Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 75 mins
Servings: 10 to 12 servings
Whether you're looking for a way to use leftover cooked sweet potato or want to find a cake recipe with a little twist, this sweet potato pound cake is a great choice. Mashed sweet potato, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, buttermilk, and pecans combine with traditional pound cake ingredients to make a moist and flavorful cake with a little bit of crunch.
This delicious sweet potato pound cake can be made in a Bundt pan or tube cake pan. The cake is brushed with melted butter and dusted with a light coating of powdered sugar for the perfect finishing touch.
«The cake itself is easy and straightforward. I was careful not to overmix and pulled it from the oven right at the 55-minute mark. It came out beautifully fluffy, with a cinnamon-spice flavor perfect for fall. It requires some make-ahead work if you don’t have leftovers.» —Patty Lee
A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups mashed sweet potato (canned or homemade)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (stir lightly before measuring)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup buttermilk (well shaken)
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
- For the Topping:
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt cake pan or a tube cake pan.
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In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
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Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and sweet potato until well blended.
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In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices; use a whisk or spoon to blend the dry ingredients.
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Adding a little at a time, stir the flour mixture into the batter, alternating with the buttermilk, until blended. Do not overmix.
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Fold in the chopped pecans. Spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt cake pan or tube cake pan.
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Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
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Cool cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the cake onto the rack to cool completely.
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Transfer the cake to a serving plate, brush all over with the melted butter, and then dust with the powdered sugar.
How Many Sweet Potatoes Is 2 Cups?
For 2 cups of mashed sweet potato, you will need about 1 pound or 3 medium-sized potatoes.
Recipe Variations
- Orange Glaze: Replace the powdered sugar topping with an orange glaze. Combine 1 cup confectioners' sugar with 1 teaspoon of finely grated orange zest and 1 tablespoon of fresh orange juice. Adjust with more orange juice or powdered sugar as needed for a thin drizzling consistency. Spoon over the cooled cake.
- Walnut Version: Feel free to use chopped walnuts in place of the pecans.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 10 to 12 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 251 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 15g | 19% |
| Saturated Fat 6g | 32% |
| Cholesterol 61mg | 20% |
| Sodium 134mg | 6% |
| Total Carbohydrate 28g | 10% |
| Dietary Fiber 2g | 6% |
| Protein 3g | |
| Calcium 53mg | 4% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
