A Bitten Word recipe
Clay had a vision. A vision of a cake. A very special Thanksgiving cake. A cake unlike anything the world has ever known or will ever---
Okay. It's basically a carrot cake except with sweet potatoes, and with marshmallow frosting instead of cream cheese.
Still, it was an idea we loved that we could wait to try.
As you may know, every year for Thanksgiving, we like to mix in a couple of our own recipes along with all the magazine dishes we test-drive. In previous years, that's included a Chestnut Pear Bisque, an Apple Chutney, a Mexican Chocolate Tart, even a Gin Apple Cider cocktail.
But this time around we upped the ante. We're not huge bakers: We find baking daunting enough when you're following a recipe, much less winging it on your own. But we loved the idea of this cake, so we soldiered on. (Anything for you, Bittens...)
This cake was inspired by a meal we had back in September at City Kitchen in Morehead City, NC, where they have a similar cake on the dessert menu. To get started, we took this carrot cake we made several years ago as a jumping off point. We played around with spices and texture and came up with a variation we really liked. Then we came up a marshmallow frosting.
So (somewhat miraculously), the cake layers came out well and the frosting whipped up properly, and we assembled everything and it held together.
Before serving it, we used our handy dandy kitchen torch to toast the top of the frosting.
How'd it turn out?
If we can be immodest, it was fantastic. We were thrilled! Our Fakesgiving guests ate every last crumb of this cake. No offense to the pies we made, but this cake stole the show.
Unlike a carrot cake, where the tangy cream cheese frosting cuts a little against the sweetness, this cake is just sweet on top of sweet. And you know what? We loved it.
The toasted frosting not only adds an extra flavor of caramelized sugar goodness, it makes for a seriously impressive presentation.
We're exceedingly happy with how this cake turned out. If you're looking for a pie-alternative to your Thanksgiving dessert table, we think you'd really enjoy this.
Sweet Potato Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting
A Bitten Word recipe
INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon orange zest plus 1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the frosting:
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
6 large egg whites
Special Equipment: two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans; standing electric mixer. Toasting the frosting with a kitchen torch is not necessary, but it adds a nice flavor and makes for an impressive presentation.
DIRECTIONS
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use butter to grease the bottom and sides of cake pans; place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of each pan; grease parchment and dust with flour, shaking off excess.
Using the smallest holes on a manual grater, or using a food processor, shred sweet potatoes. You should have about 3 cups.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, sugar and brown sugar. Stir in oil, eggs, orange zest and juice, vanilla and shredded sweet potatoes. Mix to combine.
Divide batter into pans and bake, on rack in center of oven, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Place pans on baking racks and let cool 5 minutes. Invert pans to remove cake, and let layers cool completely, at least 1 hour.
DO AHEAD: Cake layers can be made 2 days in advance. After allowing them to cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.
For the frosting:
In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups water to boil. Place medium glass bowl on top of saucepan to create a double boiler. Add sugar, bourbon, corn syrup and egg whites to bowl and heat until sugar is just dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from heat.
In a standing mixer, beat mixture on medium high until stiff glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes.
DO AHEAD: Frosting can be made 1 day in advance and stored in refrigerator.
To assemble:
Place one cake layer on cake stand or large platter. Cover top with frosting. Place second layer on top. Frost top, and sides, if desired. If not serving immediately, cover and store in a cool place.
Prior to serving, use a kitchen torch to heat top of frosting until toasted and brown in places. Serve.
