A sweet Cinnamon Ripple Sweet Potato Cake is the perfect fall dessert! It’s the moistest, most flavorful bundt cake and the frosting is so creamy!!
Easy Sweet Potato Cake Recipe
Hi, it’s Jenn, from Eat Cake For Dinner! I’m so happy to be here on Oh Sweet Basil today so I can share this absolutely amazing sweet potato cake with you that just screams fall. I have really become a fan of sweet potatoes over the past few years. As a kid, I wouldn’t even touch them. Now, I look for recipes that I could easily incorporate sweet potatoes in to. Whether it’s in a savory recipe or a sweet recipe, sweet potatoes are delicious.
Today’s cinnamon ripple sweet potato cake recipe is a moist, dense bundt cake that uses mashed sweet potatoes. This sweet potato dessert has the perfect amount of spice. It’s made with a cinnamon sugar swirl and it’s topped with a tangy cream cheese icing. It is seriously heavenly.
No one will even know there are sweet potatoes in there, but they will for sure notice how moist and dense it is. I shared this cake with the neighbors and didn’t tell them what was in it.
At first, they thought it was a pumpkin cake because of the color, then they tasted it and it wasn’t pumpkin. Everyone loved the texture and flavor and went back for seconds. There wasn’t a crumb left! I later shared with them there were sweet potatoes in there. A few people that thought they “hated” sweet potatoes were in shock!
Whether you’re looking for something to make on a crisp fall weekend or are in need of an easy Thanksgiving dessert, this sweet potato cake recipe is a winner!
Sweet Potato Cake Ingredients
This sweet potato cake recipe has three main components: the cake itself, the cinnamon swirl filling, and the cream cheese frosting. Don’t let the lengthy ingredients list scare you away, many ingredients are used in all three parts of this cake. Here’s what you’ll need to make this spiced sweet potato dessert:
- Granulated sugar
- Canola oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Spices
- Salt
- Mashed sweet potatoes
- Brown sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
How to Make Sweet Potato Cake
Although this sweet potato cake requires some assembly, it’s incredibly easy to make. Here’s the basic rundown of how to make this cake:
- Whisk together the sweet potato cake batter.
- Spread half the batter into the bottom of a greased 12-cup bundt pan.
- Stir together the cinnamon swirl filling, then spread over the cake batter.
- Spread the remaining batter over the filling.
- Bake the bundt cake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely, then drizzle the cream cheese frosting over top.
Can I Make This Cake Using Canned Sweet Potatoes?
I’ve only made this cake using fresh sweet potatoes that I roasted and mashed myself. I’m not sure how this sweet potato dessert would turn out if you used canned sweet potatoes. If you try it out, please leave a comment down below letting us know how your cake turned out!
Can I Make This in Regular Cake Pans?
I’m not sure! The problem with regular cake pans is that you can’t get the cinnamon sugar filling swirled throughout the cake very easily. You may be able to divide the cake batter between a few 8- or 9-inch round cake pans, but again, I’ve never tried that myself.
Tips for Making Sweet Potato Cake
To make this sweet potato bundt cake, you’ll need 2 cups of well mashed sweet potatoes, which will be roughly two to three sweet potatoes. Make sure to actually measure out the mashed sweet potato and not just eyeball it, as adding too much or too little can drastically affect the flavor and texture of this cake.
Also, you’re welcome to use any kind of sweet potato you have on hand. I used regular sweet potatoes because I wanted this cake to be a vibrant orange color, but yellow or even purple sweet potatoes would work here too. Your cake might be a different color than mine, but the flavor should be the same!
Finally, make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature before you make the cream cheese frosting. If the cream cheese is too cold, it won’t blend properly with the rest of the ingredients and you’ll wind up with lumpy frosting.
More Fall Cake Recipes:
- Pumpkin Cake with Maple Frosting
- Apple Cake with Caramel Frosting
- Pumpkin Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon Bundt Cake
- The Best Banana Cake
- Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake
More Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas:
- Apple Pie Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
- Easy No-Bake Chocolate Pie
- Mini Cheesecakes with Salted Caramel Sauce
- Easy Apple Dumplings with Sprite
- Fantastic Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars
- The BEST Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Best Apple Crisp Recipe
Cinnamon Ripple Sweet Potato Cake
Description
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes
Cinnamon Sugar Ripple
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, cold
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and flour a large 12-cup bundt pan; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil until well combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Add dry mixture to wet mixture alternately with mashed sweet potatoes, starting and ending with dry ingredients and beating after each addition until just combined.
- Spread half of the batter evenly into the prepared bundt pan, batter is very thick.
For the Cinnamon Sugar Swirl:
- Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon; add the butter and mash together until a crumble mixture forms.
- Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the batter in the pan.
- Top with remaining cake batter and spread out evenly.
- Bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Icing:
- You want the cream cheese really soft. If it isn't soft enough, microwave for a few seconds. Combine softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk and stir together until smooth and creamy.
- Drizzle over cooled cake. Slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
Ashlee
I absolutely loved this cake! It turned out perfectly. It was moist and dense (but not too dense) as a Bundt should be, and the cinnamon swirl made it top notch. Instead of cream cheese frosting I made a cinnamon maple butter and put it on each slice as we cut the cake, and I don’t regret that one bit! If you don’t want it too sweet, I’d say that’s the way to go.
Sweet Basil
Yum that frosting sounds perfect! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment! So glad you enjoyed it!
Sandy
When this is made, how should it be stored? On the counter or should it be in the refrigerator?
Sweet Basil
On the counter is fine, but if you want it to last longer, in the fridge will give you a couple more days.
Lisa Sowers
Hi I am making this now for tomorrow thanksgiving and wondering if I can make the frosting ahead of time today and ice the cake tomorrow before I serve it and if I can make it ahead of time should I refrigerate it and heat up, please let me know what you think or if you have tried this. Thanks Lisa
Sweet Basil
Hi Lisa! I am so sorry to be getting back to you so late! We headed out of town for Thanksgiving and spent time with family. I hope it turned out delicious! To answer your question, yes the frosting can definitely be made ahead of time. Refrigerate it overnight and then let it warm up on the counter for 15-20 minutes before trying to drizzle it on the cake. You could also zap it in the microwave for a warm drizzle!
Melisa
The cake was really tasty, but it took a really long time to bake. I had to bake mine for an hour and a half. Because of the long time bake, the cinnamon ripple sunk to the bottom of the pan and basically glued my cake to my bundt pan (which we all know is a nightmare to try to get it out in one piece). I think next time I make it I might use less batter in the pan (as this makes quite a lot), maybe make two cakes out of one batter recipe. That way it might bake quicker and set up faster.
Anyhow, the cake itself was absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to eat another slice for breakfast! I mean, with sweet potatoes it’s got to be healthy right? Haha
Sweet Basil
It is totally breakfast appropriate! Lol! Thank you for the feedback and sorry that you had some troubles with the cake! Were you using a 12 cup bundt pan? That could have made a difference if you were using a 10 cup pan. So glad you enjoyed the cake!
Melisa
Oh my goodness, everybody loved this cake (even my orange vegetable hating dad, haha)! I will for sure be making it again and again!
I did use a 12 cup pan. I was thinking about it and I used my countertop oven for this cake and that’s probably why it gave me such trouble. The top started to cook faster because it was too close to the heat source. I’ll have to try again in the big oven and see if that makes a difference.
Anyhow, once again, great recipe!
Sweet Basil
Thank you for the feedback Melisa! Let us know if goes more smoothly next time!