This time around the The Cake Slice (rs) voted for a sweet potato based cake. It was the perfect cake to bake right before Thanksgiving.The cake called for sweet potatoes, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla. At first, I was a little worried that the sweet potatoes would over power the cake, but not so. The cake had a very light "carrot cake" taste to it.
The orange cream cheese filling was not as "orange" tasting as I had hoped. I think next time I am going to add a teaspoon of orange oil to enhance the flavor.
The chocolate cream cheese icing was a nice surprise. It tasted rather delicious. The only complaint I have is that in the book the icing is orange. It's clearly orange. I wonder if the icing in the book is dyed orange and/or was the chocolate supposed to be white chocolate? If you would like to over 60 versions of this wonderful cake then go to The Cake Slice Bakers and enjoy!
Sweet Potato Cake:
2 medium or 1 large sweet potato (12 ounces)
3 cups of cake flour*
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of cloves
5 eggs, separated
2 and 1/4 cups of sugar
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 and 1/4 cups of milk
(**The recipe calls for cake flour and if you only have all-purpose flour on hand, you can substitute 3/4 cup (105 grams) all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch.)
(*If fresh sweet potato is not available where you live you may use canned sweet potato, yams, and pumpkin puree)
Makes a 9-inch triple layer cake, serves 16-20 people
1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Prick the sweet potatoes in 2-3 places, place on a small baking dish and bake for 1 hour or until the potatoes are very soft. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
2. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F degrees. Butter the bottoms and the sides of the pans and line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper also.
3. When the sweet potatoes are cool peel off the skin and remove any dark spots. Cut the potatoes into chunks and puree in a food processors. Puree until smooth. Measure out one cup of potato puree and set aside.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. Set aside.
5. In the bowl of electric mixer add the egg whites and attach whip attachment. Beat on medium speed until egg whites are frothy. raise the speed to high and gradually beat in 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue to beat until the egg whites are moderately stiff.
6. In another large bowl with the paddle attachment, combine the sweet potato, butter, vanilla, and remaining sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl after each egg yolk is added. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk in alternately in 2-3 additions. making sure to begin and end with the dry ingredients.
7. With a large spatula, fold in one fourth of the egg whites into the batter to lighten. Then fold in the remaining egg whites until no streaks remain. Making sure to not over mix or this will deflate the batter. Divide the batter among of the three pans.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then turn out the cake layers onto a wire rack and cool completely at least 1 hour.
9. To assemble the cake, place one layer flat side up on to a cake stand. With a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip and filled with chocolate cream cheese icing, pipe border around the edge of the cake. Fill the center with the orange cream filling smoothing it to the edge of the border. Place the second layer on top and repeat the process.Place the third layer on top and use all the chocolate cream cheese frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.
Chocolate Cream Frosting:
makes 3 cups
10 ounces cream cheese*** at room temperature
1 stick of butter at room temperature
16 ounces of powdered sugar; sifted
1 and 1/2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate melted and slightly cooled
(***1 cup of cream cheese maybe substituted with 1 cup pureed cottage cheese OR 1 cup plain yogurt, strained overnight in a cheesecloth OR equal amounts of neufatel cheese)
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar to cream cheese butter mixture. Making sure to scrape down the sides the sides of the bowl. Then beat until light fluffy 2-3 minutes.
2. Measure out 1 cup of frosting and set aside.
3. Add the melted chocolate to the remaining icing in the bowl and beat until well combined.
Orange Cream Filling:
1 cup of reserved cream cheese icing from above.
2 tablespoons of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 teaspoon of orange extract
1. Stir together all the ingredients until well mixed.
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of cloves
5 eggs, separated
2 and 1/4 cups of sugar
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 and 1/4 cups of milk
(**The recipe calls for cake flour and if you only have all-purpose flour on hand, you can substitute 3/4 cup (105 grams) all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch.)
(*If fresh sweet potato is not available where you live you may use canned sweet potato, yams, and pumpkin puree)
Makes a 9-inch triple layer cake, serves 16-20 people
1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Prick the sweet potatoes in 2-3 places, place on a small baking dish and bake for 1 hour or until the potatoes are very soft. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
2. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F degrees. Butter the bottoms and the sides of the pans and line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper also.
3. When the sweet potatoes are cool peel off the skin and remove any dark spots. Cut the potatoes into chunks and puree in a food processors. Puree until smooth. Measure out one cup of potato puree and set aside.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. Set aside.
5. In the bowl of electric mixer add the egg whites and attach whip attachment. Beat on medium speed until egg whites are frothy. raise the speed to high and gradually beat in 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue to beat until the egg whites are moderately stiff.
6. In another large bowl with the paddle attachment, combine the sweet potato, butter, vanilla, and remaining sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl after each egg yolk is added. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk in alternately in 2-3 additions. making sure to begin and end with the dry ingredients.
7. With a large spatula, fold in one fourth of the egg whites into the batter to lighten. Then fold in the remaining egg whites until no streaks remain. Making sure to not over mix or this will deflate the batter. Divide the batter among of the three pans.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then turn out the cake layers onto a wire rack and cool completely at least 1 hour.
9. To assemble the cake, place one layer flat side up on to a cake stand. With a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip and filled with chocolate cream cheese icing, pipe border around the edge of the cake. Fill the center with the orange cream filling smoothing it to the edge of the border. Place the second layer on top and repeat the process.Place the third layer on top and use all the chocolate cream cheese frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.
Chocolate Cream Frosting:
makes 3 cups
10 ounces cream cheese*** at room temperature
1 stick of butter at room temperature
16 ounces of powdered sugar; sifted
1 and 1/2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate melted and slightly cooled
(***1 cup of cream cheese maybe substituted with 1 cup pureed cottage cheese OR 1 cup plain yogurt, strained overnight in a cheesecloth OR equal amounts of neufatel cheese)
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar to cream cheese butter mixture. Making sure to scrape down the sides the sides of the bowl. Then beat until light fluffy 2-3 minutes.
2. Measure out 1 cup of frosting and set aside.
3. Add the melted chocolate to the remaining icing in the bowl and beat until well combined.
Orange Cream Filling:
1 cup of reserved cream cheese icing from above.
2 tablespoons of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 teaspoon of orange extract
1. Stir together all the ingredients until well mixed.
30 comments:
FANTASTIC!!! I looooove sweet potatoes.
Fantastic cake! Thanks for starting the group! The author, Alisa contacted me today and asked about the group...I gave her your contact info. She also gave me the secret to the filling - don't use Philly cream cheese, use the store brand and have it cold (butter should be soft, but cream cheese cold)
The frosting was fantastic, I loved it! I added 1 tsp of orange extract to the filling it turned out very well, Your cake as always Gigi is beautiful!!
Yours looks perfect... I mean, perfectly smooth and precise.
Nice job!
You'll have to share your secret for perfect frosting with us. So smooth!!!
great cake (in all meanings) :) this look so good and the addition of sweet potatoes makes it more interesting
Yeah, the frosting in the book looked really pale, almost white. That's why I used white chocolate.
Your cake looks beautiful, perfect smooth frosting.
oh, and please let us know what the author says about our baking group. Hehe, nosy me :)
Your cake looks wonderful Gigi. It looks so tall and elegant.
Your cake looks divine and true to the cookbook ... SKYHIGH. Thanks for starting the group. To be honest, I probably would not make some of these cakes. I needed that extra nudge to make me more adventureous.
Your cake looks beautiful. I love your pictures- they seem kinda dreamy. I think I added too much orange juice concentrate to my filling. It was very orangy- but it tasted wonderful!
I was thinking the same thing about the frosting...when I finally paid attention to the recipe, it was then I realized that the frosting was chocolate (who knew?).
Gigi, it's been a blasting baking with this group! Thanks for making this happen.
looks beautiful! i, too, wondered what was up with the orange picture in the book!
Sooo pretty! Nice job your cake looks beautiful!
Why do cookbooks do that? Clearly people at home are going to come out with different results. Alas, if that is your only complaint, things aren't so bad. What a great holiday dessert!
Your cake looks wonderful Gigi and it really was such a fun bake! Many thanks hosting this event I really do enjoy it :)
Rosie x
Looks divine. I bet it tasted so good.
Looks good. Interesting substitutions.
Wow, what an incredible crumb that cake has! It looks so fine and tender.
it looks flufftastic gigi! i finally made mine over the wkd, late due to a cold and a lot of cupcakes i had to put out...and it was really yummy! will post it in a day or so.
Sweet Potato Cake~ now that is my idea of a vegetable!
Your cake looks just perfect!! I don't know why it wouldn't be brown in the book - it's hard to make anything with chocolate not brown!
My book just arrived in the mail. There are SO many recipes i wanna try but given how great this looks, this goes straight up to the top of the list.
Ohhh I want this book so much! Beautiful.
This looks scrumptious!
Okay, this is really cool. I have never tried this kind of cake, but you can practically call it a vegetable, no? Love that!
i have this book and keep looking at it saying i will make a cake... oneday. how can i join?
That's one nice looking & tall cake. I've never done sweet potato in a cake...wow!!
oh my goodness gracious! my husband is gonna LOOOOVE you!
I made these for our president's welcome reception. Huge hit!
Hi Gigi
About adding 1 teaspoon of orange oil to the cream filling, is that in addition to the 1/4 teaspoon of orange extract. Also should I use white chocolate in the frosting instead of unsweetened chcolate, since you think it may be an error in the recipe. Thanks
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