Bring the bakery to you with this Sweet Potato Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting! It’s made with fresh sweet potatoes and basic pantry staples for an incredibly moist cake. Top it off with a homemade tangy cream cheese frosting that really takes the cake (literally)! Perfect for parties, potlucks, or any time when you’re craving some down-home Southern sweetness.
Southern Sweet Potato Cake
Add cooked sweet potatoes to your cake batter and you will be amazed at the results. This sweet potato cake recipe is the moistest cake I’ve ever had, and you wouldn’t even know it has sweet potatoes in it. They don’t add a strong flavor, just incredible moisture that makes every bite soft and tender.
I’ve been working on a recipe for this cake since my daughter was in college in Greenville, SC. A local bakery served it, and it was always the first thing to sell out. After a few tries, I finally nailed a version that’s just as good, maybe even better!
The cake itself has a warm, comforting flavor with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg, but it’s surprisingly light, almost like a vanilla cake with extra richness. The sweet potatoes add moisture like carrots do in a carrot cake.
It’s layered with a creamy, tangy cream cheese frosting that complements the sweetness perfectly. But if you’re feeling adventurous, a brown butter cream cheese frosting, or cinnamon cream cheese frosting are frostings that are hard to beat.
This cake is a must-make for fall, the holidays, or any time you want a show-stopping dessert that’s as nostalgic as it is delicious. Once you try it, you’ll understand why it was always the first thing to disappear from the bakery case!
If you love three layer cakes, try a simple and moist confetti cake, it’s great for birthdays.
This Will Be Your New Favorite Cake
- Bakery-level good: The velvety sweet potato cake with the rich cream cheese frosting creates a treat worthy of being in a bakery.
- Make-ahead friendly: You can make the cake layers and frosting ahead of time and freeze until ready to serve.
- Moist: Sweet potatoes add so much moisture resulting in a cake that is incredibly soft and rich without overpowering the flavor.
Ingredients You Need to Make This Sweet Potato Cake Recipe
Get the full list of ingredients in the Recipe Card below.
- Sweet potatoes: Fresh sweet potatoes will give you the best flavor and texture. While developing this recipe, I tried using canned sweet potatoes and it was a disaster. Stick to raw sweet potatoes that you will cook in the microwave.
- Cake flour: Creates a soft, tender crumb for a delicate texture, unlike all-purpose flour, which can lead to a dense cake. You can use all-purpose flour, but if you have cake flour, you will get a better texture.
How to Make It
Step One: Prep the Sweet Potatoes
Step Two: Mix the Dry Ingredients
Whisk together the dry ingredients.
Step Three: Combine the Wet Ingredients
Step Four: Make the Batter
Avoid over mixing to keep the cake light and tender.
Step Five: Bake the Cakes
Divide the cake batter between greased cake pans and bake. For even layers, weigh the pans on a kitchen scale so that you have the exact amount of batter in each layer.
Step Six: Make the Frosting
Step Seven: Frost and Serve
If you like, sprinkle with chopped pecans for a little crunch. Slice and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Cooking sweet potatoes: There’s no need to bake the sweet potatoes, microwaving sweet potatoes works fine for this recipe. Don’t use boiled sweet potatoes as the moisture levels will be different.
- Room temperature: Using room temperature eggs, butter, and cream cheese helps everything mix together smoothly and evenly. If you’re in a pinch, you can soften butter and soften cream cheese in no time!
- Cool: Make sure the cake is completely cooled before adding the frosting, you can even frost the layers frozen.
- Piping: If you want a pretty presentation, try chilling the frosting in the fridge to firm it up a bit before piping it onto the cake. If you don’t feel like piping, just spread the frosting on the cake however you like.
Storing, Freezing, and Making Ahead
- Storing: Keep the frosted cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day, otherwise freeze it to keep it fresh. Before serving, let it sit at room temperature.
- Freezing: You can freeze the cake layers before frosting. Wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. They’ll keep for up to 3 months.
- Make-Ahead Tips: Bake the cake layers a day or two in advance, wrap them tightly, and store them at room temperature in the freezer to stay fresh until you’re ready to frost. You can also make the frosting ahead and refrigerate it. Just let it soften and give it a quick whip before using.
Don’t Forget!
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Ingredients
- 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes about 2 medium sweet potatoes, 1 ½ lbs
- 3 ¼ cup cake flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup butter melted and cooled
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 5 large eggs room temp
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temp
- 1 cup butter room temp
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 7 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Microwave sweet potatoes, once cooled, mash the sweet potatoes with a fork and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350º. Grease three 9-inch cake pans with butter and line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper. Flour the pans with about a tablespoon of flour so that it co vers the sides and bottom of the pan. Tap to remove excess flour.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add both sugars, melted butter, oil and vanilla. Beat until well combined on medium high speed until there are no lumps, about 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs to the mashed sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Add to the sugar mixer and beat until well combined. Gradually add flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Divide evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the center is set when touched with your finger.
- Place on a wire rack to cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Run an offset spatula or knife around the edges and flip onto a wire rack. Remove the parchment paper and let cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt and mix to combine. Gradually add powdered sugar until it is the consistency you want. Then beat on medium-high until it is smooth and creamy and no lumps can be found.
- Spread on the cooled cake using about 1 cup between each layer. Then frost the sides and top. Refrigerate the cake and extra frosting for about 15 minutes to let the frosting firm up a bit then pipe florets on the top. Sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired.
Notes
- Make sure the sweet potatoes have cooled before adding them to the cake.
- This makes enough frosting to cover a three layer cake with plenty of extra to decorate the top.
- The nutrition facts are based on using all of the frosting.
How long do you microwave the potatoes. Do you leave the skin on?
The easiest way to bake sweet potatoes in the microwave is to leave the skins on, cover them with a damp paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes, flip them and microwave 3 more minutes. The time will vary depending on the size of your potatoes.
Do you think this cake would translate well to a 9×13 cake pan? Thanks.
Yes, you will need to increase the baking time. Take it out when a toothpick comes out clean.