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.
Yasmin says
Hi, are the chocolate chips mandatory or is it just an added thing? Usually they end up just being little lumps of chocolate in the cake so I was wondering if I could skip it.
Dreena says
Yes, you can skip them if you prefer. I use the mini chips and they work beautifully!
Sarah says
I have two questions:
Would canned sweet potato work/measure the same or might that cause a texture problem?
I don’t have coconut sugar, only regular sugar. Do they work similarly? Eventually I need to buy and try coconut sugar but I want to use up what I already have.
Thank you!
Sonal says
I made the frosting just now and wow, it is amazing! It taste better than my usual junky favourite, Betty Crocker frosting. I love how it’s healthy. I used maple syrup because I didn’t have anything else. Thanks for this.
Liz says
This is my FAVORITE recipe for birthdays.
I have made this several times and I
end up wanting to lick the spoon and plate
clean.
A few tips:
I follow the receipe exactly as written
except I didn’t like the taste of the (almond)
milk needed to get the icing the right
consitistancy for spreading so…….,
I use a deep dish glass pie pan and
unbleached parchment paper to
line the entire pan (no oil needed).
Pour in cake batter and bake.
Once the cake is cooked and cooled,
I flip the cake out of
the pan onto a serving plate and gently
peel off the paper. I then pour the icing
over the entire cake and immediately
refrigerate.
It always look beautiful once the icing “sets”
and taste really rich and decadent.
Daniela Russo says
Hi there,
I would love to make this cake for my son’s athletics carneval tomorrow as a healthier alternative to the usual heavily refined options. I’m wondering roughly how many standard muffins the 8 inch cake would make and whether I would need to double the mixture to get 24 muffins? I’m guessing the cooking time will change as well. Would you know roughly how long I would need to bake 1x 12 muffin pan for? Finally, when you ask for 3/4 cup sweet potato for the filling is that mashed or in chunks? I’m finding it hard to know how much sweet potato to use. Thanks!!
Dreena says
Hi Daniela, yes, you will definitely need to double – actually I believe doubling will give you 12 standard muffins, but if you fill for cupcake size (which is usually not a full muffin cup, more like 1/3 – 1/2), you may get 24 with double. If you go with a cupcake measure, I’d say check the doneness after about 12-13 minutes. For sweet potato, I don’t even cube it. Usually the sweet potato is so soft that I just piece it out in large segments into the measuring cup. Hope that helps.
Daniela Russo says
Thanks so much for the prompt reply Deena. I am just bout to pop them into the muffin tray now. Will let you know how they turn out.