Sunday Paper Recommends—Week of May 14, 2023

At The Sunday Paper, we want to inspire you to gather at your table—virtually or with friends and family—and open your heart and mind to conversations that will move the needle. After all, the kitchen table is where we connect on topics and map out the changes we can all make that’ll truly make an impact.

This week, to encourage your conversations, we recommend checking out the following:

What We're Listening To

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers and caregivers! Women from all over the world talk about healing from burnout, how to have a fabulous midlife, and other valuable lessons learned from their mom on journalist Ana Tajder’s podcast Thank You, Mama.

What We're Excited For

Women bear the brunt of Alzheimer’s disease. Two-thirds of the estimated seven million patients in the U.S. with the neurodegenerative disease are women. In addition, two-thirds of all caregivers providing care to family members with the disease are women.

But this Mother’s Day, a special partnership is supporting research and advocacy efforts focused on finding the answers and changing the course of brain health for women.

The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement at Cleveland Clinic has teamed up with American Greetings to offer 20 different digital cards that you can customize to send greetings to all of the special women in your life.

With each $15 digital card purchase, 100% of the funds raised will be donated to research at the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement at Cleveland Clinic that will change the future of Alzheimer’s disease, one woman at a time.

Send a card today: americangreetings.com/think-moms

What We're Cooking

Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake

Serves 16

Difficulty: Medium

Allergens: NF

When I think of my mother, two foods immediately spring to mind: chocolate and sweet potatoes. Both of these foods were instrumental in saving her life. I could think of no better way to celebrate my mother than a chocolate sweet potato cake. Here, I use both the American Garnet yam, as well as Korean sweet potatoes – which have less water and carry a nuttier flavor (kinda like chestnuts) – to marry both the Korean and the American in her. This cake is moist, full of intense chocolaty flavors, with a fluffy sweet potato frosting.

For the cake:
2 2/3 cups (370g) all-purpose flour, sifted
2 cups (400g) organic sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups (120g) unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao
¾ cup (125g) cooked Garnet yams
¼ cup (57g) oil or vegan butter
1 tablespoon white wine or apple cider vinegar
2 shots espresso
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

For the sweet potato frosting:
1 cup (90g) powdered sugar
¼ cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao
2 cups (300g) roasted Korean sweet potatoes (see Note)
¼ cup (57g) vegan butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon soy or oat milk

1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mist two 7-inch springform pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a whisk to break up any clumps.

3. In a medium pot, combine the cocoa, yams, oil, vinegar, espresso, vanilla, and 2 cups water and heat over medium-low heat. When the mixture begins to boil, stir until it comes together in a sauce. Set aside and let cool for about 5 minutes.

4. Pour the cocoa/yam mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and continue stirring with a whisk until all the ingredients are just incorporated. Do not overmix the batter.

5. Divide the cake batter evenly into the two springform cake pans. Use a scale if you want to be precise.

6. Transfer the pans to the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes.

7. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife along the edges and then gently release the latches of the springform pans. Carefully remove the cakes and set them on the rack to cool completely. (You can also wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator if you are in a rush.)

8. Make the sweet potato frosting: Bring all of the frosting ingredients to room temperature. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the powdered sugar and cocoa. Add the sweet potatoes, butter, vanilla, and milk and mix until a smooth and creamy frosting is achieved.

9. Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to frost both cakes for two cakes, or place them on top of each other to make a layer cake.

NOTE: Korean and/or Japanese sweet potatoes are much denser and drier than their Western counterparts. So if you were to substitute regular sweet potatoes or yams in the frosting, it would be too wet. To compensate, add up to another ½ cup powdered sugar to achieve the right consistency.

Excerpted from The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma's Kitchen.

Love Joanne Lee Molinaro's recipe? You can purchase a copy of her cookbook here.

Our Sunday Paper Book of the Week

Are you and the women you love educated on menopause? In her new book Hot and Bothered, New York Times best-selling author Jancee Dunn’s shares practical ways to ease the symptoms and reclaim your body!