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Slices of old fashioned sweet potato bread with cream cheese on a plate
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5 from 1 vote

Best Sweet Potato Bread

This Old Fashioned Sweet potato bread with a twist is so moist and tender with cream cheese baked in the center and on top. It tastes almost identical to cheesecake, if not, better!  
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American, Southern, Southern American
Keyword old fashioned sweet potato bread, sweet potato bread, sweet potato bread recipe, sweet potato cream cheese bread
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 10 people
Author April Boller Wright

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Bread

  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup mashed sweet potato
  • 1 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
  • 4 tbsp melted unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract Yes one tbsp. I used Watkins Pure Vanilla Extract Extra Rich https://amzn.to/32kw2At
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk plus additional 3tbsp
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder

Cream Cheese

  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 8 oz cream cheese I used Philadelphia Cream Cheese
  • 1 large egg

Instructions

Sweet Potato Bread

  • Preheat the oven to 350F and grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.. 
  • In a large-sized bowl whisk the egg, mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, melted butter, buttermilk, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla extract. 
  • Next, add the salt, flour, baking soda and baking powder to the bowl with sweet potato mix. Mix with a whisk or silicone spatula. Do not over mix.  

Cream Cheese Mixture

  • In a bowl, with an electric hand mixer, mix the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and egg until smooth. Set to the side.

Sweet Potato Batter Mix

  • Pour half of the sweet potato batter into a greased loaf pan, spreading it out evenly. Then add (use half) dollops of the cream cheese filling on top of the sweet potato batter. 
  • Using a spoon or spatula, carefully put the remaining sweet potato batter on top of the cream cheese filling and add dollops of the remaining cream cheese filling on top. Bake the sweet potato bread for about 60 mins to 75 mins, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. A few crumbs is okay.
  • Let bread cool for about 30-60 minutes before slicing it. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Baking Tips: 

Before you begin prep all of your ingredients. This will make the process smooth and simple. Make sure you use room temperature milk and eggs and use your own homemade sweet potato puree. Do not used the canned stuff. 
 
To make this old fashioned sweet potato bread follow the recipe to the "T". Here are some tips to make it. 
The video starts out with me making the sweet potato mixture, however, if this is your first time making this sweet potato bread recipe or just a new baker, I recommend that you make the cream cheese mixture first because you need to put the loaf in the oven right away. If the batter is sitting too long (while it's waiting for you to finish the cream cheese mix)  it may not rise properly. 
  • mashed sweet potato: Pro tip: Microwave the cold or room temp mashed sweet potatoes until warm. The warm potatoes mixes much easier this way. 
  • Loaf pan:  Use 5″x9″ loaf pan. Using something smaller will take longer to bake. Using something larger will change the shape of the loaf. 
  • Assemble:  After you have added the cream cheese, put the loaf into the oven right away. If you wait too long, the bread may have problems rising.
     
  • Let the sweet potato bread cool for at least 30-60 minutes before you slice it. 
  • For the best flavor, use REAL fresh mashed sweet potato. Do not use the canned sweet potatoes.