So it turns out this cake has more ingredients than any cake I have ever made! And when I started to write the cake description in the blog title, I realized that there are 18 words and two ampersands in the name. Yep. Okay, ready? The Autumn Delight cake is a 4-Layer Sweet Potato & Ginger Layer Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Filling, Candied Pecans and Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Buttercream. When I tried to edit that, I realized that each one of those ingredients are key, and I couldn’t bare the thought of taking any words away. Okay, you’re right, I’m just being silly, but most importantly I am really excited about this cake. In my heart, I am drawn to all thing pastel and sprinkly, but there is a big part of me that just loves autumny, spiced flavours. At this time of year, my sister-in-law, Mary, makes that gorgeous southern sweet potato casserole dish that you have likely heard of or tried, that marries sweet potatoes, brown sugar, marshmallows, vanilla and pecans, and I thought it would be a nice treat to create a cake version of that dish. So on with the apron and into the kitchen I went . . .
What I love about this recipe is how moist, creamy, and unexpected some of the elements are. I made a sweet potato layer spice cake and added a generous quantity of crystallized ginger for texture and taste to the cake layers themselves, and then filled the cake with whipped toasted marshmallow filling (remember the one from this cake?) that I sprinkled with candied pecans for crunch (you even get those little buttery brown sugary bits that fall off the pecans every now and then). Since the filling was quite sweet, I decided to frost it with a Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Swiss Meringue Buttercream that is fluffy, satiny and perfectly brown sugary and not-too sweet, in true Swiss Meringue Buttercream fashion. The neat part about making Brown Sugar Buttercream is that you essentially just switch the white sugar for brown sugar, and voila! The taste is really quite different and it was the perfect addition to this concoction–particulary when topped with a generous handful of the candied pecans and crystallized ginger.
So think about it this way: Every bite is crunchy, then brown sugar creamy, then dense, moist & spicy, then sweet and crispy, oh, and then crunchy, and then dense, moist & spicy, and then sweet and crispy, and oh, yet again crunchy, then dense, moist & spicy, then, alas, sweet and crispy, and then dense, moist & spicy. Help me, Rhonda.
If the sweet potato thing is throwing you off your dessert-loving game, well, don’t fear. It’s much like carrot cake or pumpkin cake, and the texture is like no other–it’s dense yet light all at once. You have my word. I wasn’t sure either, but now I am pretty certain.
I once wrote that the Zingy Orange Ginger Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Icing is my ultimate-tasting cake, and I have always stood by that statement because I meant it. Well, this cake comes a close second or possibly ties for first. Or possibly the unthinkable: it could be even better.
If you make this cake, just know that it does take some time, but I felt it was completely worth it, and I think it would make an incredible addition to any Thanksgiving event or any autumn day.
- 3 large sweet potatoes about 900 g
- 2 cups 400 g sugar
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1-1/4 cups 315 ml sunflower oil (or vegetable, safflower, canola oil)
- 2 cups 230 g cake flour
- 1 tablespoon 7 g ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons 8 g baking powder
- 1 teaspoon 7 g salt
- 1 teaspoon 3 g ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon 1.5 g ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons 30 ml brandy or dark rum
- 2 teaspoons 10 ml pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup 120 g crystallized ginger, chopped
- 16 large white marshmallows
- 1 cup 125 g icing sugar (confectioners' or powdered), sifted
- 1 cup butter 227 g(2 sticks), at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon 2.5 mL pure vanilla extract
- 1 jar 213 g marshmallow cream (such as Marshmallow Fluff)
- 5 large egg whites 150 g)
- 1-1/4 cups 250 g light brown sugar
- 1-1/2 cups 3 sticks(340 g) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
- 2 teaspoons 10 ml pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- a few pinches of cinnamon to taste
- 2 tablespoons 28 g unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons 24 g brown sugar
- 1 cup 100 g pecan pieces
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans, dust with flour, tap out excess and set aside.
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Place the sweet potatoes on a microwave-safe plate and pierce them with a fork. Microwave until they are tender (about 7-8 minutes each side). Carefully remove the skin when cool enough to touch, and mash the flesh into a coarse puree.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and eggs together on medium-high speed (I use #6 on KitchenAid) until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the oil and beat on medium until combined. Add the cooled sweet potato puree and mix until combined.
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Sift dry ingredients together (cake flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and ground ginger) and then add to sweet potato mixture.
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Mix in brandy/dark rum (I used dark rum) and vanilla. Gently stir in crystallized ginger.
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Evenly distribute batter into the prepared pans (weigh them if possible with digital kitchen scale), smooth with a small offset palette knife and place in the center of the middle rack of the oven, about 2 inches apart. Bake until a knife or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
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Let pans cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack and cool them completely.
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Place marshmallows on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place on lower rack of oven, and broil marshmallows until nice and brown on top, between 30-60 seconds. Remove pan from oven and gently turn the marshmallows over, and broil until they are golden brown. (Be sure to keep an eye on them--they burn very quickly.)
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In an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine butter and icing sugar on low until blended, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and mix on med-high for about 3 minutes.
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Add marshmallow cream and toasted marshmallows, and mix on lowest setting for about 1 minute.
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Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer with paper towel and lemon juice, to remove any trace of grease. Add egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 160°F, or if you don't have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.
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With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes or so). *Don't begin adding butter until the bottom of the bowl feels neutral, and not warm.
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Switch over to paddle attachment and, with mixer on low speed, add butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth). *If mixture is too runny, refrigerate for about 15 minutes and continue mixing with paddle attachment until it comes together. Add vanilla and salt, continuing to beat on low speed until well combined. Add cinnamon to taste and blend.
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Melt the butter in a small pan. Mix in brown sugar, and add the pecans. Toss to coat.
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Cook on medium low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be sure to watch carefully so they don’t burn.
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Turn out onto parchment paper or aluminum foil and let cool for 5 minutes; break apart into smaller pieces if using halves.
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Slice both cake layers in half horizontally, so you have 4 cake layers.
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Place the first layer on a plate, pedestal or cake board cut side up (so bottom of the cake layer is touching plate), and spread ~3/4 cup of Toasted Marshmallow Filling with a small offset palette knife, leaving 1" or so around the edge. Sprinkle with a handful of candied pecans pieces.
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Repeat previous step until you get to the final cake layer. Place last layer face down and chill cake for 30-40 minutes.
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Frost cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream and top with a generous handful of candied pecans and crystallized ginger.
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Finished cake can be kept at room temperature for up to 8 hours. Keep refrigerated if longer than 8 hours, but always serve at room temperature (Swiss Buttercream should never be served cold, as it goes back to a cold-butter texture).
* You can make buttercream ahead and keep in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week, leaving out at room temperature when needed, re-whipping in mixer for 5 minutes.
**Can freeze buttercream for up to 6-8 weeks. To thaw, place on counter overnight, and rewhip for 5 minutes with paddle attachment in an electric mixer. If not satiny enough upon rewhip, take 1/3 of buttercream and microwave in a microwave-safe container for ~8 seconds, then add back to mixing bowl and remix with remaining buttercream.
[cake layer recipe adapted from Martha Stewart]
[candied pecan recipe adapted from Creative Culinary]
Good luck & enjoy!
Those sweet potato cakes look so moist. This is truly stunning! I like how you used the cake comb in the frosting and, on that note, I can’t wait to give brown sugar buttercream a go!
What a devine looking cake!!! Can’t wait to give this one a go! Could you substitute the marshmallow fluff for more toasted marshmallows?? We don’t have marshmallow fluff in Australia. Keep the beautiful receipes coming!!!
Thanks, Elyce! I just added a little note under the filling recipe for my thoughts on making it without the Fluff–hope that helps!
Thanks!!
For some reason I can’t find this note :(
omg could it be yummier ? Don’t think so. Perfect for fall season. Thanks !
I think I know what I’m making for Thanksgiving this year…
This looks amazing!
This looks dreeeeammy. You are one talented lady!!! It may be Spring on this side of the world but Autumn Delight sounds amazing.
This is autumn at its finest. Looks delicious, sounds delicious. My boys love the campfire cake, and were just talking about it last night. But this might be what I will bring to Thanksgiving dinner. :-)
The pictures look so moist! It really does remind me of carrot cake (which I love)…yum!
This cake is absolutely fantastic! Sweet potatoes don’t throw me off in baking at all! In fact, I l love a good sweet potato quick bread!
Gorgeous! ANd I love ALL the ingredients in this… wow.
Oh. My. Goodness. This looks so amazing!
Oh wow this sounds amazing!! and definitely looks it. The combination of flavours sounds so dreamy, I must try it, I have no doubt that its worth the time.
This cake is absolutely stunning. I just love you.
Thanks, honey! Oh, and you should know that I love you too. :)
Amazing cake! You’re definitely an inspiration :) Happy Sunday dear…
Thanks, Nelly! Happy Sunday to you too xo
Another stunning cake! I’ve never thought about sweet potato cake… I’d love to see these in cupcake form too :)
Also, Elyce we can get marshmallow fluff in Australia. I’ve bought it before from a fairly large Coles, it was in amongst the other spreads.
Thanks!! I’ll go and check it out!
What a beautiful and delicious cake, as always! You’re so very talented :)
Thanks so much, Courtney!
Darlin’! You hit that dish spot on, it happens to be one of my all time favs’. This is simply divine and I love the name that you came up with :)
I’m always in charge of dessert for my husband’s family Thanksgiving dinner. I just told him I know what I’m taking this year. This looks divine!
Oh I am in love with that frosting! How did you resist not eating a whole bowl of that? Another fantastic recipe, my dear!
A delight is right! Love this autumn cake!
I think this may be one of your prettiest cakes yet. The colors are gorgeous and perfect for Fall. I’m in love with this cake! <3
It’s absolute perfect! The flavors are so-so sweet and crispy, and then dense, moist & spicy — good!
A stunning autumn delight. Love everything about this cake!
I am making this today!!! Yum!
I love everything about this cake! The combination of flavours and textures is just perfect.
I stumbled upon this post via pinterest. This looks amazing! As a southern girl I am a fan of all things sweet potato and I think this just may be our Thanksgiving dessert this year. Thanks so much for sharing it.
Thanks so much, Ericka! So glad you dropped by my blog, and think you’ll really fall for this cake–it’s truly delicious!
Looks absolutely divine! This is autumn wrapped in a big bow of icing. I can’t wait to try it Rosie!
I saw the trackback to a salad for your cake and was hoping it was the candied nuts and not the spinach. :)
And more importantly? Wow…another winner. I used to make more decorated cakes when my girls were young and I would spend a day making them a special cake for their birthday. This might push me in that direction it has so many elements I love; the sweet potato cake, the brown sugar buttercream, yes…the nuts and the thing I’m known for? The booze!
Haha, thanks Barbara! Glad I came across your candied nut recipe–I had tried another recipe altogether, and it was a let down. When I saw your recipe had butter and was stovetop, I knew I’d love it. Next time I’ll try it your way, with the maple, which I’m sure is lovely. I hope you get a chance to bake this cake–I have a feeling you’ll love it!
Hi Rosie,
Lovely cake! Silly question, did you use the lighter sweet potatoes or the more orangey ones (yams)? They are both referred to as sweet potatoes in recipes, so just wanted to check.
Thanks, Audrey! I’m pretty certain that what I used were sweet potatoes and not yams, although I’m sure yams would work well too. I hope this helps!
oh my goodness, help me rhonda is right!!! this looks incredible! i don’t know if i’ve ever heard of a sweet potato cake, but holy moly it looks moist and delicious!!
This cake looks so delicious *drool*
There are so may pumpkin recipes flying around but not that many sweet potato delights
I can’t wait to try it!
Wow, I think this one has left me speechless… it marries every flavor I could wish for in a cake at this time of year. Beautiful photos as well!
Absolutely awesome!! It seems to me that this cake is right up my tastebuds’ alley ;) xo
Hello,
What a lovely blog, and the first recipe I tried here was this one, delicious! and it looks stunning too! Very nicely photographed… Love the site!
Gorgeous cake, Rosie! I’m a big fan of sweet/savoury cakes like pumpkin and carrot so I can only imagine how incredible this might taste. Another winner!
Thanks so much, Mike. If you have an occasion to make it, I have to say it’s really unique and, dare I say, pretty tasty. :)
Well…now I definitely know what I’m making for thanksgiving dessert! Nothing can top this.
You really are the cake queen! Your cakes always look gorgeous and have such wonderful combinations of layers!
Thank you, Lauren! xo
This cake sounds perfect for the birthday cake that I have to provide next week. We love sweet potatoes, ginger, marshmallows, and brown sugar. We love pecans too, but unfortunately my daughter has a severe tree nut and peanut allergy. Any suggestions on a replacement that I could use to achieve that crunch?
Toffee bits?
I totally agree, Tracy, I think toffee bits would be a perfect substitution! Good luck, Rebekah!
Hi! I wanted to try this cake because I love your
Chocolate cake. My sweet potato cake wasn’t brown at all!
Should I have used yams?
Wow! Absolutely Beautiful!
I love baking with sweet potatoes and was going to ask about the sort you used but see the question answered already. This cake looks stunning and I really really want a slice!
This cake looks absolutely incredible! It may take a long time to say its name, and longer to make it, but I reckon it’s 100% worth it. Love the addition of sweet potato too!
awesome! I love the photography. And the sweet potatoes add a nice colour too. I can already taste the combination. yumm!
I would never have thought that this combo would be something to put together in a cake, but I have to say that after seeing these photos you’ve inspired me to try it!
Thanks for sharing your beautiful cakes yet again!!
You are officially my idol. If you’re ever in Salt Lake City or in the area let me know so I can kiss your pinky ring or something. You have a pinky ring, right?! Can’t wait to try this cake!
Also I used your vanilla birthday cake recipe for my daughters first birthday, and lots of your tips for doing a layer cake, and it was a HUGE success. That is the yummiest vanilla cake I’ve ever made and I’ve made quite a few! Thank you so much! Here are some pix:
http://www.sheblogssheblogs.com/2011/10/lemon-blueberry-birthday-cake-or-best.html
Oh my, that looks so delicious. Yummy, yummy, yummy!
I beg of you, will you marry me? And bake this cake at least once a week. Paaaleeeeeease?!?! This is UNREAL Rosie!
YUM!
I lurve everything about this cake. From the long name to the toasted marshmellows to the sweet potato. I am 100% sold!
Maria xx
http://www.cheekypinktulip.blogspot.com
Your cakes… KILL ME! They make me monstrous to get my hands on a piece of cake! BEAUTIFUL… each one! This one sounds especially delightful… perfect for fall!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all the layers, looks beautiful and sounds so delicious. Please send samples..need… to taste… it :) will not survive without!
Your cakes are always soooo gorgeous. I can’t ever make my layers like that!
What an incredibly gorgeous cake. I love ginger in all it’s forms so this one is really calling my name!
Thanks so much, Sylvie!
That is one beautiful cake! I bet it’s as delicious as it looks.
This cake has everything I love. Unfortunately I tend to fail at layer cakes. I know it would be heresy, but I wonder if it could be made in a 9 X 13 pan…
Thanks, Tracy. If you’re really not certain about making the layer-cake version, you could definitely try 9 x 13. I haven’t baked it that way, so I can’t offer much guidance as far as the result, but I can’t see why that wouldn’t work. Let me know how it goes? Good luck!
Gorgeous! This is just the kind of dessert I like best: yummy spicy flavors, and with nuts. :) Actually it reminds me of a cake my mom used to make for my dad’s birthday, which was “Orange Spice Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, With Nuts,” if I remember correctly. It was delicious.
This looks really amazing!! My perfect kind of cake – dense, spicy and naughty :-) Will be hankering to don my apron and indulge in some Sunday baking I think!
One silly question – does anyone know what the equivalent of cake flour is in the UK? I’ve not seen it before and normally use Self-raising flour or Plain flour for my cakes and biscuits. Any tips would be super great!!
Thanks, Jessie! To answer your question re: cake flour, if you take a cup of all-purpose (or plain) flour and remove 2 tablespoons (30 mL) that will serve as cake flour. So that’s 1 cup plain flour – 2 tablespoons (30 mL) = 1 cup cake flour. Unless the recipe calls for self-raising flour, I don’t suggest using it, because it contains baking powder, etc. and will throw the recipe off. I hope this helps!
Making the cake now, so exciting!! What temp for the oven??
350 F–enjoy!
thanks for speedy reply! you may have saved my cake! I had just closed the oven door and put them in at 325 so I just bumped it up!
This cake makes my sweet potato cupcakes with cream cheese frosting look like twinkies. Or worse. This dessert looks AMAZING!!!!
Thanks Nealey! I have a feeling your sweet potato cupcakes with cream cheese frosting would be divine! :)
Hi there!
I live in Australia and made this cake today…it is fantastic but took 9 hours – I’m so glad you gave a heads up about the time it may take, plus I have a 7 month old who was demanding my attention! Just a question, everything was going grandly until I made the marshmallow filling – I put my marshmallows in the oven and waited for them to go slightly brown on top, then when I took them out, they were all stuck to my baking paper and when I scraped them off they started going rock hard…so that when it came time to add them to the butter and sugar mixture, there were just big hard clumps of cooked marshmallow and I ended up having to take them out :(
What did I do wrong? I also saw you said to turn the marshmallows over, but there’s now way mine would have – they were a big tray of melted mallows within a few minutes! FYI I just used the regular white pascal marshmallows you get here in Adelaide.
Anyway, it is a BRILLIANT cake and I am so happy I made it! Just need to perfect that filling and we’ll be right!
Your cakes and creations are amazing. I have made the Misty Minty Patties before and they are a new favourite in my family!
xx Caity
Hi Caity!
Thanks for the sweet words! I know what you mean about the balancing the baking and the baby–it’s a challenge for sure! Hmm, okay I’m wondering if it’s a simple matter of the brand of marshmallows, which I know won’t help you because you’re in Australia, but shed some light here’s a link to another cake I made using this kind of frosting, and in that post there’s a photo of the marshmallows toasted. I’m so happy you did enjoy the cake in the end. Perhaps try another brand of marshmallows if you’re up for trying the frosting another time? Here’s the link to the previous toasted marshmallow post: https://sweetapolita.com/2011/02/campfire-delight-6-layer-rich-chocolate-malted-toasted-marshmallow-cake/ Good luck!
Thank you so much! That really helps to see the picture! Yes, I will attempt it again but with a different brand. I can’t believe you replied so soon; you’re amazing and this blog is changing our lives! You should print a cookbook. But your blog is better than a cookbook anyway because of the amount of pictures! Love the ones of your girls as well!
Thanks again, Caity :)
My sweet little farmer neighbor surprised me by mowing my overgrown field and when my husband offered to pay him he said for me to bake him a cake instead. I do that every spring when he plows our garden, so I’ve been baking him special cakes for several years. Since this is the first time I’ve made something in the fall for him, I wanted to find the perfect autumn themed cake. I’ve been looking online for two day, and I JUST FOUND THE CAKE!! Can’t wait to make it and see the look on his face!
This looks AMAZING! perfect for fall! Iv’e been searching for seasonal cakes! Now I will be looking for a winter themed on so I can make something for my family when I come home for Christmas. I was trying to think of some sort of peppermint cake, either way I cannot wait to try this one!
I have to make a birthday cake for our Thanksgiving dinner (my father & my mother-in-law both celebrating birthdays). This is ABSOLUTELY the cake I will be making. Thank you so much for this incredible sounding recipe!!!
Maria :)
I’ve been put in charge of desserts for Thanksgiving with the help of my 16-year-old daughter, who shares my love of baking/cooking. We have together agreed to make this amazing looking (and sounding) cake. Fortunately I willl be off work the whole week of TG, so I will have plenty of time for each step. Wish us luck! Thank you so much for sharing!
Can you freeze this cake?
Hi Cynthia,
I haven’t tried freezing this cake as a whole once frosted and filled, but all of the components freeze well. I tend to avoid freezing whole cakes, but like to freeze the cake layers and the buttercream and then assemble the day before or the morning of an event. For best results with the marshmallow filling, I recommend making right before using. I hope this helps!
lol, this isn’t the same cynthia as above. I was wondering-I got crystallized ginger but it’s in big chunks. should I break it up into little pieces? I just don’t know what texture it’s supposed to be-I’m thinking something like course salt or sugar. Please let me know-I’m gonna start making this asap once I find out. Thanks!
Hi Cynthia,
Sure, that’s no problem about the chunks of ginger. Just chop them into smallers bits using a sharp chef’s knife, or similar. I like pieces that are actually the size of tiny pebbles, so quite a bit larger than sugar. The bits dissolve quite a bit and soften, so even the larger bits in the cake are like little rock candy surprises! Hope this helps and enjoy!
Hi Ms. Rosie,
I want to make this cake for thanksgiving, but my mom will probably have both ovens going non-stop the whole thursday morning. Is it ok to make this cake the day before? How long does it keep?
Hi Sydney,
Yes, you can most definitely make this cake the day ahead. It will be best enjoyed within 3 days. You can refrigerate, but you will want to serve it at room temperature. Taking it from the refrigerator even up to 6 hours ahead of time will be just fine, or at least 2 or 3. I hope this helps!
Enjoy the cake!
Probably a silly question, but can this cake be made a day ahead. Would you refrigerate it over night? Thank you.
Hi Joy,
Not a silly question at all. You can certainly make the day ahead and then keep in refrigerator overnight. You definitely want to serve it at room temperature, so try to take it out several hours before you want to eat it, up to about 8 hours. Actually, I found this cake tasted better day 2!
Ok, so I sooooo wanted to make this cake for Thanksgiving when you first posted it….But do you know what they whole family is requesting???? Your campfire cake!!! That cake has become most requested at family functions. You have to know it is an off the charts recipe when people are asking for something totally untraditional for Thanksgiving! So I will stare at your beautiful sweet potato cake, and dream what it tastes like! Thanks Rosie!
OMG this cake looks INCREDIBLE!!!! You are TRULY a cake artist! I LOVE your blog! I read your recipes over and over…..each and every one of them! You are AWESOME!!!
Thanks for the super-sweet comment, Kathy!
Maybe you’ve already addressed this somewhere else, but would it be easier to split the layers in half if they were partially frozen for a few hours?
You can definitely freeze the layers first, but since the cake is pretty dense, even just if you froze if for 30 minutes or so should work well. Enjoy!
Hello! about the make this cake but saw that you can only get the crystallized ginger chips online, do you know any US stores that sell it? OR! would it be terrible to leave them out??
Kim, you can use crystallized ginger, and should be sold in most good bulk food stores or the like. You can chop it up into little bits and use it that way–it really is the main flavour of the cake, so I don’t recommend leaving it out, but then I’ve never tried it that way. I hope this helps!
I think I’m in love……:)
This is the perfect Texas thanksgiving dessert!! And I will be making it for Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for the recipe :)
Status report: I ordered the crystalized ginger and vanilla that you recommend and they both are AMAZING! I’m thinking about ordering more forChristmas presents they are so special. I made the layers today and put them in the freezer. I’m making two of these cakes – one for my farmer friend who mowed my hayfield and one for my family. Both cake layer batches were very successful…a piece of cake, actually! Great instructions, and wonderful ingredients.
I’m making the filling on Thanksgiving morning and will assemble the cakes then.
I went ahead and made one batch of frosting this evening to make sure I can handle it. It was like a science project and I found it fascinating. I followed the photo tutorial and it did just like you said, came apart, but then magically went back together again. But I have a problem…I don’t like the buttery flavor and texture. I added extra cinnamon, and it is a great addition, but still it tastes and feels too much like butter. That is probably how it supposed to taste, and since I’ve never had it, it is probably exactly perfect but I just don’t like it. However, I’m wondering what would happen if I mixed some softened cream cheese into it to cut the butter flavor and add a little “sourness” to it? Or do you think that would ruin it, and it all come apart at the molecular level? LIke I said, it was like science in my kitchen tonight and I really enjoyed it. Thanks for your opinion!
This recipe seems to be working perfectly. I baked the cake layers and filled them last night, then made the frosting this morning. All was looking perfect UNTIL I TRIED THE PECANS. They burned after about 5 minutes (on the lowest possible setting!) My mom told me when she came to investigate the burnt smell from the kitchen that keeping sugar on the stove for a while like that would lead to a kitchen fire.
I’m wondering if it’s because I used margarine instead of real butter (my mom wants to save the good stuff for the bread tomorrow)? Or maybe because my pecans were semi-frozen?
I’m going to try again soon but I’m wondering what your thoughts are on this? Should I cook the sugar and butter longer before adding the nuts into the mix?
Update on the frosting….well, I think I figured out why it is just too darn buttery (ie oily) I noticed in the compost that I only used 4 egg whites, and the eggs were pretty small actually. HOWEVER, I rescued the batch with 3 – 8 oz packages of cream cheese and it is FABULOUS!!! I’m actually glad I made the mistake, because it is a fantastic mixture of the spices, butter, brown sugar, and the tang of the cream cheese. It will spread like a dream tomorrow morning, and the flavor is indescribable! By adding all this cream cheese, I’ll have enough for the two cakes I’m making and won’t need to make a second batch.
Looking forward to the making the filling tomorrow and putting this piece of art together for all to enjoy!
I made this cake today for our family Thanksgiving dinner at my mom’s house … I almost can’t stand how beautiful it is & it may just show up to our gathering with a slice missing ;) Thanks for the wonderful post & recipe. Happy Thanksgiving!!
So I decided to make a blog and share my experience with this cake. If anyone wants to check it out, it was a lot of fun to do!
http://todaysadventureinthekitchen.blogspot.com/
Thank you for sharing this wonderful cake recipe! Today is Thanksgiving, and this took the place of the standard pumpkin pie. It turned out beautiful and oh, so very tasty! My husband couldn’t wait until after dinner to try it, so we had a slice to share for a “sweet apetizer”. The flavors and texture of this cake are so good!! My favorite part is the candied pecan and toasted marshmallow filling combination. OMG~yummy!! Thanks again, Rosie!
Hi Rosie! I’m baking this cake for my daddy’s birthday,this Sunday, and I don’t really like ginger, does this cake taste so much like ginger? Thank you!
I just finished making this cake for my office Christmas party. You did a fantastic job with the directions. Every little part came out perfect. I can’t wait to try a slice tomorrow now that I’ve sampled all the components. I was amazed how the cake tasted so similar to carrot and that it wasn’t heavy at all. I’ve been making Swiss meringue buttercream since the 1980’s and had never tried it with brown sugar. Wow!! I’ll be using that again on something like a chocolate-coffee type cake next. Maybe adding some rum…. Mmmmm!
I look forward to your next brilliant post. Thanks to Pinterest for pointing me to your blog.
I made this cake for Thanksgiving. It was amazing! Really sweet. I’m so in love with the frosting. That was my first Swiss meringue buttercream frosting and Oh. My. Glob! I never want regular buttercream again! I was really worried I would end up having really sugary scrambled eggs.
I made this cake for Christmas dinner–it is absolutely delicious!!! I’ll be honest, I messed up the swiss meringue buttercream (my butter didn’t completely incorporate, I don’t think I whipped the egg whites enough before hand). Anyway, I substituted that with a cream cheese icing, and it was still so yummy!! Even a week later, the cake still tasted good (it took a lot of self control for it to last this long).
Thank you for this delicious recipe, I will be making it again and again.
I’m so glad you liked it, Jeanett! Happy New Year!
I unfortunately have not made this awesome looking cake yet, but the marshmallow filling sounded so delicious (and simple) that I whipped that up and used it as a frosting on a batch of homemade brownies. AMAZING! Thank you for the recipe, I will certainly be making that filling again soon!
HI Rosie,
I used this recipe to make little autumn cupcakes, (even though its technically winter my side of the pond) and I think they turned out great!
Although I wasn’t sure if you were supposed to use brown sugar or not, so I didn’t but I think it would have been better if I did. I also used cream cheese frosting instead of SMB because I SUCK at making SMB and I drizzled it with a little dolce de leche just because I felt fancy :)
I posted the result on my blog above.
Sugar and Slice x
I made this cake for Easter and it was amazing! I did have a question though. For the two pounds of sweet potato, was this the weight before or after you removed the peel? My cake didn’t look as dark as yours so I think I may have needed more sweet potato.
Thanks!
Made this cake today and its amazing, thanks for a great recipe.
For those in Australia and cant get FLUFF you can make your own by melting packet marshmallows approx 17 – 20 with 2 tablespoons of Glucose syrup over hot water.
Home brand marshmallows are best as they have the least dusting powder/sugar coating on the mellows compared to Branded packs.
Once again thanks for a great recipes.
Happy cooking to you all……………. Stew.
Looks like delishous combo! Too bad it’s hard to find sweet potatoes in Poland ;d
I’ve just come upon your recipe and I really want to try, it looks delicious!
However I have some reservations about the crystallized ginger you link to. I bought it once and I was very disappointed by it. Nice package but I didn’t like the ginger!
I guess good crystallized ginger is hard to find. Now I buy it from this French online store: http://www.histoiresucree.com/product_pages/candied_ginger_strips.html
It’s the best ginger I’ve ever had!
Hi Rosie,
Thanks so much for taking the time to come up with this unbelievably delicious cake. My birthday was yesterday and this was the cake I picked to make. I don’t make layer cakes often so they need to be special when I do. You did an excellent job capturing the taste and essence of that holiday favorite dish in the form of a cake. Well done! I will be posting my results today to my family and friends and will be sending them over here to get the recipe as well as to SEE how a professional gets the job done.I had some troubles with my frosting so it doesn’t look like gorgeous like yours. Thank you again. Really pleased with the cake!! And I just love coming to your site to browse ‘what next’! and also look forward to your posts with the pics of your kids. Always waiting to see what you do next. Hope you are well. Thanks again.
Hi Rosie,
This cake is BEAUTIFUL!! If I make cupcakes, how long should I them? It is for an auction, and I cannot decide on one recipe. I am making the yummy Campfire Delight cupcakes, and want to add this one too! Thank you!
Thanks, Sarah! I would say, if they look stable (not wet) through the oven door, then start checking them with a toothpick after 17 minutes. If they don’t appear near-ready, don’t open door or check them until they do, which might be closer to 20-22 minutes. Hope that helps!
I just died and went to cake heaven. That is just amazing!
Hello Rosie,
I will be making this amazing cake tomorrow. I read that you mentioned you probably used sweet potato instead of yams, but my question is, sweet potatoes are a pale yellow while yams are orange, the color of your cake. In California, both are called sweet potato. Did you use the pale yellow variety? Thank you!! Your website is my first resource when making cakes! You’re amazing!!!
Wow !!! Fantastica!!
I am making a wedding cake and have been asked to do spice cake. Would this cake and frostings hold up well under fondant?
I am SOOO making this cake for Thanksgiving!! Can’t wait to eat it!
I made this for thanksgiving and it was outstanding! It was a tricky very involved recipe but wowza what a cake! Thanks for sharing your amazing recipe!
Can you use precooked Canned sweet potatoes(yams) for this recipie, or would that be too sweet?
Taylor, I haven’t tried it that way, but as long as there’s no sugar added to the canned yams, I can’t see why it wouldn’t work just fine. Let me know how it goes, if you give it a try!
I made this cake for my boss’ birthday and I had to share how divine this cake is, not only in flavor but also in presentation and joyful execution of each step in the process. I felt so accomplished after having successfully turned out a smooth and beautiful Swiss meringue buttercream. I was not sure I could do it! Thanks Rosie! The cake layers were dense and moist which complimented so beautifully with the crunchy, sweet candied pecans. The Swiss meringue was perfectly aromatic and a lovely not so sweet finish given the sweeter marshmallow fluff. I just wanted to thank you for such a tremendous offering that won great praise and blessed so many palates. Many thanks to you for your inspiring work.
This is truly sensational looking and sounding cake. Being Australian, I’ve never tried the dish that inspired it, but I imagine this cake could easily be worthy of your nuber 1 spot. Sensational!
Good day! I live in the race. read your recipe and I was wondering, a taste not even try and zahatelos poproovat, here with marshmallows as sorting out a little bayus but sevo hachu make the sweets! Thank you for takoichudesni blog
Found you via Pinterest… what a gorgeous combination of ingredients! Looking forward to checking out the rest of your site.
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(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤… Jennifer
Jenn’s Random Scraps
I made this cake last year for my birthday. It was amazing, and I received more compliments on it then any other cake I have ever made. It is definitely a lot of work, but worth it.
Could you color the brown sugar buttercream? I’d like to incorporate the flavor of this, but I am making it for a 1 year old birthday party and want it to be green ombre.
I just made this cake for my Mother’s 85th birthday! I did everything according to the recipe, but omitted the crystalized ginger as my local grocery store doesn’t carry it. The cake was fabulous! It’s my new favorite! Loved it! Everyone loved it!! They are still talking about it. I had problems with the swiss meringue buttercream as my butter was a little bit too cold. The buttercream failed, but after researching on the internet how to fix it, I came across the trick of removing 1/4 of the frosting and microwaving it until it was liquid, and then beating it back into the remaining buttercream. At first, I didn’t think it would work, but after mixing for some time, the buttercream came back together and was wonderful!!
Hi – oh sweet lord – your website, your recipes, your style – if only my own blog were anywhere near as fabulous!!! Anyhow, I had a quick question about the sweet potato – do you think I could use butternut squash as a sub? I have one in the fridge and would like to do something different with it!
Thanks and much respect to you for your blog – you are my inspiration.
Jo
cakiebakie.blogspot.co.uk
Ok, so I fully admit that cakes and I don’t always get along. It seems like whenever I try to bake a beautiful layer cake, it never turns out quite as delicious and gorgeous as I envision. For that reason, I’m a little hesitant to attempt this cake, especially since it looks like there are a few tricky parts that only more experienced bakers would feel completely comfortable with. With that being said, I REALLY want to taste this incredible-looking dessert! The mixture of flavors and textures just sounds too divine *not* to attempt. Wish me luck! One quick question – Are you using a double boiler to make the buttercream part? I’m open to any other little tips you might have for us less experienced cake-bakers. :) Thanks and I’m so glad I stumbled on your page (via Pinterest)!
Gurl!!
I just made this cake a couple days ago and IS THE F…. BOMB!
a Delight indeed!!
Respect to you, Incredeble recipe!!
L O V E
Thanks, Deryck! So glad to hear it!
Oh. My. Goodness. Almost finished making the icing and it is to die for!!! We are having our thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night and I’m so excited to present this to our friends and family. Thank you so much for this beautiful recipe.
Thanks so much, Danni! Happy Thanksgiving!
This is year 3 that I’ll be making this tastiest of cakes. I have to because I live in North Carolina and just bought a 40 pound box of sweet potatoes and this is one of the best things I can do with them.
I just wanted you to know I’m going to mix it up this year. I’m still making the cake but I’m going to try making what I’m calling “Autumn Delight Cheesecake Cake” – modeled on the Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake. The cake will be 2 layers of the sweet potato recipe above, but I’m going to make a cheesecake in the center and frost the entire confection in cream cheese icing. I got the idea from you post on the Sugar and Spice Delight cake (which looks amaaaazing!).
I hope it works!
It sounds amazing, Debbie!
Hello! Your cakes are amazing–I’ve already made two of them! This cake looks like everything I could want in a Fall cake and I will be making in one week’s time for Thanksgiving.
Question:
For the filling of the cake, could you please specify whether you used salted or unsalted butter? You use unsalted everywhere else, but I didn’t want to assume :). Thank you!
~Em
Hi Em! Thanks so much. For the filling it’s unsalted butter–sorry about the confusion! I typically only use unsalted butter, so I can have a little more control with the “salting.” I hope you enjoy this cake! It’s one of my new favourites. Happy Thanksgiving! xo
A teenage budding baker made this for our Thanksgiving dinner. It was
beyond magnificent! I asked her for the recipe and she forwarded your website to me. After seeing how complicated this recipe is I am totally amazed at the skill of this young girl. I can’t wait to make this cake myself, but am totally in the dark as per the amount of sweet potato puree. I know you state 3 baked sweet potatoes, but have no idea of how many cups 900 grams represents. Can you help?
Thanks so much for a beautiful web site and terrific recipes. You are a great culinary talent!
I think I did something wrong because I have pieces of Sweet potatoes in my cake. and I used the white version instead of the orange Sweet potato an since my microwave packed up, I cooked by potatoes. the cake doesn’t look as gorgeous as yours. any help plssss
Just made this cake for my mums 60th birthday party. She doesn’t like overly sweet cakes and is a real fan of carrot cake. I thought I’d try this since it was such a special birthday. The cake is amazing. So dense and moist and flavorful. Absolutely glorious and my mum,who is usually health conscious,ate three bits!! I made the brown sugar swiss meringue buttercream but I decided to add in 400g cream cheese which I used for the filling as well. Off the chart flavour. Word of warning tho, I tried to make the candied pecans but I took my eyes off them for minute and complele burned my pan. Im still scraping it two days later! Well done excellent recipe xxx
I made this cake today after longing for it for months. It seemed right to finally cave seeing as it’s September and we’re heading into fall.
What more can I say that hasn’t already been said? It’s a wonderful cake. It’s dense and moist and perfectly spiced.
I’ve made so many of your recipes and always come back to make more. My favorite baking blog for years, hands down!
Can’t wait for your bake book!
Thanks for all of these recipes you share.
Hi rosie. I posted before about this cake and how fabulous it is but ive made it again and have an issue – I only wanted a 6″ cake so I halved the recipe, spilt it into two 6″ pans and cooked it for about 45 mins until the cake tester came out clean and they were risen and pulling away from the side of the tin. I turned them out after 5 mins onto a wire rack and within about 10 mins they had sunk and developed a ‘waist’ around the edge – they didnt sink in the middle. Haave you any idea why this might be? I have cooked it twice now and been v careful with my measurements but the same thing has happened again. They seem very dense but im going to just have to go with it now due to time constraints. Its just for a friend’s birthday but im curious….I baked the full recipe as above with no probs x
This cake looks fantastic and I’m hoping to make it for a thanksgiving bridal shower. I do have a question regarding the sweet potatoes..did you use the light coloured ones that tend to be drier and starcher or the bright orange ones that are quite moist? I suspect using the wrong type would greatly affect the end result.
Hi Rosie – I’m planning on making this for a girls weekend in the woods! A few questions:
1. We’ll be having this Saturday night but I’ll likely have to bake the cakes/make the frosting Thursday night (we’re leaving after work Friday). Do you recommend assembling the cake then, or transporting the cake and frosting un-assembled and assembling it the night of?
2. Do you have alternate suggestions for the marshmallow filling? I unfortunately have marshmallow haters in my group :(
Thank you so so much!
Halley
Hi Rosie,
I was so excited about making this cake for Thanksgiving! I purchased
All my ingredients today, but could not locate crystallized Ginger at
4 markets. I finally asked the manager at Trader Joes why during the holidays this is not available?
He said “Crystallized Ginger “has been banned for selling in stores in California ! It’s mostly manufactured in China with higher levels
Of lead…which is not allowed in California.
I really want this cake for Thanksgiving, wondering if I could make my
Own Ginger Crystals ? I’m Just worried the homemade stuff will be
To strong?
Hoping for good news:)
Best, Gina Zane
Cambria Ca.
Oh, I forgot to add notify me with the follow up comments!
I really Look forward to your new baking book:)
Gina Zane
Gina’s update! Good news.. Found some natural crystallized ginger on Amazon! :)
Rosie, I’m looking forward to making this amazing cake!
Best, Gina Zane
Oh Rosie, hope my cake will taste ok! The timer
Went off, I put a toothpick in the cake….it sorta deflated like
A ballon and flatten out? Though the cake was 100 ready?
Any reason this could have happen?
Gina Zane
This cake is 5 stars, without a doubt. I don’t usually try recipes that don’t have a lot of feedback, but this was worth it. The cake turned out dense and moist; the marshmallow filling was an amazing mix of sweet and toasty and creamy; and the buttercream was a beautiful combo of brown sugar and cinnamon.
For the cake, I was confused about whether the weight of the sweet potatoes needed was before or after cooking (i.e., should I use 900 grams cooked and whole, mashed, or raw?). I bought 3 lbs of sweet potatoes (2 large ones), peeled them, cut them into large pieces, and boiled them for about 15 minutes. I drained them and weighed out 2 lbs of cooked potatoes (a little more than the 900 grams prescribed). That seemed to work well.
I also skipped the crystallized ginger and subbed in some allspice and a little more ginger. I’m just not a huge fan of crystallized ginger. If you’ve never used it in baking, it basically ends up melting and leaves small pockets of raw ginger flavor.
I would suggest keeping the pecans whole when you toast them and keep the heat on low (I used a gas burner). I chopped the pecans up the first time and had the heat on medium. They started to burn after 5 minutes.
I also used salted butter for the pecans and the buttercream and axed the added salt. I thought the pecans were pretty bland without salt, so I used salted butter in the second batch. It turned out better.
Thanks for the recipe! I’m excited to revisit your blog and try other recipes :)
Hi! Do you think that the filling is enough firm for use it in a wedding cake?
Thank you! :D
I want to make this as a double layer 13×9″ cake to serve as the platform for a rice crispie sculpted bass fish. It is for a coworker who is leaving for another job and is an avid fisherman. I’m thinking 1.5x the recipe? Or double? What do you think? And will the recipe be dense enough to support the fish? Nothing like throwing you a curve ball question hey? ;)
I made this cake and am going to assemble later this afternoon. I had to remake the cake. (I made one and froze it and I don’t think it was cooked enough, so I had to make another) It is a VERY dense cake, so for the second one I used just less orange sweet potato than the first , divided into 3 pans and baked it at 325 a little longer. So much better. As for the ginger, mix it with a little flour to keep it separated in the mix. I made a similar icing but never with brown sugar and I have to make another batch bc I ate so much, I feel the same way about the filling. This is a great thanksgiving cake…sweet potatoes with marshmallow?????? Can’t wait for guests to cut into this
I tried to read through all of the comments to find my answer but I didn’t see it. I have a stupid question. When I picking out my sweet potatoes I found they are not in the least the same size. They seriously could vary a pound or more. So my dumb question is.. – is the 900g the whole raw sweet potato weight or post cooked puree amount? I opted for the later and my cake, although toothpick came out clean, was super dense and didn’t look cooked in the middle. It went flat as well so I’m thinking I chose incorrectly. I really want to try this again but I want to get my answer first – candied ginger costs a fortune so I dont’ want to ruin another batch! $18 for 3/4 cup!