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Sweet Potato Cake is the cozy, spiced sheet cake that turns humble sweet potatoes into the most tender, moist dessert with a fluffy maple frosting on top. I bake it every fall for family gatherings, and even the sweet-potato skeptics go back for a second square. If you love warm, spiced desserts, it is right at home next to our pumpkin bars.
Mashed sweet potato, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and a splash of bourbon bake into a moist sheet cake, finished with a whipped maple frosting and a drizzle of caramel.
Sweet Potato Cake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 40 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 60 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 15 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 473kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Moist, spiced sweet potato cake with fluffy maple frosting
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a cozy sheet cake like our ding dong cake
Quick Answer
Whisk flour, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice together. Cream brown sugar and butter, then beat in the eggs, mashed sweet potato, and vanilla. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk, then stir in a splash of bourbon. Smooth the batter into a greased 9 by 13 dish and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Once cool, whip a maple frosting and spread it over the cake, then serve with caramel sauce.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Sweet potato keeps it moist. Mashed sweet potato adds natural moisture and a tender crumb, much like pumpkin does in fall baking.
- Warm pumpkin pie spice. A blend of cozy spices gives the cake that unmistakable fall flavor in every bite.
- Brown sugar depth. Light brown sugar adds caramel notes and extra moisture compared to white sugar.
- A splash of bourbon. Bourbon deepens the flavor with a subtle warmth that pairs beautifully with the spices.
- Fluffy maple frosting. Whipping the maple buttercream for a few minutes makes it light, creamy, and pipeable.
- Easy sheet cake format. Baking it in one 9 by 13 dish means no layering or stacking, just frost and cut.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is incredibly moist and tender thanks to the mashed sweet potato and brown sugar.
- The fluffy maple frosting is the perfect cozy topping, like the frosting on our cream cheese frosting favorites.
- It is an easy sheet cake that feeds a crowd, perfect for fall gatherings and holidays.
Key Ingredients
Here is what you need for sweet potato cake. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- Mashed sweet potato: The star that makes the cake moist, tender, and subtly sweet.
- Light brown sugar: Sweetens the cake and adds caramel depth and extra moisture.
- Pumpkin pie spice: A warm blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove for cozy fall flavor.
- Bourbon: Just a splash deepens the flavor. You can leave it out if you prefer.
- Butter, powdered sugar, and maple extract: Whipped into the fluffy maple frosting that tops the cake.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This sweet potato cake is easy to customize. Here are a few ideas.
- Skip the bourbon: Replace it with milk or a teaspoon of vanilla for an alcohol-free cake.
- Add chopped pecans: Fold toasted pecans into the batter or sprinkle them over the frosting.
- Use cream cheese frosting: Swap the maple frosting for tangy cream cheese frosting.
- Make it cupcakes: Divide the batter into a muffin tin and reduce the bake time.
- Lean into fall: Love sweet potato? Try our sweet potato brownies next.
How to Make Sweet Potato Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9 by 13 baking dish. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Cream the brown sugar and butter until combined, then beat in the eggs one at a time, fully mixing each before adding the next.
- Mix in the mashed sweet potato and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the flour mixture and milk alternately, then mix in the bourbon. Smooth the batter into the dish and bake 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Whip the butter with the powdered sugar a little at a time, then add the heavy cream and maple extract and whip 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Spread the maple frosting over the cooled cake. Cut into squares and serve with a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Cool the cake completely. Frosting a warm cake melts the buttercream, so let it cool fully first.
- Use smooth mashed sweet potato. Lump-free puree blends evenly for a tender, uniform crumb.
- Add eggs one at a time. Mixing each egg in fully keeps the batter smooth and emulsified.
- Do not overbake. Pull the cake when a toothpick comes out clean so it stays moist.
- Whip the frosting well. A few minutes of whipping makes the maple frosting light and spreadable.
- Finish with caramel. A drizzle of caramel sauce right before serving takes it over the top.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Sweet potato cake is a cozy fall dessert that is wonderful served in squares with a drizzle of caramel sauce and a hot cup of coffee or cider.
It is a perfect addition to a Thanksgiving or holiday dessert table next to our pumpkin bread and coffee cake.
For more sweet potato goodness, try our sweet potato brownies or savory sweet potato fries.
Sweet Potato Cake FAQs
Sweet potato cake is a moist, spiced sheet cake made with mashed sweet potato, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice, topped with a fluffy maple frosting. The sweet potato keeps it tender much like pumpkin does, and the warm spices make it a cozy fall and holiday dessert.
Yes. Canned sweet potato puree works well as long as it is plain, with no added sugar or spices. You can also use freshly cooked and mashed sweet potatoes. Just make sure they are smooth and well drained.
No. The bourbon adds a subtle warmth, but you can replace it with an equal amount of milk or a teaspoon of vanilla for an alcohol-free cake. The cake will still be moist and full of flavor.
Roast or boil the sweet potatoes until very tender, then peel and mash them until smooth. Roasting gives the deepest flavor. Let the mash cool before adding it to the batter so it does not affect the butter and eggs.
Absolutely. Bake the cake a day ahead and store it covered at room temperature, then frost it the day you serve. The frosted cake also keeps well, making it a great make-ahead dessert for gatherings.
Store the frosted cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bring slices to room temperature before serving for the best texture. You can also freeze unfrosted cake, well wrapped, for up to 3 months.
Craving more cozy fall baking? Try our pumpkin bars next.
Sweet Potato Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar packed
- ⅓ cup salted butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup milk
- ⅓ cup bourbon
For the maple frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons maple extract
- Caramel sauce to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with baking spray, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and pumpkin spice, set aside.
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the brown sugar and butter until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in the first one fully before adding the next one.
- Mix in the mashed sweet potato and vanilla.
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, stir to combine. Add half of the milk, and mix it in. Repeat with ⅓ of the flour and the remaining milk. Add the last ⅓ of the flour, mix it in, then mix in the bourbon, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Smooth the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
- While the cake cools, make the frosting. In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the butter and mix with the powdered sugar a little at a time until fully mixed in.
- Add the heavy cream and maple extract, stir to combine. Turn the speed up to medium-high and whip for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Once the cake is cool, add the frosting. Cut and serve with caramel sauce.
Notes
- You can make this non-alcoholic, replace the bourbon with milk.
- The caramel sauce is amazing on this, but completely optional.
- Other frostings can be used, cream cheese, regular vanilla buttercream, a cinnamon buttercream, etc.
- You can add additions to the cake batter, see above for some suggestions.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Nutrition
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