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.
Zakirah says
One more thing…I baked it in a 9″ round cake pan, and that was a mistake. It came out quite short. I should’ve used an 8″ round pan next time.
Zakirah says
First of all, this cake is amazing. For a frosted cake with no cream, butter & less sugar, it’s unbelievably decadent! I didn’t expect it to turn out really good, especially because I did some substitutions. I’ll share them here, in case someone will benefit from them:
For the cake…
1. I used honey instead of maple syrup
2. I used all purpose flour instead of the suggested flour.
3. I left out the coconut sugar. Instead, I used ¼ tsp of powdered stevia, and to replace the bulk of the sugar, I used ¼ cup yoghurt.
4. Because of the yoghurt, I used a little less than ½ cup water, maybe ⅓, to balance the consistency of the batter.
5. I used white vinegar instead of balsamic vinegar
6. I used chopped baking chocolate instead of chocolate chips (because they’re cheaper in my country)
For the frosting…
1. I used about ⅓ cup of brown sugar, and a few dashes of powdered stevia
2. I used ½ cup cashews instead of cashew butter
3. Because of this, I have to use more milk (the cashews keep getting stuck in the blender without moving), like maybe almost ¼ cup
4. I didn’t put salt
Karri Bertrand Bolton says
I believe the recipe is meant to be vegan, and your modifications of honey and dairy undo that.
Rachel Snider says
That’s okay!
Saskia says
I was thinking the same thing, Karri
. That’s a completely different recipe and made with animal excretions. Sad.
Dreena says
I didn’t notice that myself until now. Yes, why change it and add dairy and honey when it’s perfectly easy and delicious as-is.
Naomi says
Thank you for your substitutes, I’m sure the cake is beautiful as is and will attempt it one day.
But i don’t have all that in the cupboard so knowing it works with ordinary flour is great. : )
Milkisobel says
Hi,
This recipe is juste insane. I could eat all the whole batch in one breath. For the next time i’ll just decrease a lil bit the sugar amount. Also, as i don’t have any gluten pb, i used regular half whole grain wheat flour. Thank you very much for this !
But one question, mine was really tiny, do you double the recipe for the one on the pic ?
Janine says
I made this recipe as cake pops for my son’s birthday (covered in dairy free chocolate) and cannot tell you how well they were received. I also made the lemon frosting you have in Plant Powered Families for a vegan GF carrot cake – also a hit. I didn’t used to get this many compliments when I baked non-vegan/ non-GF. A huge thank you, Dreena
Maria says
This sounds delicious. I’m going to make this for my 3 kiddos, later today. My question is, can I use sorghum flour or oat flour? And most importantly, what can I use to replace the sugar. I don’t eat any sugar. Sometimes stevia sweetened vegsn chocolate. Otherwise, I sweeten with fruit. TIA
Pandita says
I made this cake with equal amounts of dates instead of sugar and it came out great
Pixie @ Cheerfully Vegan says
That’s very exciting to know! I will try that as I’m moving away from sugar as often as I can. Thank you!
Laura says
Yes. Very exciting news on the dates!!