Individual sized mini sweet potato cakes served with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle of sticky caramel sauce are a perfect fall dessert. They are cozy, flavorful and sure to become a favorite treat.
These cute mini sweet potato cakes are filled with the flavors of fall. They are good on their own, but a drizzle of sticky caramel sauce takes them to the next level.
They would be a perfect way to end an autumn dinner party or would be right at home on your Thanksgiving menu. It’s kind of like a cupcake, but served as a mini cake with a tasty sauce for a perfect dessert.
Sweet potatoes are not just for casseroles and pies. They also make delicious little tender cakes!
This recipe is originally from the Southern Living Cake Book. I couldn’t help myself when I saw these scrumptious sweet potato baby cakes.
This time of year our focus always turns to apples and pumpkin. I love sweet potatoes too though!
I love them roasted, mashed, baked, and souffleed. I have recipes for duchess sweet potatoes, candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows and sweet potato casseroles too.
I have never had a sweet potato cake though. I knew I would love it.
Luckily we had a nice cool weekend last weekend. Perfect for baking with sweet potato, ginger, cinnamon and caramel!
What Are These Southern Sweet Potato Cakes Like?
The cakes turned out super moist with a great crumb. Pops and I both thought you could really pick out the sweet potato flavor, K.C. wan’t so sure.
All of the plates were licked clean with no complaints though, so that is a win! The caramel sauce was a perfect compliment to the warm flavor of the cake.
I was surprised to see the instant coffee in the caramel recipe. It really did add a nice depth of flavor without really tasting like coffee.
It also deepened the color a bit, which was nice. It was a very tasty treat to be sure!
A scoop of ice cream is perfect with these little sweet potato gems. Vanilla ice cream is great, but a scoop of honey cinnamon crunch ice cream would knock them out of the park!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you store extra sweet potato cakes?
These little cakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze them for up to 3 months.
Can I use fresh sweet potatoes instead of canned?
Yes, a 16 oz can yields about 1 3/4 cups of mashed sweet potatoes. You can boil or bake 1-2 sweet potatoes and mash them to get that amount.
Love this recipe? Give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review in the recipe card below!
Baby Sweet Potato Cakes with Sticky Caramel Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Cakes
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 16 oz. can sweet potatoes drained and mashed
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Caramel Sauce
- ½ cup butter
- ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon instant coffee granules
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a muffin tin.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time until completely incorporated.
- Add vanilla, salt, ginger, cinnamon and sweet potatoes. Beat until smooth. Stir in buttermilk.
- Mix flour and baking soda together. Stir into wet mixture until just combined.
- Spoon into prepared muffin tin, filling each hole 2/3 full.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove from pan.
- To make the sauce, place butter and sugar in a saucepan and warm over medium heat until completely melted and sugar dissolves. Whisk in cream and instant coffee. Bring to a low boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool some before serving.
- Serve each cake with a couple of tablespoons of sauce. Best served warm with some vanilla ice cream.
Nutrition
Julia
Monday 6th of July 2020
This is making my mouth water! I'm not gonna be able to wait til fall. I've got to try this soon.
Carlee
Thursday 17th of October 2019
Thank you!
Amy
Thursday 10th of October 2019
These look interesting and very delicious. I don't cook with sweet potatoes near as much as I should. This looks like a good place to start!
Carlee
Thursday 17th of October 2019
This will win over even sweet potato haters!
Andrea Nine
Monday 7th of October 2019
My taste buds are excited about the sweet potato cakes! The sticky sauce must make them so delightful! This is the cutest little dessert!
Carlee
Thursday 17th of October 2019
They are super yummy, thank you!
Anonymous
Monday 7th of October 2019
These look soo good. I must admit I was thinking this would be a recipe like potato pancakes only made with sweet potatoes. I think that would be fun too. A savory sweet potato pancake.
Carlee
Thursday 17th of October 2019
Oooh, that would be good too!