Sweet Potato Pound Cake

BUNDTS spotato2I always look forward to Thanksgiving. Sharing the holday with my family, extended family, and a handful of friends. Each year, my sister-in-law and I alternate with hosting it. I do like having it my house because it makes me organize my clutter, clean where I wouldn’t normally clean, and repair whatever seems to be broken at the moment.

This year I will be a guest. Yet, I am not off the hook with contributing to the meal. Volunteering to make Rustic Herb Stuffing, Cranberry-Raspberry Relish, Pecan Pie, and a delicious Sweet Potato Casserole with a Pecan Crumble.  YUM!  The rest of the meal was equally delicious; roast turkey, roasted brussel sprouts, butternut squash soup, carmelized string beans with hazelnuts, and the list goes on.

For the Sweet Potato Casserole, I had roasted way too many sweet potatoes and after peeling and ricing them I realized I had gone a bit overboard. With left overs on hand, I was inspired to create something new. In the past, I have made muffins, waffles, and pancakes, but today I chose to make a pound cake.

Using pantry staples, I whipped up the batter in minutes and made 6 mini bundts and 2 small loaves. This cake is so light and airy and down right delicious. To date, this is one of my favorites.

Sweet Potato Pound Cake
Yield: 1 10″ bundt or 6-8 small bundts

Ingredients:

for the pound cake:
1 cup(8 oz.) organic, unsalted butter
2 cups organic, pure cane sugar
4 large, organic eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
zest of one orange
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups cold, mashed sweet potatoes

For the glaze:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
zest of one orange
3-5 teaspoons fresh orange juice

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Butter and flour 6 individual bundt pans and 2 small loaf pans.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time. beat in vanilla.

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk to combine. Add to the wet ingredients. Don’t over mix.

Add the sweet potatoes and mix until well combined and you don’t see any white streaks.

Pour batter, evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes.

Flip cakes over onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled, glaze.

To make the glaze, grate the orange zest directly into the sugar and mix with a whisk. Add the orange juice, one tablespoon at a time, until you get the consistency you desire.

Drizzle over the cake and let set.

Susan Salzman writes The Urban Baker blog to explore her dedication to good food in the hope of adding beauty to the lives of her family and friends.