If you’re looking for an easy, comforting, one‑dish supper that practically cooks itself, this Sausage & Sweet Potato Casserole is the kind of recipe you’ll want in your weeknight rotation. A vintage recipe taken from an old cookbook, it is hearty, flavorful, and wonderfully simple — just good ingredients layered together and baked until everything is tender, caramelized, and delicious.
Sweet potatoes bring natural warmth, sliced apple and onion a delicious sweetness, the sausage adds savory richness, and the whole dish comes together with minimal prep and even less fuss. Perfect for busy days, small households, or anyone who loves a cozy, no‑stress meal that tastes like far more effort than it takes.
This recipe I am sharing today comes from Ida Allen Bailey's cookery book entitled "Money Saving Cookbook." Originally published in the 1950's it was a part of an Essential Home Library. My copy was my mother's copy. It was a book I devoured when I was a child and that I often took out to read as an adult when I would come home to visit. She finally gave it to me and I was thrilled.
The recipes are old, but still quite practical. Timings can be a bit off as it often the case in some of these older recipe books. They tended to cook things for quite a bit longer back then, especially vegetables and meat. I find that you can usually adapt those things to modern tastes and methods. I love these old recipes. They are usually quite simple and easy to do, and can quite easily be played with just a bit.
This recipe today was quite delicious just as is and would be even more so with a few simple changes as noted below. The flavors were spot on. Tender melt-in-the-mouth slices of sweet potato, onion and apple with some tasty sausages baked on top. Aside from the seasonings, only four simple ingredients required.
Delicious, economical and sized just for two, although it could very simply be multiplied to serve more. This is one tasty entree that I think most people would enjoy! I recommend!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE
SAUSAGE & SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
Simple ingredients and not a lot of them. This is a small batch recipe feeding 2 people. Amounts could be easily doubled to feed four.
- 4 small sausages
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 of a small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 small apple, peeled and thinly sliced
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup (120ml) hot water
- 1/2 TBS soft light brown sugar
NOTES ON INGREDIENTS
- I used a good quality, locally produced, Sweet Onion Sausage. They were rather long and thin. So I twisted two of them in half and cut them in order to make four smallish sausages. You do want a nicely flavored sausage for this due to the simplicity of the ingredients.
- My sweet potato was about the size of a large baking potato. Six inches long and about 3 inches across. I cut mine too thin, only 1/4 inch thick. Next time I would cut them between 1/3 and 1/2 inch thick. I would still slice the apple and the onion thinly.
- I used a sweet eating apple. You could use a tart cooking one if you wish. The apple went very well with both the sweet potatoes and the flavor of the pork sausage.
- I used boiling water, but I also think a good quality stock would work well in it's place. I don't think you really need the full 1/2 cup. I would go with 1/4 cup (60ml) the next time for this number of servings.
- The brown sugar added a hint of sweetness which also went very well with the pork, the potatoes and the apples. I was worried that it might be too sweet, but it wasn't.
HOW TO MAKE
SAUSAGE & SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
Simple and easy to make. Quality ingredients, simply put together in a most delicious way.
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a small casserole dish. (The original recipe said to butter the dish with sausage fat or drippings.)
- Prepare your vegetables and fruit. (I cut mine really thin for this. In retrospect I perhaps should have left them a bit thicker as they were almost melted in the cook time.)
- Put half of the sweet potatoes into the casserole dish. Season lightly and top with 1/2 of the onion, the apple, the other half of the onion and the remaining half of the sweet potato. Lightly season again. Add the hot water. (I used salt and white pepper. A bit of fresh herbs would be nice, such as thyme or sage.)
- Cover tightly and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. (I would check it at 20 minutes and if the sweet potatoes are softened then I would proceed as per the remainder of the recipe.)
- While they are baking, lightly brown the sausages in a skillet. (They don't need to be overly brown or cooked all the way through as you will be cooking them again in the oven.)
- Remove the casserole from the oven and uncover. Sprinkle the brown sugar over top evenly and top with the lightly browned sausages. (Again, don't overbrown your sausages.)
- Return to the oven for a further 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
MY RECIPE NOTES
This was lovely just as is. I love old fashioned recipes like this one which use relatively few ingredients and that don't require a lot of intricate steps, ingredients or instructions. I do think that the timings as per the recipe could be cut back a bit. My sweet potatoes were very soft by the end of the half hour. Perhaps I cut them too thin.
Also my meat got a little dark, so I perhaps had browned them a bit too much in the skillet. When browning them, bear in mind that they will be cooking for an additional fifteen minutes in a fairly hot oven so they don't really need to be all that brown, unless you are using very thick sausages in which case you would want to cook them almost all the way through.
Overall though this was a delicious recipe and I would make it again! I think both the sausages and the sweet potato mixture would be lovely served with a smidge of grainy mustard on the side!
SUGGESTIONS FOR SERVING
This is a really simple meal that would be delicious served with rice, a baked potato, or noodles on the side. You could add a green vegetable or salad to the plate for some color and an additional one of your five a day. Broccoli would be nice as would green beans.
The original recipe was for twice the amount. I cut the recipe in half. You could double everything to feed more people. Cook times would remain the same. I think you could also add some herbs to the layers of sweet potato, apple and onion. A bit of thyme or sage would be lovely.
I recommend using a well flavored sausage. I used Sweet Onion Sausages from D'Aubin Family Meats which is located just down the road from me in Bridgetown here in Nova Scotia. They were excellent. Just a bit spicy which went well with the flavor of the sweet potatoes and the sweetness from the apple.
A FEW OTHER SAUSAGE
RECIPES FOR YOU TO ENJOY
Sausages are still a fairly economical protein to use in today's economy. Here are a few other ways that we enjoy them!
ITALIAN SAUSAGE MEATBALLS - Begin with a good sweet Italian Sausage. This gets removed from the skins and mixed together with grated onion, dry breadcrumbs, an egg and a splash of cream before shaping into meatballs that are soft, juicy and beautifully seasoned without any fuss. The grated onion keeps them moist and tender, while the cream adds a lovely richness. Roasted in a hot oven until golden, sizzling and perfectly cooked through in just 20 minutes. Browned and incredibly juicy, these are delicious all on their own but are lovely with gravy or tucked into your favorite sauce.
SHEET PAN SAUSAGE & PEPPERS - This tasty dish is everything a busy‑day supper should be: quick, colorful, deeply flavorful, and almost effortless. Everything goes onto one tray, bakes together, and comes out caramelized, golden, and delicious with hardly any cleanup at all. Thick slices of smoked sausage, sweet red and yellow peppers, and plenty of onion are tossed with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roasted until the edges turn sticky, sweet, and beautifully caramelized — that magical transformation you love about roasted vegetables. Hearty and satisfying without a lot of fuss!
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Yield: 2 servings
Sausage & Sweet Potato Casserole
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour
A vintage recipe from a vintage cookbook for a simple, yet delicious casserole that is quick and easy to put together and other than a few seasonings and water, uses only 4 simple ingredients!
Ingredients
- 4 small sausages
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 of a small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 small apple, peeled and thinly sliced
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup (120ml) hot water
- 1/2 TBS soft light brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a small casserole dish.
- Prepare your vegetables and fruit.
- Put half of the sweet potatoes into the casserole dish. Season lightly and top with 1/2 of the onion, the apple, the other half of the onion and the remaining half of the sweet potato. Lightly season again. Add the hot water.
- Cover tightly and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- While they are baking, lightly brown the sausages in a skillet.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and uncover. Sprinkle the brown sugar over top evenly and top with the lightly browned sausages.
- Return to the oven for a further 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
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If you love a classic, old‑fashioned bake that feels both nostalgic and comforting, this Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake is the perfect treat to make. With its tender vanilla crumb and rich chocolate swirls, it’s a simple family‑style cake that delivers big flavour without any fuss. Baked in a loaf tin for easy slicing, this cake is just the right size for everyday enjoyment — not too big, not too small — and it’s the kind of recipe you’ll want to keep in your regular rotation.
What makes this marble loaf so charming is its beautiful contrast of flavours. The vanilla batter stays soft and buttery, while the chocolate portion adds depth and richness in every slice. Even if your marbling isn’t picture‑perfect (and honestly, that’s part of the fun), the result is always delicious. This is the sort of cake that pairs perfectly with a cup of tea, a morning coffee, or even a cold glass of milk.
Whether you’re baking for your family, treating yourself on the weekend, or looking for a simple cake that always turns out well, this Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake is a timeless favorite that never disappoints.
This cake recipe comes from my trusty copy of the BHG New Cook Book, which was published originally in 1982.My copy is lovingly well-worn, having been used often over these past forty odd years or so.
In fact it is just about falling apart and many of the pages are spattered and splodged . . . the mark of a really good cookbook! I think this was one of the first cookbooks I ever spend dosh on!
Its a simple family cake, not too large, not too small and the perfect mix of white and chocolate butter cakes. You cannot beat a chocolate and vanilla cake!
This is one of my favorite cake recipes from the book. The vanilla batter is roughly about 2/3 of the batter, with only 1/3 being chocolate, which means that chocolate cake haters will also enjoy it. The flavor of this cake is spot on, with just the right mix of both vanilla and chocolate.
I love that it gets baked in a loaf tin, so it is very easy to cut and very homely looking. Its a sturdy cake, not flimsy cake and goes really well with drinks, be they hot or cold.
This is the perfect weekend cake. Trust me on this. If you only bake one thing this weekend, let it be this! You won't be sorry!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
TO MAKE
CHOCOLATE MARBLE LOAF CAKE
These are simple baking cupboard ingredients. There is nothing too far out of the ordinary here.
- 1 3/4 cup (219g) plain all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (114g) butter
- 1 cup (190g) sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk
- 1 ounce (30g) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
- 2 TBS HOT water
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
NOTES ON INGREDIENTS
- Do not use self-raising flour. All purpose plain flour is what is used.
- Check your baking powder for freshness. You can do so by dropping some into a bit of hot water. If it fizzes, it's okay.
- I use salted butter. If this bothers you by all means use unsalted.
- I use Kirkland brand organic granulated sugar. In the U.K. use caster sugar.
- North American large eggs are the same size as medium European eggs.
- I use only pure vanilla.
- If you don't have unsweetened chocolate to melt, then you can substitute it with 3 TBS cocoa powder mixed with 1 TBS oil or melted shortening. Mix together until smooth.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE MARBLE LOAF CAKE
This is actually a very simple cake to make. Don't let the marbling fool you into thinking it isn't.
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 X 5 X 3 inch baking tin and line it with baking paper. Butter the paper. Set aside. (This will ensure that the cake doesn't stick to the pan.)
- Cream together the sugar and butter with the vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each. (Beating in your eggs one at a time helps to prevent the batter from curdling. If it does curdle you can add a bit of the required flour which will bring it back together.)
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture, alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition. (Don't overbeat so as not to toughen the batter. It should be smooth and lump free.)
- Whisk together the melted chocolate, hot water and soda. Separate 1/3 of the cake batter from the rest and stir the chocolate mixture into this. (I use a small wire whisk to stir it in thoroughly.)
- Spoon the batters, alternately into the prepared cake tin. (I do a thin layer of white on the bottom of the loaf tin of plain, and then put in three blobs of white leaving space to put in 3 blobs of chocolate in between, then I reverse that on the next layer, putting white batter on top of the chocolate blobs and chocolate on the white, repeating until I have used all of both batters. Run a thin spatula through the batter in a zigzag shape to marbleize, without overdoing it.)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should spring back with lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes on a wire rack before removing from the pan to finish cooling. Ice or not as desired. Cut into slices to serve.
HINTS AND TIPS FOR CAKE BAKING SUCCESS
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature
- Follow measurements and instructions with precision. Baking is an exact science.
- When using chemical leaven, such as baking powder, make sure it is evenly distributed amongst the dry ingredients before they are added to the creamed mixture. Otherwise you cake may develop tunnels as it bakes.
- Unless otherwise specified, add dry and liquid ingredients in increments, beginning and ending with dry.
- Don't overmix. Overmixing toughens cakes.
- When folding in ingredients, such as egg whites, do not over blend.
- Bake cakes as soon as mixed as the leavening will start to work once it is moistened. A delay in baking will result in poor volume.
- Grease and line your pans to prevent cakes from sticking, unless you are using a cake tin which prevents this such as a shaped tin such as a Bundt tin. In that case grease and dust with flour lightly.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW DO I GET THE MARBLING TO LOOK RIGHT?
Don't overdo it. Alternate the batters in the pan and then use the round blade of a butter knife to gently swirl things.
CAN THIS BE BAKED IN A TIN OTHER THAN A LOAF TIN?
I never have but I can't see why not. I would suggest an 9-inch square pan or a 9-inch round. Pour the light batter into the pan, dollop the chocolate batter over top and gently swirl it as above. The bake time may be less, so check it at 30 to 35 minutes.
DOES THIS CAKE NEED AN ICING OR GLAZE?
This cake is perfectly lovely just as is, but if you are wanting something a bit more special by all means add a simple vanilla glaze or a layer of chocolate buttercream on top.
HOW CAN I KEEP THE CAKE FROM DRYING OUT WHEN BAKING?
The simple answer is not to overbake it. Test it five to ten minutes before the end of the bake time. If the toothpick comes out clean, then the cake is done.
CAN THIS CAKE BE FROZEN?
Yes, this cake freezes beautifully. Wrap in some plastic cling film, then in a layer of aluminum foil. Label and date. It will keep well for up to three months frozen.
HOW LONG WILL THIS CAKE KEEP?
This cake will keep well at room temperature for up to five days in a tightly covered container.
A FEW OTHER
LOAF SIZED CAKE RECIPES FOR YOU TO ENJOY
We love loaf cakes. Well, to be honest, we love any cake! Here are a few more loaf sized cakes you might also enjoy!
VANILLA GLAZED SPICE LOAF - This Vanilla Glazed Spice Loaf Cake is everything we love about cake baking wrapped into one beautiful loaf. It’s packed with all the warm, snuggly spices — cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and freshly grated nutmeg — the very scents that make a kitchen feel like home the moment the oven door opens. The batter comes together easily, just like a simple cake, and bakes into a loaf that’s dense, moist, and incredibly delicious — somewhere between a quick bread and a tender spice cake. And then there’s the glaze — a sweet, silky vanilla drizzle that settles into every groove and balances the warm spices perfectly. Don’t skip it… it truly takes this loaf from lovely to unforgettable.
CHOCOLATE MAYONNAISE CAKE - This is one of those old‑fashioned treasures that proves the simplest ingredients can create the most unforgettable results. Developed during the Second World War when eggs and butter were rationed, this clever cake uses mayonnaise as the source of fat and moisture, giving it that famously rich, tender, incredibly moist crumb you will fall in love with. There’s nothing “salad-like” about it — just deep, honest chocolate flavor thanks to good cocoa powder and a batter that comes together in minutes. It rises beautifully and stays wonderfully soft, especially since it cools right in the pan, a little trick that helps lock in all that moisture. A lush brown sugar toffee icing finishes it off perfectly.
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Yield: one 9 by 5 by 3 inch loaf
Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 50 MinInactive time: 15 MinTotal time: 1 H & 20 M
This fabulous loaf cake is adapted from a recipe which comes from my well-worn copy of the BHG new Cookbook, published in 1982.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup (219g) plain all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (114g) butter
- 1 cup (190g) sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk
- 1 ounce (30g) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
- 2 TBS HOT water
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 X 5 X 3 inch baking tin and line it with baking paper. Butter the paper. Set aside.
- Cream together the sugar and butter with the vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture, alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition.
- Whisk together the melted chocolate, hot water and soda. Separate 1/3 of the cake batter from the rest and stir the chocolate mixture into this.
- Spoon the batters, alternately into the prepared cake tin. (I do a thin layer of white on the bottom of the loaf tin of plain, and then put in three blobs of white leaving space to put in 3 blobs of chocolate in between, then I reverse that on the next layer, putting white batter on top of the chocolate blobs and chocolate on the white, repeating until I have used all of both batters. Run a thin spatula through the batter in a zigzag shape to marbleize, without overdoing it.)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should spring back with lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes on a wire rack before removing from the pan to finish cooling. Ice or not as desired. Cut into slices to serve.
This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Thanks for visiting! Do come again!!
If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right-hand side of the screen.
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