Let me set the scene for you. It’s Christmas Eve. Midday. I’m getting ready to head to the elliptical before finishing wrapping presents. Mom’s wrapping presents much better than I do (on the ironing board, which is a pretty genius way to do it). Dad’s about to vacuum. Then it happens.
The power goes out. On Christmas Eve. Pretty much my worst nightmare. Okay, so the power going out is always among my worst nightmares.
After a moment . . . or more of panic, I reported the outage. The restoration estimate was two hours away. I did take a bit of a sigh of relief, but estimates are just that . . . estimates.
Dad coolly read a book and divided up some of my old toys to give to friends. Mom went on with wrapping presents. And I panicked and exercised while I wore out my laptop battery playing iTunes. For the record, “Shake it Off” didn’t really help me shake my anxiety, but it did make my workout go fast.
Nearly exactly two hours later, the power came back on. With winds expected that night, my anxiety didn’t vanish, but I was definitely happy. The power company saved Christmas. The house didn’t get too cold. The food in the refrigerator and freezer was fine. The lights could go on.
I later Googled the incident. The power company said in a newspaper article they didn’t know the cause. So that’s . . . comforting.
Regardless, the high winds died down, so there were no further incidents and we had a lovely Christmas. Plus, I’ll never forget the Christmas Eve the power went out and we had a thunderstorm. Yep, a thunderstorm.
Mostly, I was worried about the freezer because my last few pieces of this Sweet Potato Sheet Cake are stashed there. I would have been sad to see any of this amazing treat go to waste. The original recipe calls for pumpkin, but sweet potato is pumpkin’s more flavorful cousin. It provided great flavor and moisture to these cake, and complemented the warming spices perfectly.
Then there’s the silky smooth, just sweet enough cream cheese frosting. I could eat it with a spoon, but it’s definitely better with the cake. Pecans decorated the top, adding another dimension of flavor and texture. You could also put a cup of pecans in the cake if you wish.
Just make this cake. You’ll be as thankful as I was when the power came back on.
Sweet Potato Sheet Cake
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 generous servings 1x
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
Frosting
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Make the cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 9 by 13 inch pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk oil, sugar, and eggs together.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Add to the oil mixture and whisk to combine. Whisk in the sweet potatoes until fully combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool cake completely in the pan.
- Once the cake is cooled, make the frosting. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until fluffy and combined. Add the brown sugar and beat until fully incorporated. Add the confectioners’’ sugar slowly while mixing and mix until the frosting comes together. Mix in the vanilla bean paste. Spread into an even layer over the cooled cake.
- Serve immediately. Cake may be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen in pieces, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for about an hour.
Notes
Additional cooling time is necessary
Recipe adapted from Kitchen Trial and Error
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
Make sure you check out the other Sunday Supper dishes!
Comfort Food Cravings
- Beef Tenderloin Citrus Arugula Salad from Family Foodie
- Chunky Beef Chili from MealDiva
- Cowboy Candy and Cream Cheese from Rhubarb and Honey
- Creamy Veggie and Chip Dip from La Bella Vita Cucina
- Golabki (Polish Cabbage Rolls) from Healthy. Delicious.
- Jalapeno Poppers Wrapped in Bacon from Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Lightened and Loaded Potato Soup from Momma’s Meals
- Prime Rib Roast from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
- Roasted Cashews & Walnuts with Honey and Herbs from Delaware Girl Eats
- Russian Black Bread from Curious Cuisiniere
- Sausage and Cheese Stromboli from Casa de Crews
- Steak and Eggs from Nosh My Way
- Steak Tartare from The Texan New Yorker
- Swiss Onion Bread from The Foodie Army Wife
Quench Your Thirst Cravings
- French 75 Cocktail from Ruffles & Truffles
- Sparkling Peach Cocktail from Magnolia Days
Seafood Cravings
- Crab Artichoke Bread from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Mussels in Coconut Broth with Garlic Toasts from The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Seafood Scampi from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth Cravings
- Apple Bundt Cake from Pancake Warriors
- Dark Chocolate Potato Chip Fudge from Nik Snacks
- Dulce de Leche Rice Krispy Treats from Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
- Hot Chocolate Milky Way Brownie Pie from Take A Bite Out of Boca
- Lower-Sugar Carrot Cake Jam from What Smells So Good?
- Maple Syrup Creme Brule from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Mint Infused Deep Dish Brownies from The Perfect Brownie
- Paleo Pound Cake from NinjaBaker
- Pizzelle from Eat, Drink and be Tracy
- Sweet Potato Sheet Cake from Pies and Plots
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This cake looks amazing! Good thing you “saved” the last pieces from going bad because of that storm! 😉
I am so very putting this on my to-bake list. Oh how I love sweet potatoes.
Oh man, the power going out always hurls me into a panic! I feel ya.
As for this cake: YUM! Anything with cream cheese frosting involved has my heart…but the sweet potato in the cake itself sounds so darn good!!!
This would not be safe in my house! I could eat the whole thing!
Holy moly this looks absolutely incredible!
Your sheet cake looks absolutely delicious. Looks like a good post-elliptical snack to me 🙂
Haha! I can’t think of a better way to end a good elliptical workout 🙂
What a fantastic cake! Looks perfect, and like something I’d love.
Happy New Year!
Your sweet potato cake looks and sounds sublime, Laura! My sympathies about the power…It’s one of those things which provoke big time anxiety for me, too =) Lucky you that it came back in 2 hours =) Wishing both of us a 2015 brimming with Light-filled fun, Grace and ease <3
Thanks for the 2015 wishes! I have a good feeling about it 🙂
So glad your power came back on!!!
Me too!
These look like the perfect side to my morning coffee! Delicious!
Cake for breakfast – I like the way you think 🙂
I thought for sure our power was going to go out on Christmas day because the winds were so crazy high. This is a gorgeous cake – I love anything with sweet potatoes!
I can’t get over that thick frosting. I would eat all of it before I even put it on the cake lol. Amazing recipe. I hope you had a great holiday
I tasted plenty of the frosting before it went on the cake 😉 Happy New Year!
I LOVE sweet potatoes, this cake would be fabulous on my plate right now!
I surprisingly have never used sweet potato in baking before! This is totally something delicious I need to try!
I hadn’t used it either, but I will be using it again for sure! Thanks Thalia!
Those pictures are so beautiful! I love sheet cakes, and sweet potato cake (or pie) is such a fave.
If it’s any consolation, the day before Christmas Eve this year the pipes under my kitchen sink burst. Not fun…
OMG, Julie, that would be horrible! I hope it was fixed quickly and you had a nice Christmas 🙂