This dessert is a masterpiece of flavors, where the earthy sweetness of sweet potatoes combines with the timeless elegance of a classic pound cake. The result? A moist, dense, and incredibly flavorful cake that captures the essence of autumn in every bite.
Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply craving a slice of pure indulgence, this sweet potato pound cake promises to be the perfect addition to your baking repertoire.
Sweet Potato Pound Cake is an excellent recipe to try this holiday season. If you are tired of the traditional sweet potato casserole or pie, this is a nice alternative.
You may also like:
– Southern Delight Sweet Potato Cornbread Recipe
– Easy Peach Cobbler Pound Cake Recipe
– Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potato Pound Cake Ingredients
To make this sweet potato cake recipe, gather the ingredients below. Then, find our recipe card at the bottom of the page for step-by-step instructions and exact measurements.
- All-purpose flour
- Mashed sweet potatoes: Or canned sweet potato puree.
- Unsalted butter: Softened butter.
- Large eggs
- Granulated white sugar
- Packed brown sugar: Dark or light brown sugar.
- Vanilla extract
- Baking powder: Not baking soda.
- Ground cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
- Kosher salt
Glaze ingredients:
- Powdered sugar: Confectioners’ sugar.
- Cinnamon
- Maple syrup
- Water
How To Make Sweet Potato Pound Cake From Scratch
- Preheat the oven: First, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Prepare the pan: In the meantime, grease a 12-cup Bundt pan generously with butter or shortening. Make sure you get every little spot. Then, sprinkle a little bit of granulated sugar into the pan and shake it to coat evenly.
- Roast sweet potatoes: Then, place one large or two medium sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for at least one hour or until they are tender. Cool completely, then peel, mash, and measure out what you need.
- Turn the oven down: After you cook sweet potatoes, turn the oven down to 325 degrees F.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Now, cream butter and sugars in a stand mixer on high for about three minutes, until they are light and fluffy. Scrape the sides with a spatula and add eggs, beating well. Scrape sides again and add sweet potatoes.
- Gradually add the flour mixture: Then, set the mixer on low and mix in spices, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt. Mix flour in a little bit at a time until it is fully combined. Scrape the bowl again and beat for another 20 seconds.
- Pour batter into cake pan: Next, pour cake batter into your prepared bundt pan and tap it lightly on the counter to remove air bubbles. Smooth out the top if needed.
- Bake the cake: Finally, bake on the middle rack for 65 to 75 minutes, until it is golden brown and passes the toothpick test.
- Cool your cake: Last, remove your sweet potato pound cake and let it cool for 20 minutes. Then, flip it out on a wire rack and let it cool completely.
- Glaze and serve: While you wait, mix the glaze ingredients in a medium bowl. Then pour it onto the cooled cake and let it set before serving.
Sweet Potato Pound Cake Recipe Variations
- Different flour: Feel free to use cake flour or whatever flour you like to use for baking cakes.
- Zest it up: Add some lemon or orange zest to give your cake a little extra flavor.
- Brown butter: Use brown butter to make your sweet potato pound cake even more flavorful. It is easy to do and all you need is butter and a small saucepan. Just melt the butter on medium heat, stirring frequently, until the butter is brown.
- Chocolate chips: Any chocolate lover would enjoy a cup of chocolate chips in the mix.
- Other spices: Add your favorite spices like ground ginger, cloves, paprika, or cumin.
- Salted butter: If you’re using salted butter, omit the added salt in list of ingredients.
How To Serve Sweet Potato Pound Cake
Serve sweet potato pound cake with more powdered sugar on the glaze before it sets for a deliciously sweet taste. You can also try one of these great ideas for serving.
- This delicious cake goes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- You could also frost the cake with a delicious cream cheese frosting.
- Another way to serve is with a dollop of whipped cream.
- For a fruity cake, spoon some strawberry or blueberry preserves on top.
- You could also top your pound cake with slices of banana or mangoes.
- Slice into sections and make french toast for a decadent breakfast or brunch topped with the maple syrup glaze.
- Make your cake a little crunchy with a cup of chopped pecans sprinkled on the glaze before it sets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the difference between a bundt pan and a tube pan?
A. A tube pan is a round pan with deep sides with a hollow tube in the center and removable sides. It is often used for angel food or sponge cakes. A Bundt pan is similar, but it does not have removable sides and it has intricate crevices for a unique design. However, you can use either one for this recipe.
Q. How many sweet potatoes do I need?
A. One large, two medium, or three small sweet potatoes should be enough. You will need three cups of mashed sweet potatoes, which is about a medium bowl full. However, if you want to make sure you have just the right amount, bake extra. You can always eat the leftovers.
Q. What are the nutrition facts in this recipe?
A. The nutrition, calories, and fat numbers are just estimates. Each serving has approximately 418 calories, 104 mg of cholesterol, 35 grams of sugar, 201 mg of sodium, 60 grams of carbs, 20 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, and 1 gram of trans fat. On the good side, it also gives you 5 grams of protein, 3 mg of iron, 6 grams of unsaturated fats, 70 mg of calcium, 254 mg of potassium, 5 mg of vitamin C, 2 grams of fiber, and 5,639 units of vitamin A.
How To Store Pound Cake Leftovers
- Store: You can store your leftover sweet potato pound cake in an airtight container for seven to nine days.
- Freeze: It is also safe to freeze your sweet potato pound cake for up to three months. Wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in a freezer bag or another freezer-safe container.
- Thaw: Remember to thaw frozen leftovers in the fridge to overnight before serving.
Sweet Potato Pound Cake Recipe Tips
- If you do not have any fresh sweet potatoes, you can use canned sweet potato purée from the grocery store. But remember, you get better sweet potato flavor from fresh sweet potatoes. Also, canned sweet potatoes can have a lot of extra sugar and artificial flavors.
- To pass the toothpick test, when a toothpick inserted deep in the middle of the cake should come out clean, you know the cake is done.
- You could also use a food processor to mash your sweet potatoes.
- Instead of butter or shortening, feel free to use baking spray but make sure you get every nook and cranny.
- To use a regular 9×13 cake pan is fine but cut the baking time to 35 to 45 minutes.
- You can also use loaf pans for this recipe. There is enough batter for 2 loaf pans. The bake time will be about 40 to 50 minutes.
- If you do not have a stand mixer, you can use a large bowl and an electric hand mixer.
- When measuring flour, do not use a measuring cup to scoop it out or you will end up with too much flour in your cake batter, which can dry out your cake. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup so it does not get packed in.
Sweet Potato Pound Cake
Experience the cozy blend of sweet potatoes and classic pound cake in our irresistible sweet potato pound cake recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups smashed cooked sweet potato, you can also use canned sweet potato puree
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup white sugar
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch of cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Set a rack in the center of the oven.
- Generously grease with butter a large bundt pan (about 12 cups capacity), lightly flour the pan.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add the eggs and beat until well combined. After that, beat in the sweet potato mash (cooled).
- With the mixer on low, mix in the vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, salt, and flour little by little. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Beat on high for another 20 seconds until the batter is smooth and fluffy.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Tap it on the counter to remove as many air bubbles as possible, and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the bundt cake from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack in the pan for at least 20 minutes. After that, gently flip it onto a plate and slide it again on the cooling rack and continue to cool to room temperature.
- Serve it as is or with caramel sauce, whipped cream, or ice cream on the side.
- Also, you can top the cake with a simple powdered sugar glaze or cream cheese frosting.
Micky Reed, a two-decade veteran in the food and baking industry, leverages her influential Three Snackateers food blog and Instagram presence to collaborate with industry giants like Ben & Jerry's and Crumbl Cookies. Her work has been featured on Delish, PopSugar and more. Her expertise as a product curator for one of the world's largest international snack subscription box companies solidifies her status as a key player in the field.