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Sweet Potato Pound Cake

Sweet potato pound cake is baked in a 12-cup Bundt pan for a tender, buttery crumb with warm cinnamon and nutmeg. Mashed sweet potato adds moisture and flavor to this classic cake, which is finished when it pulls away from the pan and a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Cooling 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 405
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 sweet potatoes medium, about 1 1/2 pounds total, scrubbed
  • 1 baking spray with flour as needed, for the pan
  • 3 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp fine salt
  • 1.5 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 eggs large, at room temperature
  • 0.5 cup whole milk at room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 rimmed baking sheet
  • 1 12-cup Bundt pan
  • 1 electric mixer

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until very tender when pierced.
  2. Cool the sweet potatoes, peel, and mash until smooth; measure 1 1/2 cups.
  3. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan thoroughly with baking spray with flour.
  4. Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl.
  5. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
  6. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.
  7. Stir the mashed sweet potato, milk, and vanilla together in a separate bowl until smooth.
  8. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the sweet potato mixture in 2 additions; begin and end with the flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
  9. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
  10. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs and the cake begins to pull away from the pan.
  11. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes.
  12. Invert it onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Notes

For the tenderest crumb, mix the batter just until combined after adding the flour. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze slices for up to 3 months. For a dairy-free variation, use dairy-free butter and unsweetened non-dairy milk.