This week’s SMS was chosen by the terrific founder of our group, Lorelei of Mermaid Sweets: sweet potato bread with cinnamon-rum-orange glaze! The recipe for this quick bread calls for canned sweet potatoes (though you could just as easily bake a sweet potato in your oven and mash it up instead), uses oil rather than butter (big cheer for not having to bring butter to room temp!) and includes a combination of spices that I’m more likely to associate with fall than spring – cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Mother Nature must have known I needed to bake the bread this weekend because gone were the sunshine and moderate temperatures of the past few weeks, replaced instead by cool, damp air – in other words, perfect weather for curling up under a blanket on the couch with a slice of a hearty quick bread.
The instructions called for baking this bread in a bundt pan, but I went with minis instead so I could scale the recipe back. I made half of the recipe and wound up with five mini bundts, though the breads rose quite a bit in the oven (over the top of the pan even though I was careful not to overfill the tins) so I’d make six next time. The baking time for the minis was about 20 minutes. I was tempted to skip the glaze because I wasn’t sure the breads really needed it – I could tell they were incredibly moist when I removed them from the pan. I ended up making it simply because I had everything on hand and it was easy: rum, sugar, fresh orange juice and a cinnamon stick are simmered until reduced by half and then brushed over the minis twice.
The verdict? The bread was wonderful! The flavor actually reminded me a lot of quick breads made with pumpkin rather than sweet potato. The aroma from the spices filled my house as the breads baked and the spices were definitely prominent in the final breads. I’d probably skip the glaze next time because I don’t think it added a lot of flavor to the cakes and it made my minis all sticky. Also, as I mentioned, the breads are plenty moist (maybe even on the verge of too moist if such a thing is possible) without the glaze. Thanks to Lorelei for hosting this week! You can find the recipe for this bread on her site or on pages 21-22 of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book.
Lemon Bars
Glazed Grapefruit Cake
Orange Sherbet
Meyer Lemon Pound Cake
Your minis look so adorable!
I think I’ll have to try it next time with sweet potato. It sounds interesting!
Your minis are beautiful and look delicious! I have been on the fence about making this week’s recipe, but after seeing yours – I think I’ll do it!
Your minis turned out great! Im glad you loved them! I made 3 mini loafs of Bread..I was pleased with the recipe too!
Im glad you had the perfect day to eat them..cozy and warm with wonderful SP bread sounds good to me!
Tracey – These look beautiful. I used the same pan. I love those mini bundts. I thought the same thing, reminded me so much of pumpkin bread.
Your mini’s look so cute! I agree, this was pumpkin-ish… in a good way!
they look great….really delicious!!
Your mini bundts are so cute, Tracey! I am so envious of your mini bundt pan. It’s nice to know that this is a tasty bread. I need to remember to make this in the fall.
Your minis look perfect!
Beautiful little cakes! I love sweet potatoes in anything, so I’ll have to try these.
These are just gorgeous…and I love how you sprinkled them with powdered sugar. It must have been absolutely delicious.
Your mini bundts look really cute! I will be making this recipe in a little bit and it’s good to know that the cake doesn’t really need the glaze (one less step because I have too much on my plate today) :o)
Great idea! I’m going to have to grab some mini bundt pans. I, too, loved this bread/cake. Would have never made the recipe were it not for SMS!
I am loving minis more and more all the time. For one thing, I can make more variety each week if I just do a half a batch and make them minis…then on to something else! These look wonderful. I have this pan and for some reason I never use it, always afraid everything will get stuck in all those nooks and crannies, which is a good thing if you are an English Muffin, but not a good thing if you are a bundt pan. Love the look of all of them…very nice.
This looks so good!
Mmm, they look delicious! I was going to make this but had a hard time finding canned sweet potatoes and then I came down with a cold. I hope your weather warms up again soon!
these look delicious! and the flavor combination sounds wonderful!
Beautiful cakes!
They look wonderful Tracey! I really want to make this one. Maybe this week. I have Tuesday off from both jobs and might be able to fit it in. Then I can take most of it to Starbucks on Wednesday so I won’t be tempted to eat it all!
The little bundts are cute! Makes me want to find some mini-bundt pans
I too thought this seemed like more of a fall/winter recipe, but we enjoyed it regardless!
I love the mini bundt cakes! They look so pretty and your pictures are fabulous.
it does look very moist. thanks for the tip about skipping the glaze
These are adorable. I love minis. They seem to be better than the large sized cakes and that is probably in my mind. Doesn’t matter. I love minis.
The tiny bundts are so cute!
Those look delicious – and would probably be great with canned pumpkin too. Cute minis!
Tracey, how adorable!!!! What cute little shapes and perfect for cooler weather. BTW, Your hubby must be in great shape to compete in triathilons. My biking event included a LOT of uphill sections and really kicked my butt. I am glad I did it though and thank you for the verbal support =o)
Love the mini’s, thanks for the sweet comments. Look forward to seeing what you have been up to, I am sure it will make me ravenously hungry!
these are just something I think I would love to set my teeth into – love anything with sweet potatoes and and have made many types of this kind of breads, very nice recipe
Beautiful photos, Tracey! I liked this bread a lot too. Yeah, I wasn’t so sure about the glaze either, I think I’d make a different one or leave it off next time.
I love the minis! And the powdered sugar on top is a nice touch.
I just bought this book and have to try this recipe – the little cakelettes look so great! I have that pan and never seem to remember to use it, but these look perfect for it! You’re right – it sounds like a fall or “comfort-food” dessert. Sure looks tasty!
Love it!!! thanks