Sweet Potato Pound Cake 

By Millie Peartree

Published Nov. 6, 2024

Sweet Potato Pound Cake 
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Total Time
2 ¾ hours
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1 ½ hours, plus 1 hour’s cooling
Rating
5(133)
Comments
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Glazed with a kind of pecan-studded sauce, this sweet potato pound cake is the perfect marriage of two Southern staples. The cake is tender, buttery, warmly spiced and loaded with fall flavor from canned sweet potatoes, but you could also put your Thanksgiving leftovers to use here and use mashed candied yams or sweet potatoes. They’ll lend every bite richness and gentle sweetness.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 12 servings

    For the Cake

    • 2cups/256 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
    • ½ cup/112 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
    • 1½ cups/300 grams sugar
    • 3large eggs, at room temperature
    • 1cup/8 ounces/227 grams full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
    • ½ cup/128 grams mashed sweet potato or leftover candied yams 
    • 1teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

    For the Maple Pecan Sauce

    • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
    • ½packed cup/110 grams light brown sugar
    • 2tablespoons maple syrup
    • ¼teaspoon vanilla extract
    • A pinch of ground cinnamon 
    • ⅛teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • ¼cup/60 milliliters heavy cream
    • ¾cup chopped pecans
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

515 calories; 26 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 68 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 44 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 280 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

  2. Step 2

    Make the cake: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Beat in sour cream and mashed sweet potato. In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt.

  3. Step 3

    Mix dry ingredients into the wet until just incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Scoop batter into the prepared pan.

  4. Step 4

    Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let loaf cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then unmold onto a cooling rack, and let cool for about another 45 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    As the loaf cools, make the sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt, and mix until melted. Turn heat down to low. Add heavy cream and bring to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes. Add pecans and stir. Cook for another 5 minutes to coat and toast the pecans. Pour over the cake while both cake and sauce are slightly warm.

Ratings

5 out of 5
133 user ratings
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Comments

Esperanza

I just baked this pound cake using leftover sweet potatoes that I'd frozen a few weeks ago. I didn't have a 9"x5" loaf pan, but used two slightly smaller loaf pans and reduced baking time to 50 minutes. The maple pecan sauce seemed like gilding the lily, so instead I just stirred about 3/4 cup of chopped pecans into the batter. The results were excellent. Sweet enough for dessert, but also fine as an addition to a basket of breads for a festive table.

Naomi Jespersen

I made this as a gluten free Bundt cake and it was phenomenal. The glaze was heavenly and the cake was perfectly moist. I highly recommend!

elissa-wa

Delicious - love the sweet “caramelly” flavor from the sweet potatoes. I split into 2 loaves - made 1 with the glaze and made the other without the glaze but added the spices and vanilla to the batter. One was a like a dessert cake and the other more of a sweet bread. Both were good! Would make either one again.

kal

I’m in the minority here but we didn’t love this pound cake. Texture was good but even with an extra 1/4 cup (canned) sweet potatoes, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp each nutmeg & clove the loaf still had no flavor. The topping was good but definitely won’t be making this one again.

Suzy Q

This was the best thing I baked I. 2024!

Michelle

I cooked this in a Bundt pan and checked it at an hour: it was done. (10” diameter) It came out nicely with a tender cake and firm crust. The pecan glaze, while delicious, made the whole thing a little too sweet for me, but I’ll definitely be making the cake again. Next time I’ll just add the pecans to the batter, as another cook did, and skip the sauce.

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