Lemon and cardamom compliment the floral notes in this Tempting 2-Step Purple Sweet Potato Quick Bread recipe. In two simple steps, wet and dry ingredients are combined before this quick bread is set to bake in the oven.
This quick bread is not overly sweet and is delicious on its own. However, an optional lemon cardamom glaze can be applied to make this show stopper quick bread into a simple and elegant dessert.
Gather your ingredients and let’s get started!
Jump to RecipeA pretty and powerful purple potato
Say that fast five times. Or you can just skip the alliteration and call it by another name – Ube. What is the obsession with this relative of the orange sweet potato? Aside from its vibrant and highly photogenic color, these purple sweet potatoes really packs a nutritional punch.
According to a Women’s Health article on this trendy purple potato, Ube is a complex carbohydate packed with antioxidants, fiber, niacin, and vitamins A, B, C. It also contains inflamation-fighting Anthocyanins. That makes for a pretty and powerful potato.
Although they are praised far and wide for their nutritional value, these sweet potatoes are also coveted for their versatility in the kitchen. In my recipe for Vibrant 2-Color Sweet Potato Pierogi, I use a mix of both purple and regular sweet potatoes to make these stunning, little dumplings. This recipe features two beautiful fillings seasoned with caramelized onions, butter and fresh rosemary.
Whether you choose to finish the pierogi cooked in boiling water or pan-fried until golden and crispy, they are delicious. I like to serve them with grilled onions, crisp, thick-cut bacon and a little sour cream for a hearty meal.
I also use these delightful sweet potatoes in my recipe for Stunning 8-Ingredient Purple Sweet Potato Pie. If you like the combination of lemon and cardamom in this easy quick bread recipe,you’ll enjoy this pie recipe as well. And the delicate cream cheese crust nicely compliments this variation on a traditional sweet potato pie.
Unique flavor brings depth to this Tempting 2-Step Purple Sweet Potato Quick Bread recipe
I love the earthy, nutty flavor of regular sweet potatoes, but purple sweet potatoes are something completely different.
Their texture is drier for one. I would describe them as less sweet than their orange cousins, with floral and vanilla notes. In this easy quick bread recipe, I chose to pair the Ube with fresh lemon juice and cardamom. The lemon adds a burst of freshness while the cardamom adds just the right amount of spice to this delightful quick bread.
In terms of the process for making this bread, it’s really quite easy. The dry ingredients are measured out and combined with a whisk to break up any lumps in the flour and to ensure the salt, baking powder, baking soda and cardamom are evenly distributed throughout the mix.
The cooked and cooled sweet potatoes are given a rustic mash with the back of a fork. You can certainly break out a food processor for this task, but it’s not necessary. While developing this recipe, I found that having a few chunks of sweet potato suspended throughout the mix gave the finished bread a fun, unique appearance with a pop of purple. The texture of the sweet potato also bakes up similar to a candied fruit. This was also another fun, happy accident during development.
In a separate bowl, the mashed sweet potatoes are mixed with the sugar, oil, water, eggs and lemon juice until well combined. There will be small lumps of sweet potato in the wet mix and that is okay as the pieces add a pop of purple and texture to the finished bake.
The dry ingredients are added to the wet mixture at this stage. You can use a stand or hand mixer on low for approximately 2 minutes until combined. If mixing by hand, the process may take a little longer. The batter is then poured into the prepared pan and the bread baked for approximately 60 – 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It’s important to note that the color of the uncooked batter will be a pale purple, and that’s normal. The color of the finished bread will change to a pistachio green during the baking process.
When the bread is finished baking, remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. After the initial 10 minutes, lift the bread out of the pan using the parchment paper as leverage, and transfer it to a wire rack to finish cooling for approximately 1 hour.
Once cooled, the bread is ready to eat. However, if you want to make this show-stopper bread into a simple, but elegant dessert, follow the recipe for a simple lemon and cardamom glaze. If you like a more lemon-forward glaze, substitute some of the water for lemon juice, but keep the ratios of liquid, oil and powdered sugar the same for an easily spreadable glaze.
Tempting 2-Step Purple Sweet Potato Quick Bread
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy10
servings20
minutes1
hour5
minutesAn optional lemon cardamom glaze can be applied to make this show stopper quick bread into a simple and elegant dessert.
Ingredients
- For the bread
1 1/2 cups cooked, cooled and fork-mashed purple sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 2/3 cup A.P. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
- For the lemon cardamom glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. plus 2 additional tsp. water
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Directions
- Prepare the bread
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cardamom. Whisk to incorporate and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, blend together the mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, oil, water, eggs and lemon juice until well combined. There will be small lumps of sweet potato in the wet mix and that is okay.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until the batter is well incorporated.
- Pour batter into a prepared bread pan and bake for 60 – 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- When finished baking, remove bread from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the bread out of the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to finish cooling for another 50 minutes.
- Prepare the optional glaze
- While the bread is cooling, combine the glaze ingredients together and stir until combined and smooth. The glaze will be thick. Cover to prevent from drying out.
- Once the bread is cool, pour the glaze over the top. Use the back of a spoon or pastry knife to push the glaze to the edges of the loaf, allowing it to run down the sides.
- For an optional garnish, lightly sprinkle ground cardamom and lemon zest over the top. Serve and enjoy.
- Bread will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or longer in the refrigerator.
