”For more than two years, I have been waiting for a special moment to share this recipe. What’s more special than my first cookbook? The sweet potatoes give this cake an incredibly moist texture, offering a rich depth of flavor that’s balanced by a velvety cream cheese frosting. Each bite is a comforting blend of warm spices and sweet, creamy goodness!” —Britney Brown-Chamberlain
Sweet Potato-Carrot Cake
Makes 1 (8-inch) cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 pound (455 grams) sweet potatoes
- 2¾ cups (344 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (6 grams) ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (220 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (112 grams) vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs (200 grams), room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (325 grams) shredded carrot
Frosting:
- ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 12 ounces (340 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
- 5 cups (600 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon (10 grams) meringue powder
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
- Pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- For the cake: Rinse and dry sweet potatoes. Place on prepared pan.
- Bake until soft and easily pierced with a fork, 30 to 45 minutes. Let cool enough to handle.
- Remove skin, and place potato flesh in a large bowl. Let cool completely, 1 to 2 hours. Mash potatoes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with baking spray with flour.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and oil on medium speed until well combined and smooth, about 5 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated prior to adding the next, 20 to 30 seconds each. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add mashed sweet potato and vanilla extract, beating until combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (The batter may break but will come back together soon.) Add flour mixture, and continue to beat until combined and smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl. Continue to beat for 10 to 15 seconds. Fold in carrots. Divide batter among prepared pans.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
- For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy and lighter in color, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, and continue to beat until fluffy and combined, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, vanilla extract, and salt, and continue to beat until combined and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Continue to beat for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Place 1 cooled cake layer on a cake stand. Dollop with a generous amount of frosting, and spread evenly. Repeat with remaining 2 cake layers and frosting, and stack layers. Spread remaining frosting on top and sides of cake.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Wonderful recipe. Follow it exactly and the batter ends up light – perfect for baking. I was concerned that this would be a heavy batter… not so. Gave it to friends (even one who does not like sweet potato) and they loved it. Freezes well so you can make it ahead. The frosting did as well without any separating or mealy/graininess as cream cheese sometimes gets. I froze it deconstructed and put it together after thawing the frosting. I made 6 four inch double layer cakes.
This cake is so unlike any other carrot cake I have ever made, or had. This cake is light. This cake is amazing even without the frosting.
If you like carrot cake, you are going to love this cake!
A carrot cake that is light and delicate, tasty even without frosting and amazing with the frosting.