Sweet Potato Bread w Pecans & Maple Butter Glaze

Makes one 9" x 5" loaf

Pumpkin Bread move over. It’s Sweet Potato Bread’s time to shine. 

This moist, sweet potato sponge is topped with candied pecans & a maple butter glaze. It’s a family favorite my mom makes most years for my husband’s birthday. For new bakers, quick breads like this are a great place to start. They’re simple cakes that require no special equipment. You’ll just need a couple of bowls, a spatula & a whisk.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

INGREDIENTS

Sweet Potato Bread

  • 1 cup roasted and puréed sweet potato, room temp (245 g) *see notes

  • ½ cup vegetable oil (105 g)

  • ½ cup buttermilk, room temp (120 g)

  • ½ cup granulated sugar (100 g)

  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed (100 g) 

  • 3 large eggs, room temp

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (220 g)

  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder

  • ½ tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp kosher salt

  • 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg

  • ¼ tsp ground cloves

Pecan Streusel

  • ½ cup chopped pecans 

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp

  • 2 tbsp light brown sugar 

  • 1 tbsp maple syrup 

  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 

  • ¼ tsp kosher salt 

Maple-Butter Glaze

  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

  • ¼ cup powdered sugar

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

  • Pinch salt

DIRECTIONS

Make the Sweet Potato Batter

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with baking spray or softened butter.

  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweet potato purée, vegetable oil, buttermilk, both sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined.

  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Add in your wet ingredients, and stir together with a spatula until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top.

Top with Pecan Streusel & Bake

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together all pecan streusel ingredients until combined. The mixture will be sticky. Distribute evenly across the top of the cake batter.

  2. Bake for 55-60 minutes until the center springs back when lightly pressed. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove the loaf to cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the Maple-Butter Glaze

  1. Meanwhile, in a small bowl (preferably with a pouring spout), whisk together all ingredients for the glaze until smooth. Once the bread is cooled, drizzle evenly over the top.

RECIPE NOTES & TIPS

  • * Sweet Potato Purée: Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Use a fork to poke holes in your sweet potato, place on the baking sheet, and roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Should be able to easily pierce with a fork. Once cool enough to handle, peel the skin and purée until smooth in a food processor or blender. Can be made several days in advance and stored in the fridge.

  • To be precise and consistent when baking, I recommend using a Digital Food Scale. The one I linked is relatively inexpensive and in my opinion, a great investment for any home kitchen! But if you don’t have one, I’ll always include cup measurements as well.

  • For the cake to bake evenly, ensure the eggs, sweet potato purée, and buttermilk are at room temperature before mixing into the batter.

  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

  • You can also listen to your cakes to tell when they are done. If you put your ear to it (careful not to burn yourself), you should hear a soft, slow bubbling sound. If there is a lot of fast bubbling sounds, your cake isn’t done. If it’s completely silent, your cake is likely over-baked. This is something you can train your ear for over time. I recommend listening to cakes at different stages in the baking process (when you know it isn’t baked through yet/when you think it’s over-baked).