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Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sweets Frosting

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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

NEW! Plant-Powered Families cookbook by Dreena Burton

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.SaveSave

Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake with Chocolate Sweets Frosting #vegan #wfpb #oilfree #dessert #cake #chocolate www.plantpoweredkitchen.com
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4.91 from 92 votes

Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sweets Frosting

This cake is sweetened partially with cooked sweet potato, which also adds moisture and a tender texture. Pair it with the Chocolate Sweets Frosting (below), and you have a cake fit for a special occasion! Makes 1 cake layer (double the batch for a 2-layer cake).
Course cake, Dessert

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:
Sweet Potato Note: Orange sweet potato is a little sweeter and also a little looser than yellow sweet potato. I prefer orange in this recipe, but if you’d like to use yellow, add another 1–2 tablespoons of water, and another 1 tablespoon of maple syrup to the wet ingredients to loosen slightly.
  • Frosting Notes:
Sweet Potato Note: I prefer using yellow sweet potato in this frosting, but this is still ridiculously delicious with orange sweet potato.
Blending Note: I use my Blendtec with the twister for this sauce – if you want to shop, use Blendtec Coupon Code: YAY-BLENDTEC at checkout for 20% off.
Coconut Sugar Note: Because coconut sugar does not have a fine texture, it’s useful to first process in a blender to make it powdery. If you have a high-speed blender, simply pulse a cup or more until powdery (reserve the extra for another use). If using a regular blender, process 1 1/2–2 cups of sugar with 1–1 1/2 tablespoons of arrowroot powder, until it becomes powdery.
Kitchen Tip: This is a thick frosting. If you want to thin out, add more milk. After refrigerating, you can also transfer to a mixer with a whisk attachment to add the milk and fluff up the frosting.
Idea: Add 1–1 1/2 teaspoons of orange zest or 1/2 teaspoon of pure almond extract for a slight cherry flavor.

This post was originally published in November 2015 and updated on January 24, 2022.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Dreena says

      Hi Fleur, I would use an all-purpose blend. I haven’t tested with it, but definitely don’t use one single GF flour – they don’t work well in isolation. Hope that helps.

      Reply

      • Gleena says

        Hi Dreena
        Have you tried this out with a gluten free flour blend ? We are gluten and dairy free and more recently have adopted the whole foods plant based approach.
        Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

  4. Mrs. Greenleaf says

    5 stars
    Made a few days ago. It was fantastic, and I didn’t even frost it. Cut it into slices and froze them. They are great frozen or defrosted. I didn’t have spelt flour so I used unbleached white flour. Worked out fine. Used baked orange sweet potatoes and yeah I could taste them but I liked that. I will definitely get some spelt flour and bake this again when I need to have a cake on hand. I love that this is not a diet buster. It might not be wise to eat it every day, for those of us WFPBing it for weight loss, but it didn’t hurt progress, either.

    Reply

  5. Dx Maxx says

    Made this for Easter weekend. It was AHHHHMAZING. VERY RICH AND CHOCOLATY! Definitely more like a torte (9” pan). This will be a keeper! I used date sugar and I also subbed natural peanut butter since my almond didn’t arrive in time. Love love love! Thank you! This was a big surprise to everyone as the sweet potato gave it a nice moist texture but you could t tell there
    Was sweet potato in it. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

    Reply

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