Sweet Potatoes: An intriguing gluten-free, grain-free baking option
Anyone who has tried to bake with gluten-free flours knows that a lot of troubleshooting and experimentation goes into the process. Some flours cause baked goods to be dense and grainy, others contribute an unusual taste that makes the final product less appealing, and some flours have a high allergenic potential, an important consideration for some. In a nutshell, baking with gluten-free flours is not a cut and dried ingredient swap.
In my attempt to find a gluten-free flour alternative that did not detract from the overall appeal of the final product, I stumbled upon some recipes that incorporated sweet potatoes as part of the starchy, flour-like base needed for baked goods; I was intrigued. The sweet potato is gluten-free, is not a grain, has low allergenic potential, and it actually improves the overall nutritional value of the baked good, which is always a bonus!
After a few weeks of research, I incorporated three recipes into one delicious cupcake:
Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream Frosting and Caramel Drizzle provide recipe here.
(Yes, these taste as good as they sound!)
Anyone who has tried to bake with gluten-free flours knows that a lot of troubleshooting and experimentation goes into the process. Some flours cause baked goods to be dense and grainy, others contribute an unusual taste that makes the final product less appealing, and some flours have a high allergenic potential, an important consideration for some. In a nutshell, baking with gluten-free flours is not a cut and dried ingredient swap.
In my attempt to find a gluten-free flour alternative that did not detract from the overall appeal of the final product, I stumbled upon some recipes that incorporated sweet potatoes as part of the starchy, flour-like base needed for baked goods; I was intrigued. The sweet potato is gluten-free, is not a grain, has low allergenic potential, and it actually improves the overall nutritional value of the baked good, which is always a bonus!
After a few weeks of research, I incorporated three recipes into one delicious cupcake:
Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream Frosting and Caramel Drizzle provide recipe here.
(Yes, these taste as good as they sound!)
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People seem to like the spongy moist texture and “carrot-cake-like” taste of the potato. I kept hearing, “This tastes too good to be gluten free,” which was nice to hear, because there are truthfully many awful tasting gluten-free products out there.
Some tips for success with Sweet potato baking:
To summarize, I was very pleasantly surprised with how sweet potatoes performed as a grain-free, gluten-free baking option. For anyone interested in trying the above-mentioned cupcakes, here are the websites where I found the recipes for the different components of the cupcake:
Sweet Potato Cupcake Recipe
https://wholefoodsimply.com/raisin-bread/
Coconut Buttercream Frosting
http://www.bakedbyanintrovert.com/coconut-buttercream-frosting/
Salted Caramel Topping
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-salted-caramel-recipe/
Some tips for success with Sweet potato baking:
- Sweet potato is best used in recipes that incorporate spices (e.g. cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, etc.).
- White chocolate and sweet potato are a nice combination.
- Milk chocolate and dark chocolates are not as appealing.
- Caramels and creams compliment the sweet potato nicely.
- Incorporate a small amount of dry gluten-free flour into the sweet potato puree to give additional structure to the baked good (I used coconut flour in the cupcakes to keep them gluten-free and grain-free).
To summarize, I was very pleasantly surprised with how sweet potatoes performed as a grain-free, gluten-free baking option. For anyone interested in trying the above-mentioned cupcakes, here are the websites where I found the recipes for the different components of the cupcake:
Sweet Potato Cupcake Recipe
https://wholefoodsimply.com/raisin-bread/
Coconut Buttercream Frosting
http://www.bakedbyanintrovert.com/coconut-buttercream-frosting/
Salted Caramel Topping
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-salted-caramel-recipe/
