Eat in the heat #10 Orange and sweet potato cake

I recently discovered this moist, citrussy, not too sweet cake, which could easily become my favourite accompaniment to a cup of tea, while searching for delicious recipes that feature Caribbean ingredients. Sweet potato is available all year round here in Barbados. Locally, it's considered to be a staple 'ground provision' and is certainly one of my favourite healthy carbs.

Why? Well, apart from it's delicious taste, it comes loaded with beta-carotene - responsible for it's bright orange flesh (some are white on the inside so be sure the check before you buy). Sweet potato is also brilliant for keeping your eyesight and skin heathy, because it protects from collagen damage, reduces redness and inflammation and could potentially keep you looking young (in theory anyway).

A natural source of sweetness in a similar way to banana, carrot, squash, or even pureed apple, sweet potato also adds bags full of fat free moisture to cake batters. Which makes it a wonder ingredient in my book. Pair it with orange (I used the Jamaican variety, which is almost local), Bajan lime, coconut oil (which I buy locally) and ground almonds in place of flour - which also makes it gluten free. And you have one saintly slice of cake.

400g sweet potato, peeled and cut into smallish cubes

185ml coconut oil (plus extra for oiling the tin)

200g ground almonds

4 eggs

100g brown sugar (I used Bajan brown sugar)

2 tbsp baking powder

1stp vanilla extract

finely grated zest of one lime

finely grated zest of two oranges

Cook the sweet potatoes until tender. Mash.

Preheat oven to 180/ 350 degrees. Oil an 8in round cake tin with some coconut oil and then line with baking parchment.

In a large bowl, mix the mashed potatoes together with the ground almonds, coconut oil, eggs, sugar, baking powder, lime and orange zest.

Pour the batter into the tin, smooth the surface, and bake for around 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Leave to cool for around 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack (or wooden chopping board in my case).

Should keep in a tin for about five days.

(Adapted from a recipe by Jo Frost from her book In the Mood for Healthy Food)