Spiced Rum Sweet Potato Oat Bars

Spiced Rum Sweet Potato Oat Bars are on the menu today because I have too many sweet potatoes.  I also have extra spiced rum because it’s my son’s favourite and he won’t be visiting for a while.  Alex also loves rum balls and I use spiced rum in those.

The sweet potatoes allow me to add more veggies into our diet.  They are sweet, creamy and have the texture of pumpkin; and so, let’s get baking with them.  Now you can roast them for baking, but I dice them into small chunks and microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Then I take my blender and create this versatile sweet paste.

I never saw a sweet potato until I started dating my husband; they weren’t part of the Italian immigrant experience.  Although, I did read somewhere that Columbus brought it back to Italy. Well, maybe not Southern Italy. LOL  I loved this recipe and I hope to experiment more with this new found mash.

Oats are also a staple in my kitchen.  They are readily available and their whole grain goodness is not just for breakfast. I use oats in sweet and savoury dishes.  The health benefits are many: https://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/bonnie-taub-dix-nutrition-intuition/reasons-why-you-should-eat-oatmeal-every-day/

My family loves date bars and these are better hands down because they are healthier and no chance of finding pits.

Ingredients

The Crust

• 2 cups instant oats
• 1 1/2 cups all- purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup butter cubed
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

The filling

• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp spiced rum
• 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes ( I used 3 medium)
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

The topping

• I cup of the crust mixture
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

The Process

Preheat the oven to 375 F and grease a 9 X 13 pan with butter. Mix the 2 cups oats with the flour and take away 2/3 of a cup.

Add the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt to the remaining flour mixture. Place in a blender and pulse until crumbly.

Take away one cup of this mixture and add it to the chopped walnuts.

In the bowl with the walnuts.  This is the topping

Place the rest of the crumbly mixture from the blender into the 9 X 13 pan.  Press to make a crust.  Put into the oven for 15 minutes.

Peel the potatoes and cube into small chunks.  Put into a microwave safe dish, add 1/4 cup water and microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Remove and let cool.  Drain the water and puree. Let cool.

Mix the sweet potato, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and reserved 2/3 cup flour mixture.  Mix well. Beat the eggs with the spiced rum and pour into the sweet potato mixture.

Place the filling over the warm curst and spread evenly. Space it out so that it spreads easily.

 

Add the topping and put back into the oven for 30 minutes. And then this is the finished product.

Olive Oil Raspberry Cake

Olive Oil Raspberry Cake because things don’t have to be complicated.  This is a basic recipe and everything comes together quickly.  Growing up, we never used butter in baking.  Oil was the the ingredient that kept our pastry moist.  Olive oil give pastry a certain unique flavour.  In baking I use extra virgin olive oil because it retains its nutrients.  The olive oil enhances any spices used in baking and gives that fruity taste. Tonight we served the cake with a vanilla custard.

This quarantined life makes us crave sweet things, perhaps because they bring comfort to us and remind us of happier times.  I love raspberries and this Italian cake brings me back to the happiest time of my life with my nonna Emilia in the kitchen.  Especially these days, my nonna is all around me.  She tells me stay strong. live, laugh and love.

I am also grateful for my other nonna.  Marietta was a Sicilian with a big heart and strong will.  You didn’t want to cross her.  She endured many hardships in her life; and so, I added some Sicilian twists to this recipe. The citrus and nutmeg remind me of her kitchen.  It’s a simple cake and I hope you enjoy it.

Both these women lived through world wars, depressions, shortage of food, and times with very little money. In the words of my mom and dad, ” we never knew we were poor because we had everything we needed.”  However, both these women are the cornerstone of the way I live my life.  Two women bring us together at the table to share in the gratitude they instilled in us.  No matter how hard life is, enjoy the small pleasures because they are the best memories.

An interesting read and another citrus olive oil cake https://www.saveur.com/carapelli-olive-oil-baking/

Another easy cake from nonna https://recipesatmytable.com/nonnas-easy-apricot-custard-cake/

Ingredients

• 4 eggs (separated)
• 3/4 cups sugar
• the zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon and 1/2 an orange
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2tbsp milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 of a tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 pint raspberries
• 1tsp oil for brushing top of cake
• 1 tsp coconut sugar for top of cake

Process

I preheat the oven to 350 F and prepare a round cake pan.  Rub it with some olive oil and use some parchment paper on the bottom.

Next I separate the eggs. Beat the yolks with the sugar until thick and ribbony.

Add the olive oil,milk, nutmeg, almond extract, lemon /orange zest and juice. Beat this.

Now sift the flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients and gently mix.

Fold in the egg whites.

Pour into prepared pan. I use 3/4 of the raspberries on the cake now.  Most will sink to the bottom.  Put it into the oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven after 20 minutes and place the remainder of the raspberries on top. I do this so that I have several layers of raspberries in the cake.  Return to the oven for another 15 – 20 minutes.

You know I love to peek into the oven. LOL

Remove from oven and brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle with coconut sugar.

It is such a beautiful cake.

We served it with custard tonight.