The Cake Slice: Sweet Potato Cake

Aaaaacck!! I thought posting for The Cake Slice is tomorrow. I had planned to bake the cake this morning, take pictures of the cake before the sun set (to take advantage of the gorgeous light) and get the post ready tonight for publishing the next day. So after a leisurely breakfast of fresh-baked croissants (courtesy of D), I glanced in the calendar and realized today is the 20th! Aaaaacck!!

Needless to say, today was not the day for my well-planned baking day. I felt rushed the whole time which made the whole baking experience not a pleasant one. I think it showed in the cake. And wouldn't you know it, the faster I tried to get the cake done, the more problems would arise. I didn't finish until 7PM, the sun set hours ago and all the gorgeous lighting is gone. Ooh, the trials of food blogger indeed!

Luckily, this cake was worth it! The cake was served after supper and it was eaten up. It was my first time to have sweet potato cake (I've always eaten sweet potato pie). The cake was really moist and the orange filling gave it a nice citrus touch. The addition of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg makes it an ideal cake to have for Fall. Overall, this is a nice cake to add to my repertoire. But next time, I'll make sure to check the calendar!

Please visit the The Cake Slice Bakers for their Sweet Potato Cake creations.

Sweet Potato Cake
Makes a 9-inch triple layer cake, serves 16-20 people

Cake:
2 medium or 1 large sweet potato (12 ounces)
3 cups cake flour
3 tsps baking powder
1 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
5 eggs, separated
2 1/4 cups of sugar
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 1/4 cups of milk

*If fresh sweet potato is not available where you live you may use canned sweet potato, yams, and pumpkin puree.

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.

3. When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to touch, peel off the skin and remove any dark spots. Cut the potatoes into chunks and puree in a food processor. 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 whip the egg whites. 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. Spread the orange cream filling. 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, room temperature
1 stick of butter, room temperature
16 ounces of powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate melted and slightly cooled (I used white chocolate)

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 (I left this out because I didn't have any)

1. Stir together all the ingredients until well mixed.