This Sweet Potato Pound Cake recipe is a rich and moist dessert infused with the natural sweetness and earthy flavor of sweet potatoes. Combined with warm spices like cinnamon and cloves, this dense cake recipe has a tender crumb and a delightful depth of flavor, making it a perfect treat for fall.
The "pound cake" originated from a very simple recipe using equal parts (one pound each!) sugar, flour, and butter. Nowadays everyone has their own twist on the cake, including adding wonderful flavors.
This pound cake recipe is super easy to make, and you'll love the fall feeling you get when you enjoy a slice!
Looking for new ways to add sweet potatoes to dessert? You can make Sweet Potato Ice Cream in your ice cream machine - it's not just a summer appliance! A classic Southern Sweet Potato Pie should also be the star of your Thanksgiving table.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Add the delicate sweet potato flavor and nutrition of sweet potatoes to a sweet treat!
- You have options - decide if you prefer a glaze or a simple dusting of powdered sugar on top.
- You can easily roast an entire oven full of sweet potatoes to use in all sorts of sweet potato recipes! Set some aside for Sweet Potato Pudding.
Recipe Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes: We are measuring roasted, peeled, and mashed potatoes here. That means you might have some extra, but it's easy to save for other recipes or add to a salad or other dish.
- Sugar: Brown sugar adds a caramel depth to the cake with molasses rather than regular granulated. We also add a touch of maple syrup.
- Flour: Regular all-purpose flour is great here, to ensure our cake is just the right texture.
- Buttermilk: Cultured buttermilk adds even more flavor as well as help with leavening.
- Butter: I prefer unsalted butter in my baking so I can control the salt content with my favorite Kosher salt, Diamond Crystal.
- Eggs: Yes, it seems like a lot of eggs, but it's also an ingredient that helps with texture.
- Marshmallows: Make a really fun, gooey glaze that reminds me of adding marshmallows to sweet potato casserole! I add these to my candied sweet potatoes too!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- You can use salted butter in the cake, but you'll then want to reduce the amount of added salt.
- I prefer to use cultured buttermilk, but in a pinch you can try a quick substitute. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to your measuring cup before milk.
- Add a dusting of powdered sugar rather than marshmallow glaze to the top of the sweet potato pound cake.
- Try serving maple glaze or brown butter cream cheese frosting as a dollop on top of each slice in place of the marshmallow glaze. Add a teaspoon or 2 of bourbon to the glaze too!
- Add a tablespoon of fresh orange zest to the sweet potato poundcake to add a punch of citrus flavor.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How To Make Sweet Potato Pound Cake
Step 1: Roast, peel, and puree your sweet potatoes in the food processor.
Step 2: Cream butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with an electric mixer.
Step 3: Add eggs on medium speed until incorporated. Stir in maple syrup and vanilla extract. Mix in sweet potatoes.
Step 4: Whisk flour mixture then alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk into sweet potato mixture on low speed.
Step 5: Pour batter evenly in prepared pan and bake in preheated oven.
Step 6: Cool sweet potato cake on a wire rack. Once cooled, top with glaze or a dusting of powdered sugar.
Expert Baking Tips
- Always start with room temperature ingredients. Your butter won't smoothly cream if it is too cold. The eggs also mix in so much better when warmer and bake more evenly. Same goes for other pound cake recipes like Peach Cobbler Pound Cake and other cakes.
- Always check cake with a cake tester (toothpick or skewer) rather than going by time. All bundt pans are slightly different as are ovens. You're looking for the toothpick or skewer to come out clean or with just a few crumbs when inserted to the middle of the cake.
- Make sure the sweet potato puree is completely cool before adding to the cake.
- Always let the cake cool completely before adding glaze or powdered sugar. Otherwise it will soak right in! Tasty but it won't look pretty.
- Using buttermilk is important to accomplish a moist tender crumb in this pound cake.
Recipe FAQs
I like to keep bamboo skewers on hand for thick cakes like this. A toothpick won't go inside deep enough! You'll want to check for a clean tester or only a few crumbs on it right in the center of the cake - where it is deepest. Always check at least 5 minutes before the end of cooking time, just in case. This is the same method I use for other cakes, including Almond Carrot Cake.
If glazed, you will want to store the cake in the fridge. Keep it in an airtight container to help it not dry out. If possible, keep it whole rather than sliced. Less surface area means less chance of drying out! If just using powdered sugar or no "topping" then you may store on the counter in a covered container or covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days. Be aware the powdered sugar will continue to soak in as it sits so you may want to add more when cutting a new slice.
The great part about this recipe, and many others that I mentioned above, is that they need cooled sweet potato puree. You can go ahead and roast a bunch of sweet potatoes at once - enjoy some with dinner and pop the rest in the fridge to incorporate into these fun recipes.
I used a 10-inch bundt pan but you can also use 2 loaf pans. Cooking time will vary so start checking at 50 minutes. Test these cake loaves the same way you test your bundt cake, with a toothpick or skewer.
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📖Recipe
Sweet Potato Pound Cake
Equipment
- 1 bundt pan
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Pound Cake
- 1½ cup roasted sweet potato puree about 3 sweet potatoes
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- 6 eggs room temperature
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt Diamond Crystal Brand
- 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
Glaze (optional)
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter browned
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- ½ tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon whole milk warmed
Instructions
Sweet Potato Pound Cake
- Preheat oven to 425°F then line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Add sweet potatoes to parchment lined pan then bake 60-90 minutes or until brown sugary substance is oozing out of potatoes and they are fork tender
- Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and allow to cool, then peel. Blend sweet potatoes in food processor for 20 seconds until smooth. Immediately turn oven temperature down to 325°F
- Generously spray bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Cream butter and brown sugar on medium speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing in between and scraping down sides of the bowl
- Mix in sweet potatoes, maple and vanilla
- Whisk all dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl
- Mix in ⅓ of the flour mixture into the sweet potato mixture on low. Add half of the buttermilk and mix thoroughly. Add another ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix on low. Mix in remaining half of buttermilk then the remaining flour mixture until fully combined
- Pour batter into prepared bundt cake pan then bake 80-85 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with clean or with just a few crumbs
- Allow pound cake to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes then carefully invert it onto a plate or serving platter to cool the rest of the way
- Drizzle glaze or dust powdered sugar over the top if desired
Brown Butter Marshmallow Glaze
- Brown butter in a small sauce pot then add marshmallows, stirring frequently until melted
- Whisk in salt and powdered sugar then stir in vanilla and warmed milk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over sweet potato pound cake
Sandra
I recently tried this sweet potato pound cake, and it was absolutely delightful! The rich, moist texture combined with the warm spices made for a comforting dessert. The natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes added a unique depth of flavor, making each bite a perfect balance of sweetness and spice. It’s a wonderful twist on a classic pound cake—perfect for any occasion! Highly recommend it for anyone looking to impress their guests or indulge in a cozy treat.
Krista
This pound cake has a light sweetness and light spice that makes a perfect holiday cake. The marshmallow glaze is so good!