Sweet potato cake

by Andrea Gámez

This sweet potato is so good. It is similar to the classic carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, but using sweet potato instead of carrot, and the result is amazing.

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Sweet potato cake

Now, in many places in the world it is really easy to get sweet potato, while in many others not that much. In our city in Mexico, for example, sweet potato is only sold for a few weeks during fall, and then it’s hard to find the rest of the year.

In several other places, however, it is easier to find for a longer period of time.

Sweet potato originated in America. In Mexico is usually eaten as a compote or cristalized. In fact it is so popular that they sell it on the streets or in any market already cirstalized.

Sweet potato cake is really similar to carrot cake, since both are moist and fluffy, plus they both go great with the cream cheese frosting. The recipe calls for some spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and ground clove) which are all crucial to attain the best of flavors, so please use them!!!

This sweet potato cake is similar to a carrot cake, because theya re both moist and fluffy, plus they both usually have a cream cheese frosting. The recipe calls for spices (cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg) which are a must to get a better flavor, and are absolutely key to make it taste amazing, so please don’t skip them!!

And with the cream cheese frosting on top this cake is great, because the slightly acid taste of the frosting sort of cuts the sweetness of the cake itself, and it is a perfect balance.

How to make a sweet potato cake

We add nuts tgo this cake, chopped. We normally use pecan nuts, but you can easily use castile nuts instead for example, or simply use any type of nut you like.

If you like this recipe, you have to make our carrot cake, which is just as good as this cake, and it is perfect for fall and winter.

Sweet potato cake

Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

For the cake:

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/4 C vegetable oil
  • 1 C white sugar
  • 1 C brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 sweet potatoes medium size
  • 2 C all purpouse flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground clove
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 C pecan nuts chopped

For the frosting:

  • 13 oz (380 gr) cream cheese at room temperature
  • 3 oz (90 gr) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 C confectioners sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 C whole milk
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions
 

For the cake:

  • Bake the sweet potatos until they´re soft to touch. Take out of the oven, wait for them to cool down, and then take the skin off. Using a fork, mash the sweet potatos.
  • Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and the spices, and set aside.
  • In a big bowl, beat the eggs, then beat in oil, sugar and vanilla. 
  • Stir in the mashed sweet potatos, and then slowly stir in the dry ingredients. 
  • Coat the chopped nuts with some flour and stir them in too. Pour the batter in a previously greased cake pan.
  • Bake at 350°F for about 50 min. or until, when uding a wooden stick, this comes out clean.

For the frosting:

  • In a bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese until soft, for about 3 min. Then add in vanilla and milk. 
  • Add, slowly, the confectioners sugar previously sifted, and the pinch of salt, until well incorporated. 
  • Keep beating until the forting turn fluffy and whiter. 

To assemble:

  • Cut in half, horizontally, the cake. Then, in a big plate, place one of those halves. Put on top of it a generous amount of frosting and then top it with the other half, pressing a little. 
  • Finish it off by frosting only the top of the cake, so that the sides of the cake remain “naked”.
  • Refrigerate overnight for better results. Sprinkle some ground cinnamon on top and you´re done.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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