Sweet Potato Layer Cake With Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Christy Rost
| Cake: | |
|---|---|
| 2 | pounds sweet potatoes, about 3 medium |
| 3 | cups Softassilk cake flour |
| 2 | teaspoons baking soda |
| 2 | teaspoons baking powder |
| 2 | teaspoons ground cinnamon |
| 1 | teaspoon ground ginger |
| 1 | teaspoon ground coriander |
| ½ | teaspoon salt |
| ¼ | teaspoon ground cloves |
| 1 | cup vegetable oil |
| 1 | cup sugar |
| 1 | cup golden brown sugar, packed |
| 4 | large eggs |
| 2/3 | cup plus ¼ cup pecans, toasted and chopped |
| 2/3 | cup plus ¼ cup dried cherries |
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce potatoes with fork; place on small baking sheet. Roast potatoes until soft, about 1 hour. Cool, peel and mash potatoes. Measure 2 cups mashed potatoes; cool to lukewarm, reserving any remaining potatoes for another use. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans; line pans with parchment. Sift flour and next 7 ingredients into medium bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, combine oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar; whisk until smooth. Whisk in eggs one at a time, then add mashed sweet potatoes. Whisk in flour mixture in 3 additions. Stir in 2/3 cup pecans and 2/3 cup cherries.
Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool completely on racks.
Recipe makes one 2-layer cake.
| Frosting: | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature |
| ½ | cup unsalted butter, soft |
| 3 ¼ | cups confectioners sugar, sifted |
| 2 | tablespoons pineapple-orange-banana juice concentrate |
| ½ | teaspoon vanilla extract |
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in confectioners sugar, scraping down bowl often. Beat in pineapple-orange-banana juice concentrate and vanilla.
Cut around sides of pan; turn out cakes. Peel off parchment. Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Spread ¾ cup frosting over top. Top with second cake layer, flat side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.
Combine orange peel, 3 tablespoons sugar, remaining ¼ cup pecans and ¼ cup cherries in a small bowl. Stir to coat with sugar. Transfer to a sieve; sift off excess sugar. Sprinkle fruit and nut mixture decoratively over top of cake.
Chill until frosting sets, at least 2 hours. Cake can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with a cake dome; keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.
| Garnish: | |
|---|---|
| ¼ | cup diced candied orange peel |
| 3 | tablespoons sugar |
Category: Cakes