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A few weeks ago, my husband Jack traveled to South Carolina for a business trip, and the group he traveled with went out to dinner every night during the trip. Jack and I were on the tail end of our Whole30 program (you can read more about that here) – so enjoying a dessert after dinner was not an option for Jack unfortunately!
As luck would have it, one of the places where they all ate dinner was the Brick Street Café in Greenville. This restaurant is known for their very special desserts including classic Southern pies and cakes! After enjoying their dinner entrées, the coworker to Jack’s left at the table ordered a sweet potato cake, and the coworker to Jack’s right ordered sweet potato pie – all to rave reviews! (And Jack, staying true to his diet, ate a few grapes for his own dessert!) 🙁
Jack flew home after a few days – still thinking about that sweet potato cake…
He talked about THAT.CAKE. for several more days…
And then – Jack set out to make this Sweet Potato and Apple Cake at home!
I don’t know how our Sweet Potato and Apple Cake compares to the one at the Brick Street Café – but I can tell you, this cake is fantastic! (And in case you are wondering, we are now done with our Whole30 – but are still pretty much following the plan – so we each had just a bite of this cake, then gave the rest to my in-laws!)
This Sweet Potato and Apple Cake is super moist, dense and perfectly sweet with raisins and chopped pecans added for crunch and texture. Then he added a wonderful cream cheese frosting flavored with a little bit of vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Seriously delicious!
P.S. Jack is STILL talking about the sweet potato pie. 😉
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Sweet Potato and Apple Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 medium sweet potatoes, which should yield 2 1/2 cups mashed once cooked
- Shortening and flour to grease two 9” cake pans
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all natural apple sauce
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 Gala apple peeled, cored and chopped, about one cup
- 1 cup pecans chopped to rice sized pieces
Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/3 cup butter softened
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped to rice-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup pecans, left whole
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare two 9” round cakes pans by greasing with shortening and dusting with flour. Set aside.
- Bake sweet potatoes until very soft. Remove and discard skin and mash the potatoes. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter for one minute on medium until pale in color.
- Add both sugars and cream to combine.
- Turn mixer on low and add one egg at a time, mixing and scraping sides as you go.
- Add vanilla and apple sauce along with cooled sweet potato and mix to combine.
- With mixer running, slowly add flour until combined.
- Remove from mixer and fold in raisins, apple and nuts by hand.
- Divide mixture between the two prepared pans, smoothing tops with an off set spatula.
- Bake in center of oven for 50 minutes. Place a tooth pick in center and if it comes out clean, remove the cakes from the oven. If not done, bake for a few more minutes then test again.
- Cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Place a rack over each pan and invert and lift off the pan. Repeat for second cake and cool completely.
- To make the icing, place cream cheese, butter, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice in a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Beat until totally combined, scraping sides as needed.
- Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed to avoid a powdered sugar dust cloud. Set aside.
- To assemble, place a little frosting on your cake dish or plate so that the cake doesn’t slide.
- Invert one cake onto the dab of frosting. Mix the ½ cup of chopped nuts with one cup of icing and smear over the top with an off set spatula.
- Place the second cake on top and cover the top and sides with the remaining icing.
- Decorate the top of the cake with the whole pecans. Serve or refrigerate until ready for service.
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I have never had a sweet potato cake but, love them. Can’t wait to try your recipe.
Hope you love the cake Theresa!
That cake looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it! I actually live in Greenville and have been to Brick Street Cafe a few times, and yes the desserts are AMAZING! (My will power would not have been that good) Thanks for sharing the recipe!
We hope you enjoy the cake Jessica! I think Jack is kicking himself that he didn’t try it on his trip – but at least it inspired him to make a version of it at home!
Wow! This looks incredible!
Thanks Michelle!
Hi
Can’t have nuts. What else could I use in it’s place.
Hi Jackie! You could just leave the nuts out – it will still be delicious! Alternately, I know another blogger who sometimes adds flax seed to her baked goods in place of nuts. It doesn’t give the exact same crunch as a nut would add, but it does add texture. Hope that helps!