Sweet-Potato Layer Cake With Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe Ingredients

		Cake
2 lbs	908g / 32oz	Tan-skinned sweet potatoes - (abt 3 med)
3 cups	187g / 6.6oz	Cake flour
2 teaspoons	10ml	Baking soda
2 teaspoons	10ml	Baking powder
2 teaspoons	10ml	Ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon	5ml	Ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon	2.5ml	Salt
1/4 teaspoon	1.3ml	Ground cloves
1 cup	237ml	Vegetable oil
1 cup	198g / 7oz	Sugar
1 cup	160g / 5.6oz	Golden brown sugar - (packed)
4 cups	792g / 27oz	Eggs (large)
2/3 cup	97g / 3.4oz	Chopped walnuts - plus
1/4 cup	36g / 1.3oz	Chopped walnuts - toasted
2/3 cup	61g / 2.2oz	Dried cranberries - plus
1/4 cup	23g / 0.8oz	Dried cranberries
		Frosting
1		Cream cheese - (8 oz) - room temperature
1/2 cup	99g / 3.5oz	Unsalted butter - (1 stick) - room temperature
7 3/4 cups	1534g / 54oz	Powdered sugar - sifted
2 tablespoons	30ml	Frozen orange juice concentrate - thawed
1/2 teaspoon	2.5ml	Vanilla extract
1/4 cup	59ml	Sliced candied orange peel
3 tablespoons	45ml	Sugar

Recipe Instructions

For Cake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce potatoes with fork; place on small baking sheet. Roast potatoes until soft, about 1 hour. Cool, peel, and mash potatoes. Measure 2 cups mashed potatoes; cool to lukewarm (reserve any remaining potatoes for another use). Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides; line pans with parchment.

Sift flour and next 6 ingredients into medium bowl. Combine oil, 1 cup sugar, and brown sugar in large bowl; whisk until smooth. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time, then mashed sweet potatoes. Whisk in flour mixture in 3 additions. Stir in 2/3 cup walnuts and 2/3 cup cranberries.

Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes completely in pans on racks.

For Frosting: Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar, scraping down bowl often. Beat in orange juice concentrate and vanilla.

Cut around pan sides; turn out cakes. Peel off parchment. Place 1 cake layer, flat-side up, on platter. Spread 3/4 cup frosting over. Top with second cake layer, flat-side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.

Combine orange peel, 3 tablespoons sugar, remaining 1/4 cup walnuts, and 1/4 cup cranberries in small bowl. Stir to coat with sugar. Transfer to sieve; sift off excess sugar. Sprinkle fruit and nut mixture decoratively atop cake. Chill until frosting sets, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)

This recipe yields 10 to 12 servings.

Source:
Bon Appetit, November 2001

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