Sweet Potato Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Active Time:
40 mins
Cool Time:
1 hr
Total Time:
1 hr 15 mins
Servings:
12

Ingredients
Cake Layers:

1 large (12- to 14-oz.) sweet potato (makes about 1 1/2 cups mashed)

Baking spray with flour

2 1/2 cups bleached cake flour (such as Swans Down)

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

3/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Pinch of ground nutmeg

3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup molasses

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs, at room temperature

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 1/2 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Chopped pecans, for garnish (optional)

Directions
Prepare oven and cake pans:
Preheat oven to 350°F with oven rack in center of oven. Coat 2 (9-inch) cake pans with baking spray.

Cook sweet potatoes:
Pierce potato several times using a fork, and place on a microwave-safe plate.

sweet potato pierced by fork
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Microwave potato on HIGH 4 minutes. Flip the potato with a pair of tongs (it will be hot), and microwave for 5 minutes. Check for tenderness with a fork, and continue to microwave in 1-minute increments until cooked through, if needed. Let cool enough to be handled, about 10 minutes; peel and mash in a small bowl.

mashed sweet potato out of skin
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Combine dry ingredients:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, ground ginger, baking soda, and a generous pinch of nutmeg in a medium bowl.

dry ingredients for a cake
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Make milk mixture:
Whisk together milk, molasses, vanilla extract, and mashed sweet potato in a large glass measuring cup.

sweet potato mixture for cake
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Make batter:
Beat sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

creamed butter and sugar in a bowl
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Add eggs, one at a time, and mix just until combined. Reduce speed to low; blend in one-third of the flour mixture.

egg in butter and sugar mixture
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Add half of the milk mixture; blend until smooth. Repeat procedure, alternating dry and wet ingredients, blending fully between additions.

sweet potato cake batter
Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling; Prop Stylist: Keoshia McGhee
Add batter to cake pans:
Divide batter between prepared pans.

cake batter in two round cake pans
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Bake cake layers:
Bake in pre-heated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center of each cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool in pans 15 minutes. Very carefully turn out Cake Layers onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.

baked sweet potato cake layers
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Prepare the Frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and salt, and beat well. Reduce speed to low, and gradually add 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar. Beat until well blended. Gradually add remaining powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth between additions. Continue to beat until frosting is light and fluffy.

mixing frosting in stand mixer bowl
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Build cake:
Place 1 cooled Cake Layer on a serving plate. Cover generously with frosting; top with remaining layer, and frost top and sides of cake.

frosting spread on a cake layer
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Garnish with pecans, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

sweet potato cake frosted and garnished and ready to serve
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Test Kitchen Tips
Mashed sweet potatoes give this cake an earthy flavor and a moist texture. You don't even need to spend time baking the potatoes in the oven; microwaving is a far quicker method with equally tasty results. While the cake is plenty irresistible with just the cream cheese frosting, a sprinkling of chopped pecans or walnuts certainly doesn't hurt.