My sweet potato cake is bursting with earthy sweet potato flavor and cozy spices, then finished with a buttery pecan praline cream cheese frosting that makes each bite a party in your mouth! You'll be surprised by how quick and easy this sweet treat comes together--let me show you how to make it at home.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my sweet potato bread pudding with praline glaze or sweet potato pie cheesecake, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple to Make - You don't need any fancy baking techniques or hard-to-find ingredients for this easy sweet potato cake recipe. In fact, you probably have most of them in your kitchen right now. And if you don't have a mixer, I've included instructions for mixing by hand--no sweat!
What does sweet potato cake taste like? Warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and a pinch of white pepper add depth and complexity that really enhance the sweet potato. You'll also taste subtle molasses, toasty brown butter, and creamy tanginess in the frosting.
Soft and Moist - We're adding plenty of moisture to this recipe for sweet potato cake from scratch, so it's a treat to eat without being soggy or gooey. Applesauce, oil, and eggs, in the right ratio, make for a cake that's surprisingly light.
Maybe it's because I'm from Houston, Texas, and we're influenced by New Orleans, Louisiana, but I put praline flavor in everything, like my carrot cake loaf with pecan praline icing, pecan praline pound cake, apple pie monkey bread with praline sauce, and sticky butter pecan cinnamon rolls next!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Roasted Sweet Potato Puree adds classic sweet potato flavor and a slight orange hue to this cake. You can use canned puree or make sweet potato puree at home--it's easy!
Applesauce, Eggs, and Cooking Oil add moisture and richness to the cake without making it greasy or stodgy. I recommend using unsweetened, unflavored applesauce for the best results.
Vanilla Bean Paste adds mellow vanilla flavor to the cake and the frosting, and you can see the little vanilla bean flecks! If you don't have vanilla paste, just use extra vanilla extract.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Vegan - Use plant-based, dairy-free cream, butter, and cream cheese, as well as an eggless egg alternative, to make this cake vegan.
Shape and Size - You can make this cake into 12 standard cupcakes, 24 mini cupcakes, six jumbo muffins, a large loaf cake, or a thicker square in a nine-by-nine-inch pan.
Using Canned Yams - You can mash leftover canned candied sweet potatoes to replace the puree, but I recommend cutting the sugar in the recipe to about two-thirds the listed amount to account for the sweetener added during processing.
Other Color Sweet Potatoes - You can use purple or white sweet potatoes, which are more common in Asian cooking. Just note that these varieties tend to be drier and more starchy than orange sweet potatoes, so your cake may not come out quite as moist.
Nuts - Feel free to use other nuts here, including almonds, walnuts, or peanuts. Or skip the nuts altogether if you prefer.
How to Make Homemade Sweet Potato Cake
- Step One: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and spices. (Photo 1)
- Step Two: Mix the wet ingredients until uniform. (Photo 2)
- Step Three: Combine the wet and dry mixes to form the cake batter, then spread it into your baking pan. (Photo 3)
- Step Four: Spread the cake batter into the baking pan, then bake until golden brown and cooked through. (Photo 4)
Pro Tip #1
The cake batter will be thick, so make sure to spread it evenly into the pan, and maybe tap the pan on the counter a couple of times to help level it.
- Step Five: Melt the butter, then stir in heavy cream and brown sugar. (Photos 5 and 6)
- Step Six: Bring the mixture to a boil, then let it simmer and cool completely. (Photo 7)
- Step Seven: Once the praline sauce is cool, beat it with the other frosting ingredients until smooth and fluffy. (Photo 8)
Pro Tip #2
To make the frosting without a mixer, use a kitchen spoon or silicone spatula to vigorously combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. It is key that the cream cheese be softened. This will take about seven minutes, and you can take breaks if needed!
- Step Eight: Spread the frosting over top of the cooled cake in an even layer. (Photo 9)
- Step Nine: Cut the cake into pieces, and sprinkle chopped pecans on top of some or all of the pieces. (Photo 10)
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap to keep it moist and prevent the frosting from spoiling. Keeps for up to five days. If you store the cake without frosting, it can be kept at room temperature for up to four days.
To freeze the unfrosted cake, cool it fully, then wrap in a few layers of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil, before placing it in the freezer. To freeze the frosted cake, I recommend refrigerating it overnight first in order to let the frosting get firm. Next, wrap it same as you would the unfrosted cake and place in the freezer. Either way, it will keep for up to three months.
How to Serve
Serve this sweet potato vanilla cake at room temperature or slightly warmed for extra coziness. It is excellent with a hot mug of sweet potato coffee or a simple cinnamon tea.
Nobody will turn down a piece if you pull up to the Friendsgiving feast or add it to your Thanksgiving dessert table. I like to add the pecans to some pieces, because some of my friends and family members don't like nuts, and that way everyone can enjoy!
More Favorite Cake Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy this moist sweet potato cake recipe soon and very soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Cake with Praline Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 1 whisk
- 1 silicone spatula or kitchen spoon
- 1 stand mixer optional
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 cups sweet potato puree
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon bourbon whiskey
For the Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour baking pan and set aside.
- Make the Cake: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In another bowl, use a hand mixer, silicone spatula, or kitchen spoon to mix the sweet potato puree, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, oil, vanilla, and whiskey until uniform.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon white pepper, 2 cups sweet potato puree, 4 eggs, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce, 2 tablespoons cooking oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, 1 teaspoon bourbon whiskey
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just combined with no dry pockets then transfer into prepared baking pan. Place the pan in the oven to bake for 32 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cook the Praline Sauce: While the cake bakes, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, then stir in the brown sugar, heavy cream, and salt until uniform. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to allow it to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup heavy cream, ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then invert it onto a wire cooling rack OR leave it in the pan if you plan to transport and serve it out of the pan.
- Make the Frosting: While the cake cools, use a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat together the cooled praline sauce, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy. *To mix the frosting by hand, use a kitchen spoon or silicone spatula to vigorously combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl for about seven minutes or until smooth and fluffy.2 cups powdered sugar, 6 ounces cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Finish and Serve: Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cooled cake, then sprinkle with chopped pecans and serve.chopped pecans
Margaret says
I took this cake to our civic club meeting and it was all gone. My husband has already asked me to make it again! The brown butter notes in the praline frosting are soooo good and the cake is nice and moist. A winner for sure!