Sweet Potato Orange Chocolate Loaf

My dad had a habit of eating sweets with his morning coffee at first light. The man could polish off an Entenmann’s coffee cake before the rest of the house even hit snooze. As a result of spending my whole life pressing the crumbs from the Entenmann’s aluminium tin into the flesh of my index fingers so I could have whatever bits were left, I’m blaming my father for my sweet craving in the morning. This crutch leads me to keeping lots of fresh baked or store bought nibbles (think scones and various loaves like banana bread) in the house. For some reason, I think if I don’t eat the whole thing it doesn’t count. Hence, I say nibble. I never cut myself a whole piece. It’s always a quarter of a piece, then another and then, maybe, one more. Let me be honest here, the total is usually a whole piece (gasp!) but, again, who is counting? It’s so early no one can count at that hour. I also think that if I make it, then it’s healthier for me. Forgot the part about adding chocolate chips to it. Those don’t count either. For God sakes, it’s 7 am, people! Nothing counts at least until 8 in the morning.

This is my latest no-count loaf. After far too many banana breads during pandemic quarantine, this loaf rose to popularity in my house. Everyone but my husband is a huge fan of sweet potato, so I modelled this recipe in one way after my Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole which features orange and in another like my banana bread which features chocolate. You can leave the orange zest out if you want, but if you’ve ever ate one of these chocolate oranges, then you understand the beauty of this addition.

I insist you cut yourself a whole piece of this ultra moist loaf and I also give you permission to eat it after 8 am. It’s so delicious it’s worth being counted.

Sweet Potato Orange Chocolate Loaf

This ultra, moist loaf is a family favorite since it mixes a lot of satisfying flavors like sweet potato, fresh orange and chocolate. It's great for breakfast along side your coffee, in a lunch box or as a nibble for a late-afternoon snack.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup mashed sweet potato
• 1 tsp orangze zest
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips, plus a handful

Method

 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang oon either side. Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugars with a hand blender or stand mixer. Mix in maple syrup. Add eggs one at a time and blend in between. Mix in mashed sweet potato and orange zest.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture in stages to butter mix incorporated after each addition.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into prepared baking pan; tapping pan down to make sure it's evenly distributed. Sprinkle an extra handful of chocolate chips along the top.
5. Bake in the oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a rack for a few minutes. Turn out of pan and store in a plastic bag for up to a week.