Southern Sweet Potato Cake

One of the favorite cookbooks in my house is "Southern Cakes" by Nancie McDermott.  It is so loved my daughter, Maggie, sits and reads it like a novel.  She must get than from me, because I have been known to curl up in bed with a cookbook (or two) reading it from cover to cover.

Anyway, I had a random can of sweet potato puree in my pantry.  Not sure why I had it.  I am assuming I picked it up on special and tucked it away and kind of forgot about it.  But I discovered it today, and after checking the expiration date (8/2012 - good to go) set about finding a way to use it.

I remembered this Sweet Potato Cake recipe from the "Southern Cakes" recipe book and decided to give it a whirl.  Glad I did!  This is a delicious cake, reminiscent of pumpkin bread, but a little more savory tasting and definitely way less dense.

I suggest taking the time to really beat the eggs into your batter very well, as it helps to make the cake light.

Sweet Potato Pound Cake (adapted from "Southern Cakes" by Nancie McDermott)

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk (low-fat is okay)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon rum flavoring 
• 8 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes or 1 15 oz. can sweet potato puree

Preheat the oven to 350°F Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan. (If your pan is nonstick, you can get away with just some cooking spray; no need to flour.).

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk well. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the milk, vanilla and rum flavoring.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and light brown sugar until light and fluffy, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the sweet potatoes, and mix until the batter is combined. (The batter may look terrible at this point: curdled, weird, terrible. Don’t worry.).

With the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture. Beat to just incorporate. Then add half of the milk mixture, and continue to beat on low until well blended. Add the remaining flour, followed by the remaining milk, and beat on low until the batter is thick and smooth.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge to loosen the cake, and then carefully invert it onto the rack.