Do you know what’s REALLY annoying? Having a sister who has a birthday in January and then she goes and does a “No Sugar January”! Why can’t she just have an alcohol free month like everyone else?
I had planned to make her the Tirumisu cake from Christmas after she gave me so many great pointers in how she makes Tirumisu (and some Masala). I don’t think I would have mixed the Masala with the expresso if she hadn’t mentioned it and boy did that make a difference to the frosting.
With a sugar free cake on the horizon I decided to go with a sweet potato brownie recipe I’ve been wanting to try for a while. Firstly because the daughterling is part time vegan and also because I roasted waaaay too many for dinner a few nights earlier so had some ready to go.
How to sweeten a sugar free cake
The hint is in the name really. Sweet potatoes are soooo good and easily one of the easiest ways to brighten up a kids dinner and get some veggies in them but I knew that they wouldn’t be enough on their own. I added medjol dates to this cake. Not just any medjol dates. The big, fat juicy ones I have with my evening cuppa. Not only that I soaked them in boiled water for 30 minutes before making the cake to really soften them up. They need to become a paste so the cake mix is smooth and this does the trick.
Always almonds
I have a bit of a thing for adding almonds to cakes but with this one it gave the consistency a bit of a thicker texture. I quite like it but Mr MT wasn’t a fan. I’m thinking the no sugar thing put him off from the start so this cake didn’t stand a chance. If you don’t like thick textures you can always swap the almonds out for plain flour. The cake may come out a bit heavier but it’s a brownie so that’s a good thing, right?
Surprising my sister with the Sugar Free Sweet Potato Brownie cake
I don’t want to be one of those bloggers who hogs the page with stories. You came here for the recipe so here it is below and if you want to hear about my sisters birthday dinner scroll down a tad more.
The Easiest Sugar-Free Sweet Potato and Almond Birthday Brownies
Ingredients
- 350g Sweet Potatoes – peeled cooked till softened
- 210g Medjol dates – soaked in boiled water for 30 mins then drained.
- 125g Ground Almonds (or Plain Flour if you prefer)
- 75g Unsalted Butter
- 4 Medium eggs
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 40g Coco powder + extra for dusting.
Instructions
- Line an 8” square baking tin with baking paper. I don’t grease the tin, I use one large sheet, crumple it up and gently press and fold it into the tin. The crumpling helps it to hold it’s shape.
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ Fan)
- In a food processor blend together the sweet potatoes and medjol dates until they form a paste.
- Add all the rest of the ingredients and blend well.
- Pour into the cake tin and smooth flat with the back of a spoon
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes until the sides start to come away.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on a rack still in the tin. The cake will break easily so let it really cool down before you handle it.
- Once cool remove from the tin using the paper and dust with cocoa powder.
- If presenting the whole cake- Carefully slide the cake off the baking paper onto a plate.
- If cutting the cake into pieces – This is a sticky cake. To avoid leaving half the cake on the knife when cutting it up fill a large jug with hot water, place the knife in the water to warm it up. Wipe dry before cutting each slice.
- DEVOUR!
Fancy coming round for a takeaway?
Getting back to it in the new year is quite a feat. I’m really trying not to over commit myself so when I heard that my sister – whose birthday is the first week of January, didn’t have plans for her birthday I invited her family round for a birthday takeaway of her choice.
Being an Interior Stylist I still laid the table and made it all look special – I just wanted to spend the spare time I had cleaning my house rather than cooking all day. But there’s always time for a birthday cake and that’s why the “Sugar Free Sweet Potato and Almond Birthday Brownies” were a thing.
We had Indian which was delicious and then I magiced the Brownies from their hiding spot with a single candle. I did offer her ice cream with them – doh! There’s tons of sugar in ice cream! I think she was touched that I had come up with a non sugar plan.
The general vibe with the brownies was “I’ll give it a go” but the general consensus was – WE WANT SUGAR! What can I say, I have a sweet toothed family!
I really like the taste and texture of these but if you love sugar they probably aren’t for you. Warmed up with a dollop of ice cream – or double cream, they’re really great – when your sister isn’t in sight of course. But if you are looking for a sugar free treat these are great.
Have a try and let me know what you think.
More Healthy Recipes you may enjoy
Sugar-free Oaty Banana Cookie Recipe
Low Cholesterol Biscuits Recipe
Sugar Free Sweet Potato and Almond Birthday Brownies
- 350g Sweet Potatoes – peeled cooked till softened
- 210g Medjol dates – soaked in boiled water for 30 mins then drained.
- 125g Ground Almonds (or Plain Flour if you prefer)
- 75g Unsalted Butter
- 4 Medium eggs
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 40g Coco powder + extra for dusting.
To make the Brownies
- Line an 8” square baking tin with baking paper. I don’t grease the tin, I use one large sheet, crumple it up and gently press and fold it into the tin. The crumpling helps it to hold it’s shape.
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ Fan)
- In a food processor blend together the sweet potatoes and medjol dates until they form a paste.
- Add all the rest of the ingredients and blend well.
- Pour into the cake tin and smooth flat with the back of a spoon
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes until the sides start to come away.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on a rack still in the tin. The cake will break easily so let it really cool down before you handle it.
- Once cool remove from the tin using the paper and dust with cocoa powder.
- If presenting the whole cake- Carefully slide the cake off the baking paper onto a plate.
- If cutting the cake into pieces – This is a sticky cake. To avoid leaving half the cake on the knife when cutting it up fill a large jug with hot water, place the knife in the water to warm it up. Wipe dry before cutting each slice.
- DEVOUR!
