This Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake is seriously moist, super chocolatey and definitely doesn't taste like vegetables! It's secretly healthy, perfectly sweet, and super easy to make. It's vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free.
My Chocolate Banana Bread recipe has been super popular, but I've had a lot of people asking me how to replace the bananas...so I decided to make a similar recipe using sweet potatoes instead of bananas.
Sweet potatoes work as an excellent alternative to bananas as they have a similarly naturally creamy texture and high natural sugar content. Plus I know from making recipes like my Sweet Potato Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, Chocolate Sweet Potato Ice Cream, Sweet Potato Brownies and Chocolate Pie that sweet potatoes can absolutely be used in desserts, and chocolate definitely masks the taste!
How to make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Place the cooked sweet potatoes and plant-based milk in a food processor.
Tip: Use a measuring jug to measure out the plant-based milk.
- Whizz until completely smooth.
- Mix with all the other ingredients in a glass mixing bowl.
- Transfer the mixture into a one-pound loaf tin.
Tip: Line the tin with greased baking paper to make it easier to remove the cake afterwards.
- Scatter over more chocolate chips to decorate, if desired.
- Bake in the oven for around 45 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Tip: Leave the cake to cool down on a cooling rack before putting it away to store, to make sure it doesn't get soggy!
How long does this keep for?
It does taste best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Substitutions you can make
- You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
- You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
- You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground walnuts.
- For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground sunflower seeds and use a nut-free plant-based milk.
- You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you're not gluten-free.
- You can omit the chocolate chips.
- For a refined sugar free version, omit the chocolate chips or use refined sugar free chocolate chips or chunks.
- You can replace the sweet potatoes with pumpkin.
- To make a more decadent cake, don't scatter over the chocolate chips before baking, and instead cover the cake with my Vegan Sweet Potato Chocolate Buttercream Frosting!
More vegan chocolate treats
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I'd really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Watch how to make it
Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 250 g (8.8 oz) raw sweet potatoes (about 1 medium-sized sweet potato)
- 175 ml (¾ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 12 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- Pinch salt
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 50 g (½ cup) cocoa powder
- 4 teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 50 g (⅓ cup) dark chocolate chips ** (optional - ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary)
To decorate (optional):
- Dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Cook sweet potatoes by boiling, steaming or roasting them until very soft and tender.
- Discard any skins, and add to a food processor with the milk.
- Whizz until completely smooth - you might have to mix it around a few times.
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
- Once melted, add the blended sweet potato mixture to the same bowl along with the maple syrup, vinegar, salt and ground almonds.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- If using, add the chocolate chips and stir in carefully.
- Transfer the mixture into a loaf tin lined with greased baking paper (use a one-pound loaf tin).
- Scatter over more chocolate chips to decorate, if desired.
- Bake in oven for around 45 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Once out the oven, transfer onto a wire rack to leave to cool completely before slicing.
- Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog - thank you.
Alison O'Donnell
Hi Rhian. I am intolerant to almonds. What can I use as an alternative?
Rhian Williams
Ground walnuts or ground sunflower seeds!!
Prem
Just a quick thanks for your sharing. I'm vegan, gluten free, diabetic, retired and have just taken up the new hobby of baking. Good luck to me and thank you to you.
Prem
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much! Good luck!!
Syl
This is a delicious, super easy cake that can easily be modified!
I now use my instant pot to cook up a batch of sweet potatoes weekly, for this and other recipes.
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so glad you like it!!
Jana Jeltema
Hi Rhian,
I already have some leftover sweet potato puree. Do you know how much I would use in this recipe?
Thanks!
Rhian Williams
225 g or 1 cup sweet potato purée!
siri schuchardt
Can I use almond flour for the almond meal and the flour? I have a bag that I need to use up soon.
Rhian Williams
You can use it in place of the almond meal, but not the the flour sorry!