Vegan Sweet Potato Cake

This moist sweet potato cake is a perfect vegan dessert for fall!

I’ve got a confession to make: in my opinion, sweet potato is WAY better than pumpkin. No offense to the pumpkin lovers out there, but when I was dreaming up a simple and delicious vegan dessert to make for fall, sweet potato was the first flavor that came to my mind. I knew I wanted to make a vegan sweet potato dessert that wasn’t just sweet potato pie (there are enough of those recipes all ready)! Enter: vegan sweet potato cake. This is the first cake I’ve made in a while, and it is a truly tasty and delicious fall dessert! And, did I mention that it’s vegan?

I’m a huge huge fan of this vegan cake recipe because the sweet potato really shines through. The taste of the sweet potato is complimented by warm fall spices that scream ‘autumn dessert’! The cake itself is nice and fluffy, and not too sweet. This is the first vegan spice cake I’ve made this year, and it won’t be the last. I’ve got a ton of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to use up this fall and many more cake and dessert recipes on my mind!

This vegan sweet potato cake is perfect to bring to your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving dinner. Non-vegan eaters won’t even notice that it’s vegan, because this cake truly tastes that good. Top it with my homemade maple frosting and decorate it with bright flowers (optional, but recommended). To make this sweet potato cake absolutely perfect, check out my tips below.

What are the ingredients for this sweet potato cake?

This vegan dessert requires a few typical cake ingredients, and a few special additions. Here is a summary of what you’ll need (full recipe below):

• Pureed sweet potato

• Vegan butter

• Flax egg

• Brown sugar

• Flour

• Spices

How do you make sweet potato puree?

The full instructions for sweet potato puree are below, but basically all you have to do is roast one or two large sweet potatoes until the insides are soft. Scoop out the sweet potato and add it to a food processor. Add a few splashes of non-dairy milk, and blend until smooth. The sweet potato will be soft and silky and ready to be used for cake!

Can this vegan dessert be made gluten-free?

I don’t see why not, but I haven’t tried it for this recipe. I’d recommend swapping the all purpose flour for a gluten-free flour blend, if you can. I suspect using 100% almond flour as a substitute for all-purpose flour would make the cake too dense.

What size cake pan should I use?

I used a 6” round cake pan for this recipe, and the bake time was about 45 minutes. You can certainly use an 8” or 9” cake pan and reduce the bake time to about 30 minutes. No matter what size pan you use, check the cake at about the 25 minute mark and use the toothpick test to check for doneness. You’ll know the cake is ready when only a few crumbs are attached to the toothpick without it being too wet.

Can I used canned sweet potato instead of making sweet potato puree?

I don’t see why not, but I haven’t tried using canned sweet potato for this recipe. If you do want to go that route, you’ll need 1 cup of the sweet potato puree. Let me know how it goes!

Recipe

Prep Time: 20 mins

Active Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 2 hrs

Rest Time: 3+ hrs

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Puree

• 1-2 large sweet potatoes

• 1/3 c non-dairy milk

Sweet Potato Cake

• 8 tbsp vegan butter, softened

• 3/4 c brown sugar

• 1 c sweet potato puree

• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax seeds + 3 tbsp water)

• 1 tbsp vanilla

• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• 1/2 tsp allspice

• 3/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

Maple Frosting

• 8 tbsp butter, cold

• 2 c powdered sugar

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1-2 tbsp non-dairy milk

• Pinch of salt

Directions

Sweet Potato Puree

1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.

2. Wash and dry your sweet potatoes. Pierce them all over with a fork. Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil and place in the oven.

3. Bake sweet potatoes for 40 min - 1 hr, depending on their size. You can test them for doneness by taking them out of the oven and squeezing them gently with the oven mit. The potatoes should give in when you squeeze them.

4. When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes before handling.

5. Unwrap the sweet potatoes from the foil and slice them in half. Scoop out the soft flesh and place it in a food processor. Add the non-dairy milk and blend until the puree is completely smooth.

6. Measure out 1 cup of the puree, and allow it to cool completely. Save the rest and enjoy it on its own as a snack!

Sweet Potato Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease and flour your cake pan (I used a 6” pan - this recipe works for 8” or 9” too).

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and brown sugar on low-medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the sweet potato puree, vanilla, and the flax egg. Mix on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.

4. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.

5. Pour the cake batter into your cake pan. Smooth the top so it’s flat.

6. For a 6” cake pan, bake in the oven for about 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center is mostly dry with only a few crumbs. For larger cake pans, bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Check the cake at around the 25 min mark and test for doneness using a toothpick.

7. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cake is cool to the touch, flip it out onto the wire rack to cool completely.

Maple Frosting

1. Add the cold butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Starting with cold butter ensures the frosting will hold its shape!

2. Add the maple syrup and salt and beat again, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.

3. Reduce the speed to low and add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Increase the speed and beat the frosting for a minute. If the frosting is too thick, add the non-dairy milk one tablespoon at a time until thinned. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar 1/4 c a time until thickened.

4. Once the frosting is the desired consistency, whip it on medium speed for a minute until fluffy.

5. Assemble by slicing the cooled cake in half and spreading half of the frosting on the bottom layer. Top with the second cake half, and frost the top of the cake completely. Slice and enjoy!