Sweet Potato Pound Cake

Sweet Potato Pound Cake

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups white sugar

2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

Orange Glaze

1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

5 teaspoons orange juice

2 tablespoons grated orange zest

Brown Butter Glaze

4 ounces (1 stick) butter

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 to 4 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. Set aside

2. In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add mashed sweet potatoes and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time (the batter will look curdled). Add flour mixture to potato mixture. Beat on low until combined.

3. Pour batter into 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool cake for 20 minutes in the pan, then invert onto serving plate.

4. To make the orange glaze: in a small bowl, combine confectioners sugar with 3 to 5 teaspoons orange juice to achieve drizzling consistency. Spoon over warm cake and sprinkle with orange zest if desired.

  To make the browned butter glaze:

1. Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Immediately remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown.

2. Carefully pour butter into a bowl, leaving sediment behind.

3. Add sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk to butter, and stir until smooth. If glaze is too thick, add more milk. Use immediately.

Caramel Glaze

Make the glaze by heating the butter, milk and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and then remove from the heat. Drizzle over the warm cake. I like to place a sheet of aluminum foil under the cooling rack to catch the drips for easy clean up.

*  Your choice of glaze 
** Roast the sweet potatoes for optimum caramelized flavour