Sweet Potato Cake with Rum Caramel Glaze

Sweet Potato Cake with Rum Caramel Glaze

The crazy Aprilwetter & increased lockdown restrictions here in Munich has put a little damper on things lately but nothing cake can’t solve, right? If you’ve been following along for a while, you’ll know that I LOVE using fresh fruits & veggies in my desserts – especially unexpected veggies (Parsnip cake, anyone?)! Sweet Potato is one of my favorite vegetables to bake with. It adds a natural sweetness & gives your dessert great texture. By whipping the eggs & sugar together at the beginning of this recipe, the batter will remain light & fluffy even after you’ve added the mashed sweet potato! What’s your favorite vegetable to bake with!?

Happy baking & don’t forget to tag @nickxfritz_munich in your snaps because we love seeing your creations!

Quantity: 1 bundt cake or 1 2-layer cake, both serve 10-12 (Don’t have a bundt cake? Check out my favorite one on Amazon!)

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 2 large / 3 medium sweet potatoes
• 4 eggs
• 400g / 2 c granulated sugar
• 60ml / ¼ c dark rum
• 250ml / 1 c mild flavored plant-based oil (I always bake with sunflower oil)
• 1 TL / 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 770g / 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 TL / 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 TL / 1 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ½ TL / 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ TL / ½ tsp nutmeg
• 175ml / ¾ c buttermilk

For the glaze:

• 60ml / ¼ c dark rum
• 75g / ¼ c butter
• 2 EL / 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 100g / ½ c raw sugar
• 1 EL / 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 EL / 1 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions:

To make the cake:

1. Wash & peel the sweet potatoes. Cut them up into ~4-6cm pieces & pop them into a pot. Cover with water & boil until the potatoes break easily when stabbed with a fork. Drain the water & let the potatoes cool slightly. Once cooler, roughly mash them up & set aside. Pro tip: keep an eye out for very stringy bits that don’t mash – remove these!
2. While your potatoes are cooking, preheat oven to 175°C & generously grease a bundt pan
3. Add the eggs to a mixing bowl & using a stand- or hand-mixer, lightly beat the eggs to combine them. Once the yolks are broken up & the color is homogenous, add the sugar. Beat the eggs & sugar on medium-high for a few minutes until the mixture is lighter in color & fluffy
4. Add the vanilla, plant-based oil, & rum to the egg & sugar mixture. Mix well
5. Add the mashed potatoes, again mixing well & pausing to scrape down the sides / bottom
6. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients (flour, baking soda & powder, salt, & spices)
7. Alternately add the dry ingredients & buttermilk to the sweet potato mixture (dry mix, milk, repeat), mixing & scraping down the sides between each addition
8. Once the mixture is thoroughly combined, pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan
9. Bake in the middle of the oven for 60-70 minutes, rotating the pan after 30 minutes
1. Pro tip: use a toothpick or wooden skewer to check if the cake is finished baking. Insert the toothpick into a deep section of the cake & pull it out. If there is wet batter stuck to the toothpick, you know your cake needs a little longer
10. Once done, remove the cake from the oven & run a thin knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake & prevent sticking. Let cool slightly in the pan (~10-15 minutes) before taking the cake out

To make the Rum Glaze:

1. Add the rum, butter, sugar, cream, molasses, & maple syrup to a heavy bottomed pot. Using a heatproof whisk, stir the mixture over medium heat until the sugar & butter is melted
2. Bring the mixture to a boil for ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning, until the glaze thickens
3. In the meantime, take the cake out of the bundt pan – a feat in itself, I know
1. Pro tip: place an upside-down plate onto the top of the bundt pan, hold the plate tight to the top of the pan & flip it over. The loosened cake should “fall” out onto the plate
4. Use a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the top of the cake – this allows the glaze to absorb better
5. Once the glaze is finished, spoon half of it (while still hot!) over the cake. Let the cake & glaze cool down before pouring the rest of the glaze on the cake. Serve immediately or cover & store at room temperature 
6. Enjoy!

P.S. if you’re making the layer cake version instead, follow the instructions until step 8. Instead, divide the batter evenly between cake pans & bake for 35-45 minutes, making sure to rotate the pans halfway through. The glaze could serve as a filling to the layer cake & check out our Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe in step 8 for frosting inspiration here!

Happy Baking!

Post a pic and tag us @nickxfritz_munich with your version!

Every Thursday we post a new recipe! Sign up for our newsletter on the "Recipes" page & get the recipes right to your inbox every Friday!