugar in a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer on medium speed to beat until the mixture is thick, smooth, and pale yellow in color, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Combine the heavy cream and the milk in a medium saucepan. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the milk/cream mixture, whisking to combine. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture starts to simmer. Cook for an additional two minutes, or until the custard coats the back of a spoon, being careful not to let the mixture come to a full boil (or the eggs will curdle, trust me).

In a medium bowl, combine the sweet potatoes with the ginger, the orange peel and the orange juice. Pour the custard over the sweet potato mixture and stir to combine. Chill for at least two hours.

Do you see a theme with my sweet potato creations? I love the combination of orange and sweet potatoes. It makes the flavors so Spring-like!

Pour the sweet potato custard into the ice cream maker and churn per the manufacturer's directions. With my machine, it was ready in about 30 minutes.

The finished ice cream will be fairly soft. If you prefer the ice cream to be harder, place it in an airtight container and freeze it for a few hours. I happen to like it a little softer---it seems creamier and more flavorful. I found it too hard not to scoop some into a chocolate rimmed cone and slurp it down immediately!

It was even better with some chocolate covered sunflower seeds! Now imagine it in a profiterole with some chocolate syrup......too bad I didn't have the time....

This stuff is good just by itself, but it's fun to imagine all of the possibilities....

Orange Scented Sweet Potato Pound Cake

Ok, I'll admit that sweet potato pound cake has been done. I've seen it. I've googled it. It exists.  While many of the recipes I've seen looked quite delicious, my intent was to make a sweet potato pound cake that was just a little different. No nuts, no cinnamon (although cinnamon and sweet potatoes make a mighty fine combination), and no dense heaviness.  I wanted something that would celebrate the sweet potato as something worthy of a Spring food. Something light, citrusy, and sweet. To be honest, my first attempt was a bit of a bomb. Methinks I used too much sweet potato. Or maybe I didn't bake it enough. Oh, it was tasty, but the end result had a ribbon of paste near the bottom that was quite unappealing. So it was back to the drawing board.....

Everyone knows about Sarah Lee Pound Cake, right? My dad was a baker, and we still had Sarah Lee in the house when I was growing up. It is a bit of moist delish in a little foil pan. I was kind of going for that kind of texture, but with a beautiful sweet potato/citrus flavor. Not to toot my own horn, but---toot, toot---I succeeded beyond my expectations. Without further ado, here is my recipe:

Orange Scented Sweet Potato Pound Cake

Printable Recipe

1 cup butter, softened (I use unsalted butter)

1 ½ cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
¾ cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ginger paste (or ½ teaspoon powdered ginger)
2 ½ cups cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange peel (I used the peel of one orange)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar, beating at low speed, then increase the mixer speed to high and beat until pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl sides after each addition. After all eggs are in, beat several minutes at high speed until the mixture is smooth and very pale. Beat in the sweet potatoes, ginger paste, vanilla and orange juice.

As long as I had the orange left over from grating the rind, I thought I'd add a little of the juice to the batter.

I found this ginger paste in the produce section of the grocery store. It gives the cake a subtle ginger flavor, but you can sub ground ginger or even fresh ginger, if you prefer.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom.  Beating at low speed, add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the milk. Stir in the orange peel.

Isn't it a pretty color?

Pour the batter into two greased and floured 8"X4" loaf pans (I like to use foil pans...maybe because I'm reminded of Sarah Lee...or maybe because I'll eventually bring one to work or give one away and the foil pan is easy to transport). Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched. Let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack before removing from pan to slice.

They smelled incredible at this point.

Take a close look at the crumb. The texture was very light and moist, and the orange, ginger and cardamom complimented the sweet potato perfectly. It tasted like Spring. Sweet potatoes really aren't just for Thanksgiving!

Perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea.

So that is my sweet potato pound cake story. Don't go thinking, however, that I'm done with the sweet potato. At the risk of turning orange from all of the beta-carotene, I have a couple more ideas.....