
Sweet Potato Pound Cake


Ingredients
- 1 very large sweet potato
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour*
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft
- 1 1/4 cups Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons orange zest, no white bitter pith
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 2/3 cup Imperial Sugar Confectioners Powdered Sugar
*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Butter and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan or bundt pan. Set aside.
- Peel and cut sweet potato in small cubes. Boil in water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain all water and mash until very smooth and no lumps remain. Measure 1 1/2 cups and set aside.
- Sift together all dry ingredients and set aside.
- Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add granulated sugar and mix further. Add eggs one at a time waiting for previously added egg to be fully incorporated before adding next. Scrape bowl often. Whip until the mixture is very light and fluffy. Add orange zest.
- Ensure that sweet potato puree is no longer warm and then add to above.
- Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Scrape batter into the prepared pan. Place in the oven, after being in the oven for 45 minutes drape a sheet of buttered aluminum foil gently on the surface of the pound cake. (Keeps cake from browning too much.)
- Bake for 1:15 or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let sit in pan for 10 minutes before removing.
- Whisk together orange juice and powdered sugar and drizzle over cake.
**Ovens vary in temperature and loaf pan sizes as well, therefore when baking pound cakes, trust your baking instinct rather than time.
Saw this cake on Allrecipes which sent me to Dixie Crystal Recipes in search of. Made this evening and it was a hit.I will be making this again.
I really liked the combination of orange and sweet potato and I wasn't sure I would. I added a little zest to the top of my icing for an added orange kick.
Excellent recipe. The result is a tall loaf, extremely moist. To save some time, I scrubbed the sweet potato, pricked the skin several times, and microwaved on high for 5 minutes. Scooped out the flesh and mashed with a fork, We love spice here, so I increased the ginger to 1 tsp and added 1/2 tsp allspice, plus a couple of shakes of cayenne for some warmth. The orange zest gives a clean, fresh finish. And don't skip the glaze. It's the perfect complement to the spices. In place of the orange juice in the glaze, which I didn't have, I used one Tb of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed. Instead of a single loaf, I made three mini loaves that baked up pretty enough for the cover of Bon Appetit! Perfect for holiday gift giving. I let them cool in the pan 20 minutes, and they released easily onto a rack to finish cooling. Delightfully flavorful with a vibrant, sunny color. Lovely!
A wonderful recipe! I omitted the orange zest making the cake as stated. My frosting: Using dark brown sugar in approx. 1 + tablespoon butter, I heated to make a brown sauce...added confectioners sugar and one half teaspoon of maple flavoring to spread. The maple-brown sugar was very good with this cake. FIVE star rating!