When temperatures start to drop and leaves start to change color we’re on the lookout for special dishes that feel festive and seasonal. What can we say? There’s something about starting to incorporate more pumpkins or squashes or more root vegetables into our cooking that makes us excited and has us looking forward to our time in the kitchen.

Now, we love sweet potatoes regardless of the time of year, but we wanted to do something different with them; something that would be absolutely delicious and yet feel festive at the same time. And we’re so happy with what we came up with! Instead of using sweet potato as you would normally, in some form of savory dish, we made it the star of the dish…and not just any dish – we made a pecan praline-frosted sweet potato cake! You guys, if at first you read that and thought it sounded weird, wait a second and give it a chance!

Sweet potatoes obviously have a great natural sweetness, so it only makes sense to incorporate them into a dessert. Make that a moist, dense cake topped with a pecan praline frosting and you are in business. Seriously, it’s just so good and the fact that it will have you feeling seasonally on top of things is just the cherry on top – who knows: you might just find yourself making this year-round!

Praline-Frosted Sweet Potato Cake

8-10

1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients
  • Cake:
  • 2 cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Frosting:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2-3/4 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 350º F and lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
  3. In a large bowl or mixer, beat together eggs and sweet potato, then mix in oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract.
  4. Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until just incorporated.
  5. Pour batter into greased baking dish and place in oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  6. Remove cake from oven and let cool.
  7. As cake cools, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then stir in cream and sugar.
  8. Bring mixture to a boil while stirring constantly, then remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar.
  9. Once smooth, stir in vanilla extract and salt. Fold in chopped pecans.
  10. Let frosting cool 2-5 minutes, then pour over cake and let set.
  11. Slice into squares and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Biscuits And Burlap