NEWS! I have just posted my , go check out that version too!
This Vegan Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake really takes the cake.
Looking for a healthy cake that’s full of dense, chocolate flavor? This vegan chocolate cake is fresh and moist, and the cake and frosting are both made with sweet potatoes. Oh yes!
Yes, a long recipe name. Worth every syllable, because this healthy chocolate cake is a PPF sensation.
And, do we really need another chocolate cake recipe?
What makes this Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake special?
You could say this one is special because it’s vegan, whole-grain, oil-free.
Or, that it’s special because it has nutrient-dense sweet potatoes in both the frosting and cake.
But, I think it’s special in that the whole is far more than the sum of its parts.
And, it’s special because of how readers are embracing it, and celebrating special family times with this recipe!
I was pretty fond of this recipe when I created it. My family was too. But, I truly didn’t know how all of you would feel about it.
It’s not a classic chocolate cake with a hefty dose of sugar and fat.
So, I wondered how well a ‘chocolate sweet potato cake’ would be accepted!
I had a fair idea through recipe testing, when one of my (very) oil-free-skeptical friends tried it for the first time.
He didn’t know it was oil-free, and said he was shocked because it was one of the best chocolate cakes he had tasted!
Then, other reports came in from testers – and now from many of you.
Our facebook group has been posting pic after pic of this cake, and it’s become a bit of a sensation in the group!
That’s it, I couldn’t resist any longer.
This Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake recipe is now yours, all yours.
Dig in, guys! x Dreena
This recipe is reprinted from Plant-Powered Families. Thanks for your continued support and reviews.
P.S. I use my Blendtec with the standard jar or WildSide jar for this sauce – if you want to shop, use Blendtec Coupon Code: YAY-BLENDTEC at checkout for 20% off.
Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sweets Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 3/4 cup peeled cooked, and cooled orange sweet potato (see note)
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water divided
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole-grain spelt flour
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup mini or regular nondairy chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp scant sea salt
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tsp scant baking soda
Frosting
- 1 cup loosely packed peeled cooked, and cooled sweet potato (see note)
- 2/3 – 3/4 cup coconut sugar or other unrefined sugar see note
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup scant raw cashew butter or almond butter
- 1/4 tsp rounded sea salt
- 2-5 tbsp nondairy milk see tip
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Lightly coat an 8” x 8” brownie/cake pan or a 9” round cake pan with coconut or other oil, and fit the bottom of the pan with a small piece of parchment paper.
- In a blender (or using a handheld blender and a deep cup or vessel), puree the sweet potato, 1/2 cup of the water, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and vanilla extract until completely smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, coconut sugar, chocolate chips, and sea salt, then sift in the cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry (be sure to scrape out all the blended ingredients with a spatula, and use the remaining 1 tablespoon of water to rinse the blender jar and get out any remaining puree).
- Mix until just well incorporated.
- Transfer to the prepared pan, bake for 21–23 minutes, remove, and let cool on a cooling rack.
Frosting:
- Place the sweet potato, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, cashew butter, sea salt, 1–2 tablespoons of the milk, and vanilla extract in a blender or food processor and puree until very smooth.
- It’s best to use a blender or processor (versus a stand mixer) if using orange sweet potato, to fully smooth out the potato.
- Taste, and add more sweetener if desired, and also another 2–3 tablespoons of milk if needed to thin to preferred consistency (you may need more milk using yellow sweet potato as they aren’t quite as moist as the orange).
- Puree until smooth, scraping down the blender/processor bowl as needed.
- Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to use on the Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake. Or, get a spoon and dig in!
Notes
- Cake Note:
- Frosting Notes:
This post was originally published in November 2015 and updated on January 24, 2022.
Natalia says
I made this yesterday for my husband’s birthday, and I’m so thrilled!! It’s so delicious and decadent, and he LOVED it. My husband isn’t vegan (yet), he’s about 93% there. Since I’m the one who cooks most of the time and we never have animal products in the house, he mostly eats plans like me and once in a while has a meat/dairy dish when we’re out. My family kept telling me it’s his birthday, make something he likes, it doesn’t have to be vegan. But I decided to go with my gut and do it anyway. I told him if he doesn’t like it, plan B would be to get a cake from a local bakery. He’s always 100% honest, and tells me if he likes something or if it tastes like cardboard. Well this time I won him over, and it’s better than any vegan bake good he has tried made with loads of sugar, white flour and oil/butter. That’s one disappointing thing about vegan baked goods, they’re so loaded with unhealthy things, and they don’t even taste good.
I used canned organic sweet potato since that’s what I had, and made my own cashew butter for the frosting. I love dark chocolate, and this cake is basically dark chocolate in cake form. I cut it in half to make a taller half of a cake, and added walnuts in the middle with the frosting.
I might try a “white” frosting next time to balance out the chocolate, since my husband is a fan of milk chocolate. I haven’t told him about the secret ingredient yet, and I doubt he’ll figure it out. I can almost never hide anything from him, he has what I call professional tastebuds :).
Anyway, I can go on and on about how much I enjoyed this cake. So thank you for sharing this recipe with me and the rest of the world!!
Jerry says
I was wondering about the placement of parchment paper in the cake pan. Do you cover the entire bottom surface or just a piece in the middle. Thanks in advance.
Dreena says
I just line a strip down through the middle of most pans, but for cake pans I cut a circle to fit the bottom. I should to a vid about that sometime!
Naomi says
I was wondering what you could use in the frosting instead of nut butters as my son has allergies, we aren’t vegan
so sorry if I offend, but butter maybe?
Dreena says
Hi Naomi, no not butter, the texture won’t work well (even vegan margarine). You *can* use coconut butter, just add extra liquid because it’s very dense and dry. Here’s a post about it: http://bit.ly/1J5bMPY and here are some other brands: http://amzn.to/2nOOrRa
Erin says
I wonder if sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds) would work as a nut-free alternative?
Dreena says
You could, but personally I notice the flavor of sunbutter and it’s a touch bitter for a frosting for most people. I’d sub coconut butter instead (not oil, coconut butter) and add a little more milk as needed to puree (as coconut butter is drier than nut butter).
Yeela says
And another question, I wanted To make my son a cake shaped as train. Do You think it could work with this recipe ? Thank you!
Yeela says
Didier someone trier this with whole wheat flour?