This is absolutely the most amazing cake. It’s moist, chocolate-y, and almost – yes – even healthy, with lots of fiber from the sweet potatoes. Of course it contains sugar, and fat from almond butter – but hey, it’s a dessert.
No one will ever guess that it’s based on sweet potatoes.
Frosted Chocolate Cake from Sweet Potatoes
Moist, chocolatey, delicious
Servings: 12
Equipment
- food processor
- blender
Ingredients
Cake
- ¾ cup sweet potato peeled cooked, and cooled (see Notes)
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour see Notes
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 scant teaspoon baking soda
Frosting
- 1 cup sweet potato peeled cooked, and cooled (see Notes)
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup cashew butter or almond butter
- 2 tablespoons plant-based milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch round or 8-inch square silicone or other nonstick cake pan with parchment paper. Will also make 12 standard-size cupcakes or 36 mini-size.
- For frosting: in a blender or food processor combine sweet potato, coconut sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, cashew butter or almond butter, plant-based milk, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Cover and blend until very smooth, scraping sides as needed. If necessary, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk and 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar to make desired consistency and sweetness. Cover and chill until ready to use.
- For cake wet ingredients: in a blender combine sweet potato, maple syrup, vinegar, vanilla, and ½ cup water; cover and blend until completely smooth.
- For cake dry ingredients: In a large bowl stir together flour, coconut sugar, and salt. Sift in cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Add sweet potato wet mixture to flour mixture. Use 1 tablespoon water to rinse blender to remove any remaining puree and add to flour mixture. Mix just until well incorporated. Transfer batter to prepared pan (s).
- Bake 21 to 23 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Remove cake from pan and top with frosting. Cupcakes: 18-20 minutes. Mini-cupcakes: 12-15 minutes.
- Test with a toothpick to see when it is done. Remove from oven and let cook before frosting.
Notes
I cook sweet potatoes in the microwave. Scrub them, and stab in 5-6 places with a sharp knife, to let the steam out. I microwave on “potato” setting until they are soft – usually 3-5 minutes depending on how big they are.
Another great option is canned organic sweet potato puree. You need 1 3/4 cup for both the cake and frosting, and that’s exactly the amount in a 15-oz can.
I like whole wheat pastry flour because it is light yet still a whole grain. You can use white whole wheat, or plain old all-purpose white flour in this recipe.
The recipe makes more frosting than you will need, probably, but you can freeze it.