Baby Sweet Potato Cakes With Pecans And Sticky Caramel Sauce Recipes

BABY SWEET POTATO CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar on medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat to combine.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Gradually add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating on low speed until blended, scraping the bottom and down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula, as needed. Add remaining flour mixture, and beat until blended. Add vanilla, salt, ginger, cinnamon, sweet potatoes, and buttermilk. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
• Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. Each cup should be about two-thirds full. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove warm cakes from pan, and sprinkle with toasted pecans. Top each cake with 2 1/2 tablespoon caramel-pecan sauce. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

BABY SWEET POTATO CAKES WITH PECANS AND STICKY CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
• Combine flour and baking soda.
• Gradually add half of flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended, and stopping to scrape bottom and down sides of bowl.
• Add remaining half of flour mixture, and beat until blended.
• Add vanilla and next 5 ingredients, beating at medium speed until smooth.
• Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray, filling two-thirds full.
• 3. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes.
• Remove warm cakes from pan, and sprinkle with toasted pecans.
• Top each cake with 2 1/2 Tbsp Caramel-Pecan Sauce (*recipe follows).
• Serve with vanilla ice cream or ice-cold heavy cream, if desired.
• *Caramel-Pecan Sauce:.
• Cook butter and sugar in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes or until butter melts and sugar dissolves.
• Whisk in heavy cream and coffee granules. Bring mixture to a light boil, stirring constantly.
• Turn off heat, and let stand on cooktop until slightly cool, stirring often. Makes 2 cups.

SWEET POTATO LAYER CAKE WITH SPICED PECAN BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Make Spiced Pecans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them for 10 minutes, until fragrant. Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl, using your fingers to mix everything thoroughly. Stir in the melted butter to make a paste. Add the toasted pecans to the mixture and stir to coat, then spread them evenly on the baking sheet and return to the oven for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, drizzle over the rum, and bake for 8 more minutes, stirring once. Remove from the oven, cool completely and leave the oven on. When cool, chop the pecans into medium-fine pieces, some larger than others, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork. Microwave on high until very tender, about 8 minutes per side. Cool, peel, and mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher or fork.
• Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Spray 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with nonstick baking spray and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add the canola oil; beat on medium until combined. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and mix until combined. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and then mix the dry ingredients into the sweet potato mixture. Mix in vanilla and rum. Fold in 1 1/4 cups of the chopped Spiced Pecans by hand. Evenly distribute cake batter into the prepared pans, and transfer to the oven. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let pans cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack; cool completely.
• Make the buttercream while the cake is baking: Beat the egg yolks in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high until very thick, about 5 minutes. Combine the sugar with the syrup in a small saucepan, and set over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a full boil. Immediately scrape the mixture into a heatproof 1-cup glass measure. With the mixer on high speed, pour a few tablespoons of the sugar mixture into the yolks and beat for a few seconds. Repeat until all of the syrup has been added. Beat until the bowl has cooled to room temperature. On medium speed, add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. The frosting will begin to come together after all of the butter has been incorporated (it will look curdled first, but be patient and it will come together beautifully!). Scrape the bowl and beat in the vanilla and salt. Mix in 3/4 cup chopped Spiced Pecans.
• Cut each cooled cake layer in half horizontally, creating 4 layers. Set 1 layer, cut side up, on a cake round or cake plate and spread a thin layer of frosting on the surface. Stack next layer on top, and frost. Repeat frosting-and-stacking process until each layer is frosted. Spread remaining frosting on sides and top of cake. Arrange remaining Spiced Pecans decoratively on top of cake. Chill for 1 hour or serve immediately if you can't wait!
• A viewer, who may not be a professional cook, provided this recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results.

CARAMEL SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Place sweet potatoes in a Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes., Drain and transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 15 minutes. , Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; pour over sweet potatoes. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until glazed, basting frequently.

SWEET POTATO CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the sugar, potatoes, shortening, water and egg. Combine dry ingredients; add to potato mixture and mix well. Stir in raisins and pecans. Pour into a greased 8-cup fluted tube pan. , Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar.