Southern Sweet Potato Cake is a moist spiced sheet cake made with 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes, brown sugar, vegetable oil, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, baked in a 9×13 pan and spread with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It cuts into 12 servings.
How to make it: Whisk the dry ingredients, beat the sugars, eggs, oil, sweet potatoes and vanilla, then stir the two together just until combined. Bake at 350°F for 28 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake completely, about 2 hours, then frost it.
Why You’ll Love It
- Moist for days: 2 cups of mashed sweet potato keep the crumb soft, much like applesauce does in a spice cake.
- Warm spices: cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in the cake, and more cinnamon in the frosting.
- Tangy frosting: cream cheese adds a tart, creamy contrast to the spiced cake.
- One pan: a 9×13 sheet cake is easy to frost, slice and carry.
Ingredient Notes
Flour: 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled.
Leaveners and spices: 1 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.
Sugars: 1 cup packed brown sugar and 2/3 cup granulated sugar.
Eggs and oil: 3 large eggs and 1 cup vegetable oil.
Sweet potatoes: 2 cups cooked and mashed, about 3 large. Measure by the cup (see below).
Vanilla: 2 teaspoons for the cake and 1 teaspoon for the frosting.
Frosting: 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter and one 8-ounce package of full-fat cream cheese, both at room temperature, plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 4 cups powdered sugar.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned into the cup and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed (about 3 large sweet potatoes)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (for the cake)
For the cream cheese frosting
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick, room temperature)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 package, room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for the frosting)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for the frosting)
- 4 cups powdered sugar (also called confectioners sugar)
How to Make Southern Sweet Potato Cake
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg until combined.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, oil, mashed sweet potatoes and vanilla until combined.
4. Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
5. Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 28 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Cool completely. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool completely before frosting, about 2 hours on a wire rack.
7. Make the frosting. In a medium bowl, add the butter, cream cheese, cinnamon and vanilla. Use a hand mixer to blend until creamy.
8. Add the sugar. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing until blended.
9. Frost and serve. Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Slice and serve.
How to Cook and Mash the Sweet Potatoes
Do the sweet potatoes first, because the mash needs time to cool. Recipes disagree on how many sweet potatoes make 2 cups (anywhere from 2 medium to 5 large), so go by the measuring cup, not the count.
- Bake: wash and dry the sweet potatoes, poke them with a fork and bake on a foil-lined sheet at 400°F for 45 minutes, until a fork slides in easily. Cool 10 minutes, scoop out the centers and mash with a fork.
- Microwave: poke holes and microwave 15 to 20 minutes, until fork-tender.
- Boil: peel, cut into 2-inch pieces and simmer 15 to 20 minutes until fork-tender, then drain, mash until smooth and cool to room temperature.
- Stringy mash? Pulse it in a food processor for a few seconds and it smooths out.
- Leftovers or a can: leftover cooked sweet potatoes work. In a pinch, a 15-ounce can of sweet potatoes, mashed and processed to a puree, will do, though fresh have the best flavor.
Common Sweet Potato Cake Mistakes
- Guessing the mash. Measure 2 cups of cooked sweet potato instead of counting potatoes.
- Packing the flour. Spoon it into the cup and level it off.
- Overmixing. Stir the dry ingredients in just until combined; mixing too long makes the cake dense. The batter will be thick.
- Pulling it too soon. Bake until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean, or with only a few moist crumbs.
- Frosting a warm cake. Let it cool completely first, about 2 hours on a rack.
- Cold cream cheese. Use full-fat cream cheese and butter at room temperature so the frosting stays smooth, without lumps. If it’s too thick, beat in milk or cream a teaspoon at a time.
- Leaving it out. The cream cheese frosting means the cake belongs in the refrigerator.
Sheet Cake, Layer Cake or Pound Cake?
You’ll find a few kinds of sweet potato cake. This one is an oil-based sheet cake with cream cheese frosting. A two-layer sweet potato cake baked in 9-inch rounds uses a different, butter-and-buttermilk batter, so don’t pour this batter into round pans. Sweet potato pound cake, baked in a Bundt pan with a glaze, is its own recipe too.
Serving Ideas and Variations
- Nuts on top: sprinkle chopped or crushed pecans, walnuts or other nuts over the frosting or on each piece.
- Temperature: serve it slightly chilled, or let slices sit out until they reach room temperature.
- Vanilla bean paste: use it in place of vanilla extract.
- A pinch of salt: a little salt in the frosting balances the sweetness.
Storage & Freezing
Refrigerator: Keep the frosted cake covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Don’t leave it out more than 2 hours (1 hour if it’s above 90°F). The fridge can dry the cake a little, so it’s best eaten sooner rather than later.
Freezer: Cool the cake all the way to room temperature, wrap it in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator.
What to Serve With It
Serve it slightly chilled or at room temperature, plain or with chopped pecans. Cooking a sweet potato spread? Put Ruth’s Chris sweet potato casserole or sweet potatoes with marshmallows on the table first.
For another cream cheese frosted cake, try Southern pineapple cake. Want another sheet cake for a crowd? Make Texas sheet cake. For more warm spice, bake an easy cinnamon apple cake or a Southern peach crumb cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the common sweet potato cake mistakes?
Guessing the amount of mash, packing the flour, overmixing the batter, frosting a warm cake and using cold cream cheese.
What’s the best frosting for sweet potato cake?
Cream cheese frosting. Its tang is a good contrast to the spiced cake, and a teaspoon of cinnamon ties the two together.
How many sweet potatoes make 2 cups mashed?
About 3 large, but sizes vary a lot. Measure the mash with a cup.
Can I use canned sweet potatoes?
Yes, in a pinch. Mash a 15-ounce can and process it until it turns into a puree. Fresh sweet potatoes have the best flavor.
Are yams and sweet potatoes the same?
No. Yams have rough brown skin that looks like bark. Sweet potatoes have smooth reddish skin and orange or white flesh, and they taste sweet. Use sweet potatoes here.
How do I store sweet potato cake?
Covered in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, because of the cream cheese frosting.
Can I freeze sweet potato cake?
Yes. Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap and foil and freeze it up to 3 months.
Final Notes
Measure the mash, mix gently and let the cake cool all the way before the frosting goes on. If you top it with pecans or walnuts, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Southern Sweet Potato Cake
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Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour spooned into the cup and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups sweet potatoes cooked and mashed, about 3 large sweet potatoes
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract for the cake
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 stick, room temperature, for the frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese 1 package, room temperature, for the frosting
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon for the frosting
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the frosting
- 4 cups powdered sugar also called confectioners sugar, for the frosting
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg until combined.
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, oil, mashed sweet potatoes and vanilla until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 28 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool completely before frosting, about 2 hours on a wire rack.
- In a medium bowl, add the butter, cream cheese, cinnamon and vanilla. Use a hand mixer to blend until creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing until blended.
- Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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