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Since seeing this recipe for a gluten-free sweet potato spice cake on Food52 in 2015, I knew I had to come up with my own version of the idea. So genius! Fast-forward to 2019 and I finally got around to making it. Sometimes things just take their time, right? Anyhow, I feel like this idea is still as relevant as it probably was four years ago and after seeing a bunch of sweet potatoes in our fridge, I just really felt like baking. It was a Saturday night, we were staying in for a change (who am I kidding, we always stay in because #babylife), I had a glass of cider (we didn’t make it to the wine store so cider had to do) and baking felt more appropriate than my usual 9 pm bedtime. Things got so wild that I even took a slice of the cake once it was baked, even though I was planning on shooting it the next day (I think I covered it well this time!). And that slice was delicious.
A few thoughts about the cake: it’s a lot like carrot cake, but you’ll just be using shredded sweet potato instead of carrots. Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, so they are a great add on baked goods. I’m not a fan of cream cheese frosting, so I came up with my own version of it made out of cashews. This cashew cream frosting is a favorite of mine, as it goes really well on top of cakes and muffins, and it works as a spread too. My measurements for the ingredients are not super precise here, as I was making the cake first with a baby in my arms and then after that cider, so it’s a pretty relaxed recipe. I call this a no stress cake, as it requires zero stressing while baking or decorating it :) Hope you like it too!
Sweet Potato Cake with Cashew Cream Frosting (GF)
notes: if you don’t have any brown rice flour, you could replace it with gluten-free oat flour. the frosting recipe is pretty generous, so you could slice the cake in half and add a layer of the frosting in the middle too. that would probably be pretty good :)
20 cm / 8-inch springform cake pan
2 cups | 500 ml tightly packed lightly packed peeled and shredded sweet potatoes
4 eggs
2/3 cup | 150 ml maple syrup (or liquid honey)
4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 cup | 250 ml almond flour
1/3 cup | 75 ml brown rice flour
2 tbsp gluten-free rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
a tiny pinch of vanilla powder
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
Cashew Cream Frosting:
3/4 cup | 200 ml cashews, soaked
2 tbsp coconut oil
2-3 tbsp maple syrup
a tiny pinch of vanilla
1/3 cup | 75 ml almond milk
walnuts, for decoration
METHOD:
1. Heat the oven to 175 degrees. Grate the sweet potato with grated iron and leave the grater for a moment. Break eggs into a large bowl and whisk the maple syrup and coconut oil (it is best to melt the coconut oil at very low temperatures, as eggs + hot coconut oil are not a good combo.
2. Measure in another bowl almond and rice flour, oat flakes, baking powder, salt, vanilla powder and cinnamon. Mix well. Add flour to wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
3. Protect the bottom of the loose base with baking paper and apply a little coconut oil to the edges. Pour the batter into the cake and bake in the oven for about 50 minutes. You can also check the cake’s maturity with a cocktail cake: the cake is ready when the dough is not left in the dough when trying it. Allow the cake to cool completely before frying.
4. Prepare the icing when the cake cools down. If possible, soak cashew nuts for a couple of hours in fair water. Rinse and drain the nuts and place them in a blender. Add coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and almond milk and mix into a smooth, thick cream. Pour the cream into the bowl and put in the refrigerator for a moment to cool.
5. When the cake is completely cooled, remove it from the bowl and transfer to a serving dish. Apply cashew cream and decorate with walnuts if desired. Offer and enjoy! The cake remains in the refrigerator for a few days.
Dreamy I think I’ll try it this week!