Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the longer sides.
Step 2: Prepare the sweet potatoes. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Boil them in lightly salted water until very tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain well and mash them until completely smooth. You'll need 1 cup of mashed sweet potato. Allow it to cool slightly.
Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground cloves.
Step 4: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, and cooled mashed sweet potato until well combined.
Step 5: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix with a spoon or spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; overmixing can lead to a tough bread. A few lumps are okay!
Step 6: If desired, gently fold in any optional add-ins like chopped pecans or walnuts.
Step 7: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly.
Step 8: Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top starts to brown too quickly, tent it loosely with aluminum foil.
Step 9: Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before carefully removing it from the pan.
Step 10: Transfer the sweet potato bread to the wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.