Island Spiced Upside Down Sweet Potato Cake Recipes

MAPLE SWEET POTATO UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Put an oven rack on the lower-middle position of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray the sides of a 9-inch round nonstick cake pan with cooking spray.
• For the Spiced Sour Cream: In a medium bowl, mix together the sour cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
• For the Cake: Put the orange juice and cranberries into a small bowl and let soak for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Pour the maple syrup evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 of the cranberry mixture and 1/4 of the pecans. Shred enough of the sweet potato to make 1 cup and set aside. Slice the remaining sweet potato into 1/8-inch thick slices and lay the slices in a decorative pattern on top of syrup mixture. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining cranberry mixture and pecans. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla and orange extracts until evenly combined. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Using the paddle attachment, blend the mixture on the lowest speed for 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer still on the lowest speed, add the butter, 1 piece at a time, until the butter and flour are blended into pea-sized pieces, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add 1/2 cup of the egg mixture to the flour and mix on the lowest speed until blended about 15 to 20 seconds. Increase speed by 1 setting and beat for about 30 seconds. With the mixer still running, add the remaining egg mixture in a slow, steady stream and beat for about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat again for 15 to 20 seconds until thoroughly blended. Remove the paddle, scraping down the bowl, as necessary. Gently stir in the reserved shredded sweet potato.
• Pour the batter over the mixture in the pan and smooth lightly with a rubber spatula. Bake for 25 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven to a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate and serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with dollops of spiced sour cream and mint sprigs, if desired.

SPICED SWEET-POTATO CAKE WITH MERINGUE FROSTING

Steps:

• For the Cake: Preheat oven to 375°F. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until soft, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Halve, scoop flesh from skins, and mash until smooth (you should have about 1 1/4 cups). Let cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days.
• Lower oven temperature to 350°F. Brush a 9-by-13-inch cake pan or baking dish with butter. Line bottom and two long sides with parchment, leaving a slight overhang on sides; brush parchment with butter.
• In a bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices until aerated and thoroughly combined, 30 seconds. In a mixer, beat butter with brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and potato mash to thoroughly combine (mixture will appear grainy). Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture in three additions, alternating with buttermilk and beginning and ending with flour mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread evenly to edges with an offset spatula.
• Bake until cake is set and springs back when lightly pressed in center, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Flip out onto a wire rack, remove parchment, and let cool completely.
• For the Frosting: In a small saucepan, bring granulated sugar, 1/4 cup water, and corn syrup to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Cook, undisturbed, until syrup registers 248°F on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar, increase speed to medium, and beat until soft peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and pour hot syrup down the side of the bowl in a slow, steady stream. Increase speed to high; beat until mixture cools slightly and reaches stiff, glossy peaks, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large, plain round tip (or transfer to a resealable freezer bag and snip off one corner). Starting at one corner of cake, pipe frosting lengthwise to form side-by-side rows. Wave a kitchen torch over frosting to brown in places (or place frosted cake under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes).

SPICED SWEET-POTATO CAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR ICING

Steps:

• For cake:
• Pierce sweet potatoes with fork. Microwave on high until very tender, about 8 minutes per side. Cool, peel and mash sweet potatoes.
• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F. Spray 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick spray, then generously butter pan. Sift flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Measure enough mashed sweet potatoes to equal 2 cups. Transfer to large bowl. Add sugar and oil to sweet potatoes; using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Add eggs 2 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture; beat just until blended. Beat in vanilla. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes. Using small knife, cut around sides of pan and center tube to loosen cake. Turn out onto rack; cool completely.
• For icing:
• Sift powdered sugar into medium bowl. Stir brown sugar, whipping cream and butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Boil 3 minutes, occasionally stirring and swirling pan. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour brown sugar mixture over powdered sugar. Whisk icing until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Cool icing until lukewarm and icing falls in heavy ribbon from spoon, whisking often, about 15 minutes. Spoon icing thickly over top of cake, allowing icing to drip down sides of cake. Let stand until icing is firm, at least 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and let stand at room temperature.)