Sweet Potato Muffins

These are a bit like carrot cake, a bit like passion cake. The frosting turned out a bit runnier than desired, but firmed up in the fridge overnight. This recipe uses my basic vegan cake recipe as a base, so is ultra-quick and easy.

Makes 12 standard-sized muffins (not the smaller fairy cakes)
400g self raising flour
4 tsps baking powder
200g sugar/ 200ml agave nectar
400ml plant milk
150ml coconut or rice bran oil
150g grated sweet potato
50g chopped walnuts
50g sultanas
2-3 tsps ground green cardamom (aka elaichi)
Frosting:
200g vegan plain cream cheese (such as Tofutti)
a few drop natural orange essence
3 tabs vegan margarine (such as Pure or Vitalite)
4 tabs icing sugar
orange/ lemon zest/ chopped nuts to decorate

• Combine the wet and dry cake ingredients in separate bowls, then add the wet to the dry and beat for about a minute. The grated sweet potato counts as wet, and the dried fruit, nuts and cardamom as dry. If using agave as sugar, then that counts as wet.
• Spoon into prepared muffin moulds/ tins (you may want to use paper cases) as quickly as possible and bake in an oven preheated to 180C for about 20 minutes, until springy to the touch. you can use a thin skewer to test if you want. The skewer will emerge with no mixture ion it when the cakes are done.
• Meanwhile, beat all frosting ingredients together and chill.
• Top each muffin, when cool, with a blob or swirl of frosting and decorate with peel and/ nuts.