All the usual suspects are present in this sweet potato pound cake: granulated sugar, butter, all-purpose flour, and leavening. But in addition to mashed sweet potato, cream cheese is added to lend a tangy richness to the cake, along with a hint of fall spice—just enough to enhance the mild flavor of the sweet potato.
After all, sweet potato can do more than serve as a filling to classic sweet potato casserole or sweet potato pie. When added to cakes, mashed sweet potato adds moisture and sweetness to help yield a dense, rich crumb. Pound cake is a perfect way to showcase the flavor and texture of sweet potato, and this often overlooked tuber gets its chance to shine here in this recipe.
Learn how to make sweet potato pound cake, a decadent twist on traditional pound cake. It will be the perfect addition to your holiday dessert table.
![Sweet Potato Pound Cake - Southern Living](https://www.southernliving.com/thmb/qkHiu0Yf_3sAuQzfmJ5vAs7gVFE=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/529fe2db20c5c5439256_10946-13ea7c03dcc841a49c2fbd311093723c.jpg)
Jennifer Davick
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Pound Cake
To make sweet potato pound cake, you'll need:
- Cream cheese: Adds a tangy richness.
- Butter: Softened to mix easily with the cream cheese. If using unsalted versus salted butter, add an additional pinch of salt to the recipe.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cake; can substitute with light brown sugar for even more moisture and flavor.
- Large eggs: Adds volume and binds the batter.
- Mashed sweet potatoes: Adds sweetness and moisture to the pound cake for a dense, rich crumb with an unmistakable fall flavor.
- All-purpose flour: A medium protein content for a sturdy pound cake.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Gives the cake its rise.
- Kosher salt: Enhances the overall flavor of the cake.
- Ground cinnamon and/or nutmeg: You can use one or the other, or both, to add fall spice to this moist cake.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the flavors of the cake; can also be substituted with bourbon or rum.
How To Make Sweet Potato Pound Cake
If you already have mashed sweet potatoes on hand, this recipe mixes up in minutes. Full instructions are below, but here's a brief recap before you get started:
- Step 1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating to combine between each addition. Add sweet potatoes, and beat well.
- Step 2. Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients. Add to butter mixture, beating to combine. Stir in vanilla. Spoon into a greased and floured tube pan.
- Step 3. Bake for about 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pan onto wire rack.
Tips for the Best Sweet Potato Pound Cake
For a moist, dense pound cake, keep these tips in mind:
- Room temperature ingredients: Butter and cream cheese should be softened for a smooth mix, but using room temperature eggs and sweet potato can also help ensure a smooth batter that will rise nicely in the oven.
- Spoon and level (or weigh) your flour: A heavy hand when it comes to measuring your flour can lead to dense, heavy cakes.
- Don't overmix: Overmixing causes gluten development, which can lead to a rubbery result.
- Have fun with flavor: Love ginger? Add it in! Play with spices as boldly as you like for this fall-flavored cake.
- Don't overbake: Overbaked cakes become dry, even with moist sweet potato in the mix. Bake just until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean for a tender result.
Ways To Jazz Up Sweet Potato Pound Cake
The basic sweet potato pound cake is excellent on its own, but there are ways to have some fun or to make this pound cake a bit more centerpiece-worthy:
- Add glaze: From bourbon to maple, apple cider or caramel-rum, pound cake can be taken to the next level with a good dose of glaze.
- Add nuts: Fold in chopped toasted pecans or walnuts before baking for additional texture and flavor, or use to garnish the cake if glazing.
- Add spice: Ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and more all pair nicely with sweet potato. Try folding chopped crystallized ginger into the batter for a spicy touch.
- Add alcohol: Add a splash of bourbon or rum into the batter, or add to simple syrup for soaking the cake after baking for an even more moist texture.
How To Store Sweet Potato Pound Cake
A delicious cake to snack on for breakfast, a midday pick-me-up, or after-dinner dessert, this pound cake stays moist for days.
Store this pound cake covered, at room temperature, for up to three days. Wrap and refrigerate for up to one week, or freeze, sliced or whole, for up to three months for longer storage. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Fall Pound Cake Recipes You'll Love
Apple, pumpkin, caramel, chocolate, and other fall flavors shine in these delicious pound cake recipes:
- Apple Butter Pound Cake with Caramel Frosting
- Classic Chocolate Pound Cake
- Brown Sugar Pound Cake
- Pumpkin Pound Cake
- Caramel-Frosted Pound Cake
- Mini Apple Cider Pound Cakes
- Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
- Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake
Editorial contributions by Katie Rosenhouse.
Ingredients
-
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
-
1/2 cup butter, softened
-
2 cups granulated sugar
-
4 large eggs
-
2 1/2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
-
3 cups all-purpose flour
-
2 tsp. baking powder
-
1 tsp. baking soda
-
1/4 tsp. salt
-
1 tsp. ground cinnamon and/or 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (optional)
-
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
-
Prepare oven and tube pan:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 10-inch (12-cup) tube pan.
-
Cream butter, sugar, and cream cheese:
Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
-
Add eggs and sweet potatoes:
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating to combine between each addition. Add sweet potatoes, and beat well.
-
Combine dry ingredients:
Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl.
-
Finish pound cake batter:
Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating to combine. Stir in vanilla. Spoon batter into a prepared tube pan.
-
Bake and cool pound cake:
Bake for 1 hour and 5 to 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
For Sweet Potato Pound Cake Loaves
Prepare batter as directed; pour into 2 greased and floured 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Bake and cool as directed.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
While cream cheese, butter, and sweet potato come together in this recipe for a moist result, be careful about overbaking your cake, which could lead to a dry crumb.
-
If you overbaked your cake, or over-measured your flour and ended up with a dry result, try glazing the cake with simple syrup or Honey Glaze to bring back some lost moisture.
-
Roast or microwave sweet potato when mashing and adding to cake batter to reduce excess moisture that boiling might otherwise cause.