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Sweet Potato Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Sweet Potato Cake is moist with a luscious, homemade, creamy cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It requires only a few simple ingredients and tastes like it came out of a professional bakery. 

A slice of sweet potato cakes on a white plate and some cinnamon sticks on the side.


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Making your own cake at home from scratch is easy and I have quite a few other cake recipes you should try. A few favorites are Old Fashioned Applesauce CakeBanana Cake with Homemade Brown Butter Frosting, and a classic Carrot Cake

Why This Recipe Works

Homemade Sweet potato cake is a decadent dessert that is simple enough for weekly dessert but fancy enough for a holiday dessert spread on Thanksgiving or Christmas. This moist cake has a similar texture to a spice cake and the dreamy frosting is very creamy.

Ingredients needed for this cake

All the ingredients needed for sweet potato cake.
  • All purpose flour
  • Baking powder and baking soda: Your leavening agents.
  • Spices: Salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg.
  • Sugar: dark brown sugar and granulated sugar.
  • Large eggs: A binding ingredient common in cakes.
  • Oil: vegetable oil or canola oil.
  • Sweet potatoes: Leftover sweet potatoes can be used.
  • Vanilla extract
  • Butter: room temperature 
  • Cream cheese: room temperature to prevent any lumps.
  • Cinnamon: ground cinnamon
  • Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioner sugar.

How to make a Delicious Sweet Potato Cake

All the dry ingredients mixed in a bowl and all the wet ingredients mixed into a second bowl.
  • Step 1: In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Whisk until combined.
  • Step 2: In a separate mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the sugars, eggs, vegetable oil, mashed sweet potatoes, and vanilla together until combined.
Dry ingredients poured into the wet and mixed then poured into a baking pan.
  • Step 3: Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix together. 
  • Step 4: Pour batter in a cake pan that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake cake. 
All the frosting ingredients mixed together in a bowl.
  • Step 5: In a medium bowl add the butter, cream cheese, cinnamon, and vanilla. Using a hand mixer blend until creamy.
  • Step 6: Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time until blended.
Sweet potato cake is baked and cooled then frosting is spread on top.
  • Step 7: Once a toothpick can be inserted into the middle of the cake and comes out clean, the cake is done and should be removed to cool until it's time to frost the cake.
  • Step 8: Use an offset spatula to frost the cake. Slice, serve, and enjoy.
A slice of sweet potato cake being picked up with a spatula.

Recipe Tips

  • If you don't like the stringy fibers from the mashed sweet potatoes, you can pulse it a few times in the food processor to make a smooth sweet potato purรฉe.
  • If you have one, you can use a stand mixer to make the cake batter and the frosting instead of an electric mixer and a large mixing bowl.
  • You can add chopped pecans, walnuts, or other nuts to the cake pieces when serving.
  • The best way to serve this cake is slightly chilled or at room temperature.
A piece of sweet potato cake on a place with a bite on a fork.

Recipe Faq's

How do I cook and prep the sweet potatoes?

Wash sweet potatoes, pat dry with a paper towel, and poke holes in them with a fork.ย 
Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.ย 
Bake at 400 for 45 minutes or until you can easily poke them with a fork.
Remove from oven to let cool for 10 minutes.ย 
Using a spoon scrape out the center and place in a bowl mash with a fork. You will need two cups of this for the cake batter.

Are Yams and Sweet Potatoes the same thing?

No, they are not the same. Yams have a rough brown skin that resembles tree bark. Sweet potatoes have smooth reddish skin, and orange or white flesh and are sweet in flavor.

Can I use canned sweet potatoes?

If in a pinch, you can use a 15oz can of sweet potatoes. Mix and mash them in a food processor until a puree starts to form. This will work, but the fresh sweet potatoes have the best flavor.

How to store leftover cake?

Leftover cake can be covered with plastic wrap or kept in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. It should be refrigerated because of the cream cheese frosting on top of the cake- not kept at room temperature. But, it's important to remember that the fridge could dry this cake out faster, so enjoying it sooner than later is recommended.

A piece of sweet potato cake on a place with a bite on a fork.

Sweet Potato Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

4.83 from 96 votes
Written By: Wendie
Sweet Potato Cakeis moist with a luscious, homemade, creamy cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It requires only a few simple ingredients and tastes like it came out of a professional bakery.ย 
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 412

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ยพ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ยฝ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • ยฝ tablespoon ground ginger
  • ยฝ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes about 3 large sweet potatoes see notes
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

For the Frosting

  • 8 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1-8 oz pkg cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking pan with non stick cooking spray.
  • In a medium bowl add the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg and whisk until combined.
  • In a large bowl using a hand mixer beat the sugars, eggs, vegetable oil, mashed sweet potatoes and vanilla until combined.
  • Add in the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
  • Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 28-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool completely before frosting.

For The Frosting

  • In a medium bowl add the butter, cream cheese, cinnamon and vanilla. Using a hand mixer blend until creamy.
  • Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time until blended.

Video

Notes

To cook the sweet potatoes:
Wash sweet potatoes, pat them dry with a paper towel, and poke holes in them with a fork.ย Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.ย Bake at 400 for 45 minutes or until you can easily poke them with a fork. Remove from oven to let cool for 10 minutes.ย Using a spoon scrape out the center and place in a bowl mash with a fork. You will need two cups of this for the cake batter.
You can also poke holes in them and cook in the microwave for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender.
Store leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Make sure your butter and cream cheese is room temperature to prevent any lumps.

Nutrition

Serving: 12servingsCalories: 412kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 3gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 0.04gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 186mgPotassium: 268mgFiber: 1gSugar: 58gVitamin A: 1IUCalcium: 56mgIron: 1mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
4.83 from 96 votes (91 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




22 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is DELICIOUS- you donโ€™t have to change anything. Everyone loves it and it rarely lasts more than one day! Thank you for sharing a wonderful recipe