Frosted Chocolate Cake from Sweet Potatoes

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.

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Print Recipe

Frosted Chocolate Cake from Sweet Potatoes

Moist, chocolatey, delicious
Course: Dessert
Keyword: chocolate, sweet potatoes
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
  • 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.