Sweet Potato Cake

5 from 2 votes

I am not exaggerating when I say this sweet potato cake is perfect. It's sweet (but not overly so), beautifully buttery, spiced (but not in an overpowering way), and topped with an orange glaze that is a lovely compliment to the other flavors.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 15

Cooling Time2

Total Time3 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 449kcal

Author: Stefani

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar packed
4 large eggs room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pureed sweet potato Bake 1 pound sweet potato at 350 F for about 90 minutes. When done, remove from the oven, remove skin, mash and measure out the two cups.
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/3 cup buttermilk room temperature
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Glaze Ingredients

2 cups powdered sugar sifted
1/2 cup orange juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cake Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix butter, sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer for about three minutes or until light and fluffy.
1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup light brown sugar
Mix in eggs one at a time until fully combined.
4 large eggs
Mix in vanilla and sweet potato.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cups pureed sweet potato
In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom.
3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
Alternatively, add flour mixture and buttermilk to the wet ingredients. Do this in about three additions making sugar the batter is just combined between each addition.
1/3 cup buttermilk
Fold in pecans.
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan and pour batter into the pan.
Bake for 75 minutes or until a cake tester comes out dry.
Wait 10 minutes and then invert the cake onto a cooling rack.
Let the cake sit for at least two hours to cool before glazing.

Glaze Instructions

Mix powdered sugar and orange juice.
2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup orange juice
Add more powdered sugar as needed to make a thick glaze that falls very slowly off of a spoon.
Spoon glaze in a circle over the top of the cake and let it drip down the inside and outside of the Bundt.
Once the glaze has hardened (about 30 minutes), slice and serve.

Notes

The recipe for this cake came from the book, Southern Sugar, by Belinda Smith-Sullivan. I was given permission to share it from the publisher, Gibbs Smith.

The cake lasts about five days in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze it for months.

Nutrition