Sweet Potato-Pecan Tea Bread ... with a twist!

My baking is often inspired by whatever I've got sitting around that needs to be used. This time, it was some sweet potatoes fresh from my Daddy's garden. Using that little pull-out "Quick Breads" booklet from the October issue of Food Network magazine, I tweaked a recipe for Sweet Potato-Pecan Tea Bread.

First, I wanted to be sure and mention that I'm a fan of the magazine's recommendation to line the loaf pan with parchment and spray it with cooking spray. This loaf of bread turned out flawlessly thanks to this technique!

Now the recipe called for pumpkin pie spice, which I happen not to have at the moment. Also, it did *not* call for cardamom, which I do happen to have and wanted to use. I've cooked Indian food several times lately and cannot get enough of cardamom, an ingredient often used in Indian cookery and in making masala chai. So, I substituted a bit of cardamom and other spices for the pumpkin pie spice, and I was very pleased with the result! This tea bread has the goodness of fresh sweet potatoes and a spicy flavor that begs to be enjoyed with a cup of chai. Here's the recipe as I made it.

Sweet Potato-Pecan Tea Bread

1 cup pureed sweet potatoes (2-3 medium)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, combine sweet potatoes, oil, brown sugar, water, eggs and vanilla. Mix well using a wire whisk. In another medium bowl, add all the dry ingredients and stir. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Pour batter into prepared 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 1 hour before removing loaf from pan.