Let ‘Em Eat Coffee Cake!

Future site of Libby Jane Cafe.  (Hopefully) coming to the Tenderloin this Summer!

While we patiently while away the many, many days (now weeks) that it takes to get anything done in the world of small business in the city of San Francisco, I have been entertaining myself with fun coffee shop recipes like this one.

Sweet Potato Coffee Cake

The sweet potato really gives the cake a nice moisture that contrasts nicely with the crunchy topping. For the version I baked here I used up some walnuts and macadamias I had taking up space in my pantry, but you can use any nut you like really. For the version that we’ll be serving at Libby Jane Cafe I plan on making a pecan crumble topping, because I love (yes love!) the flavors of sweet potato and pecan together, like in this recipe for Sweet Potato Pancakes with Butter Pecan Sauce.

1 ½ C Sugar
2 C Flour
1 TSP Baking Soda
½ TSP Baking Powder
1 TSP Cinnamon
½ TSP Nutmeg
½ TSP Salt

1 C Roasted Sweet Potato, lightly mashed
2 eggs
½ C Cooking Oil

Sift together dry ingredients. Add remaining ingredients. Mix together. Pour into a 9”x9” parchment lined pan. Top generously with streusel. Bake for about an hour at 350* or until a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out clean.

Pecan Crumble Topping

1 Stick Extremely Cold Butter, cut into tiny pieces
½ TSP Salt
1/2 C Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 C White Sugar
1 TB Nutmeg
1 TB Cinnamon
1 C Flour
3/4 C Pecan Pieces

Toss everything together lightly until large crumbs form.