Sweet Potato Layer Cake
This moist, scratch Sweet Potato Layer Cake is perfect for fall and a wonderful alternative to the traditional spice cake! We love it with spiced cream cheese frosting!
Servings: 15 servings
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Cake Layers
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened (170g)
- 1 cup white sugar (200g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed (217g)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil ( we use canola oil) (54g)
- 3 eggs, room temperature (If in a hurry, place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for five minutes.)
- 15 oz can (425g) sweet potatoes — you could also use fresh cooked sweet potato puree (1 ½ cups)
- ½ cup milk (121g)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract (12g)
- 3 cups cake flour — if you do not have cake flour see Note below (342g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (8g)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (3g)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon (6g)
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg (1g)
- ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened (226g) unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened. (452g total) We used two 8 oz packages of full fat cream cheese.
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (8g)
- ½ teaspoon salt (2g)
- 6 cups powdered sugar (690g)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (3g)
Instructions
For the Sweet Potato Cake Layers
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour three 8x2 inch round pans (you could also use two 9 inch pans)
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set Aside
- In another bowl, add the sweet potatoes, milk and vanilla. Set Aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and mix at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue to mix on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes until lightened in color and fluffy.
- Mix in the oil. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until the yellow of the yolk disappears.
- WIth the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients (3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of the milk/sweet potato mixture).
- Do not mix above medium speed or over mix the cake batter. This recipe makes 7 cups of batter. Divide between your prepared cake pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (increase baking time for 9 inch pans). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes and turn out.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cut the butter into slices and add to the bowl of your mixer. Beat on low to medium speed until the butter is softened and smooth.
- Cut the cold cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, beating at low to medium speed until incorporated. If you are using a hand mixer you may need to soften the cream cheese a bit more.
- Add the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cinnamon beating on low speed until blended. Cover the bowl with a towel to keep down the cloud of powdered sugar.
- Increase mixing speed and beat until fluffy. Don't over beat or it will become too soft. If it becomes too soft, just refrigerate a short while to firm it up a bit.
- This frosting will pipe best if used while still chilled. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use let it soften slightly (do not microwave) and remix.
- Will frost a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake.