This easy recipe for gluten free sweet potato cake with cream cheese frosting is perfect for fall and Thanksgiving. This gluten free take on a classic southern recipe is simple to make in a 9x13 pan or two nine-inch pans. I love the ease of a sheet cake that I can frost and sprinkle some chopped pecans on before serving.
For the sweet potato in this recipe I cook a large sweet potato in the Instant Pot for 12 minutes on manual and then let the steam release naturally. Once the sweet potato has cooled I peel the skin off and then mash the sweet potato in a bowl. You can also put the sweet potato in your mixer and blend until mashed.
If I need a side dish to go with dinner I will cook multiple sweet potatoes and raise the cook time to 18 minutes. Then I follow the same steps reserving one cup of mashed sweet potato for this recipe and serving the rest with our meal.
You can find more cake recipes here: Gluten Free Cake Recipes
You can find more Thanksgiving recipes here: Delicious Gluten Free Thanksgiving Recipes
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Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Sweet Potatoes
- Gluten Free Flour
- Baking Powder
- Xanthan Gum
- Baking Soda
- Sea Salt
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Nutmeg
- Ground Cloves
- Milk
- Pecans
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
Instructions
Cook your sweet potato, let it cool, remove skin and then mash. I cook my sweet potato in my instant pot for 10 minutes on manual and then let the steam release naturally.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9x13 baking pan or two 9-inch cake pans with butter or coconut oil. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer add the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat these ingredients together until well combined and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, sweet potato and milk. Blend until ingredients are well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat together until just combined and your cake batter forms.
Pour the cake batter into the greased baking pan(s) and spread with a spoon or spatula until in an even layer.
Baked at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake stand in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack.
Once the cake is cooled combine the frosting.
In the bowl of your stand mixer ad the cream cheese, room temperature butter and vanilla. Blend until all lumps are gone. You will want to stop the mixer a couple of times and using a spatula push the ingredients down the side of the mixer bowl and then blend again.
Once those ingredients are smooth add the sifted powdered sugar and beat the frosting until it is smooth.
Frost your completely cooled cake(s) and then if you like sprinkle chopped pecans on top.
Supplies
Frequently Asked Questions
Gluten free baking tends to require more moisture or oil than when you are using regular wheat flour. For this gluten free sweet potato cake the mashed sweet potato makes it moist and delicious.
If you are using a cake recipe that isn't turning out moist I would suggest adding a bit more oil or butter. You can also add mashed banana or applesauce to help your baked goods have more moisture.
Yes, gluten free baking in general takes a little bit longer to bake than a cake made with regular wheat flour. However, gluten free baked goods tend to brown faster. So you will want to test the cake with a tooth pick in the center to make sure it's actually done even if it looks browned.
Your cake should be a nice golden brown and a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean. You may need to bake your cake up to 5-8 minutes more. If your cake is already very brown, but not done in the center you will need to lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees and cook a bit longer.
More Recipes You Might Enjoy
Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Cake
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Delicious Gluten Free Thanksgiving Recipes
Gluten Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cake
Gluten Free Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
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Gluten Free Sweet Potato Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 20 slices
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This easy recipe for gluten free sweet potato cake with cream cheese frosting is perfect for fall and Thanksgiving. This gluten free take on a classic southern recipe is simple to make in a 9x13 pan or two nine-inch pans. I love the ease of a sheet cake that I can frost and sprinkle some chopped pecans on before serving.
Ingredients
Cake:
1 cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
½ cup Granulated Sugar
½ cup Brown Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 cup mashed Sweet Potato
½ cup Milk
2 cups Gluten Free Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
¼ tsp. Ground Cloves
½ cup Pecans, roughly chopped for on top of frosting
Frosting:
8 ounces Cream Cheese
½ cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted to remove lumps
Instructions
Cook your sweet potato, let it cool, remove skin and then mash. I cook my sweet potato in my instant pot for 10 minutes on manual and then let the steam release naturally.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9x13 baking pan or two 9-inch cake pans with butter or coconut oil. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer add the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat these ingredients together until well combined and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, sweet potato and milk. Blend until ingredients are well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat together until just combined and your cake batter forms.
Pour the cake batter into the greased baking pan(s) and spread with a spoon or spatula until in an even layer.
Baked at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake stand in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack.
Once the cake is cooled combine the frosting.
In the bowl of your stand mixer ad the cream cheese, room temperature butter and vanilla. Blend until all lumps are gone. You will want to stop the mixer a couple of times and using a spatula push the ingredients down the side of the mixer bowl and then blend again.
Once those ingredients are smooth add the sifted powdered sugar and beat the frosting until it is smooth.
Frost your completely cooled cake(s) and then if you like sprinkle chopped pecans on top.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Gluten Free
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