Sweet Potato Pound Cake
This Sweet Potato Pound Cake recipe looks impressive but comes together simply with just a few pantry ingredients. The sweet potato keeps it incredibly moist, pumpkin pie spice adds warmth, and a handful of coconut gives it a subtle texture that sets it apart from any cake you've tried.
What makes this sweet potato pound cake special
The combination of real sweet potato and coconut is what makes this cake truly unforgettable. It's a cake that rewards patience. Cream the butter and sugar properly, add the eggs one at a time, and the texture takes care of itself.
It bakes in about an hour and doesn't need icing to feel complete. Like our Lemon Pound Cake and Easy Pumpkin Bread, it's the kind of bake that disappears fast.
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Ingredients you'll need
- Butter: unsalted and softened to room temperature before you start. Cold butter won't cream properly.
- Eggs: room temperature eggs incorporate more smoothly into the batter. Take them out of the fridge when you take out the butter.
- Sweet potato: 2½ cups cooked and mashed. Fresh is best - roast or broil until completely tender, then mash until smooth.
- Pumpkin pie spice: store bought works perfectly, or make your own with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Self rising flour: do not substitute all purpose flour. The leavening in the self rising flour is calibrated for this recipe and swapping it out will affect the rise and texture.
👉 see recipe card below for exact quantities.
How to make it
- Prep the pan first. Butter and flour every crevice before anything else. Once the batter is ready it needs to go straight in.
- Cream the butter and sugar properly. A full 3 to 4 minutes until pale and nearly doubled. Undermixing here is the most common reason pound cakes turn out dense.
- Add eggs one at a time. Each egg needs to fully incorporate before the next one goes in. Rushing this step affects the final texture.
- Add the sweet potato. The batter may look slightly curdled at this stage. That is normal.
- Add flour and spice gradually. Stop mixing the moment the flour disappears. Overmixing from here makes the cake tough.
- Fold in the coconut by hand. A gentle fold keeps it evenly distributed without overworking the batter.
- Bake and test correctly. A toothpick with a few moist crumbs is correct.
- Rest before inverting. The full 15 minutes in the pan matters. Inverting too early causes the cake to break apart.
🔪 Top tip
Don't skip the cooling time. Fifteen minutes in the pan before inverting is not optional. Pull it too soon and it breaks apart on the rack.
Make ahead and storage
- Make ahead: this cake actually improves after a day as the flavors meld together. Bake it the day before and store covered at room temperature overnight.
- Store: cover and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerate: store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
- Freeze: wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Reheat: microwave individual slices for 20 to 30 seconds.
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FAQ
Roasting is the best option. It concentrates the natural sugars and reduces the moisture, both of which matter for the cake texture. Boiling works too but adds water to the potato that can make the batter too wet. Either way, mash until completely smooth before adding to the batter.
Yes, but expect a slightly different result. Canned sweet potatoes have a higher moisture content than fresh, which can make the crumb denser and wetter. If using canned, drain and pat them dry as thoroughly as possible before mashing.
Butter and flour the pan thoroughly before the batter goes in. Don't rush this step. A poorly prepared pan is the most common reason why pound cakes stick, and there is no fixing it once the cake is baked.
Yes, and it actually gets better. The flavors meld overnight and the crumb tightens slightly, making it easier to slice cleanly. Bake the day before and store covered at room temperature.
Usually one of three things: the oven temperature was too high, the cake was underbaked, or the batter was overmixed. Make sure the oven is fully preheated to 350°F, don't open the oven door during the first 45 minutes of baking, and stop mixing the moment the flour is incorporated.
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Sweet Potato Pound Cake recipe
This sweet potato pound cake is moist, tender and full of warm spice. It's made with real sweet potato and coconut for a rich, distinctive flavor.
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2½ cups sweet potato, cooked and mashed
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 3 cups self rising flour
- ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a bundt pan thoroughly, making sure to coat every crevice.
- Cream butter and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add sweet potato and mix well.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, combine flour and pumpkin pie spice. Gradually add sweet potato mixture to flour mixture while beating.
- Stir in coconut. Spoon batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake for 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes then invert onto a wire rack to remove the cake.
- Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
- Fresh sweet potatoes are best. Roast or boil them and mash until completely smooth. Canned sweet potatoes have a higher moisture content which can make the cake dense and wet.
- Do not overmix once the flour goes in. Overmixing develops gluten and makes pound cake tough rather than tender.
- Butter and flour every crevice of the bundt pan thoroughly. A poorly prepared pan is the most common reason pound cakes stick.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cooling Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 65 mins
- Category: dessert
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 482
- Sugar: 46 g
- Sodium: 424.6 mg
- Fat: 18.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 74.2 g
- Protein: 5.9 g
- Cholesterol: 102.7 mg
