Recipe courtesy of
Andy Liang
for
Food Network Kitchen
Recipe courtesy of
Andy Liang
for
Food Network Kitchen
Watch how to make this recipe.
Sweet Potato Olive Oil Cake
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- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 4 hr (includes cooling time)
- Active: 50 min
- Yield: 10 to 12 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 12 servings
- Calories
- 321
- Total Fat
- 11 g
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 51 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 32 g
- Protein
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 31 mg
- Sodium
- 258 mg
Everyone’s favorite sweet potato casserole — the one crowned with toasted marshmallows — gets a dessert makeover here. This olive oil cake captures everything we love about that dish: the earthy sweetness of roasted garnet sweet potatoes, warm pumpkin pie spice and a pillowy Swiss meringue topping that nods straight to those gooey marshmallows. A handful of candied pecans adds satisfying crunch. Roasting the sweet potatoes whole concentrates their flavor and keeps the batter from turning watery, while olive oil keeps the crumb incredibly moist and tender. And the dessert just happens to be dairy-free too.
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 4 hr (includes cooling time)
- Active: 50 min
- Yield: 10 to 12 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 12 servings
- Calories
- 321
- Total Fat
- 11 g
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 51 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 32 g
- Protein
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 31 mg
- Sodium
- 258 mg
Ingredients
Cake:
Topping:
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Directions
Special equipment:
a 9-inch cake pan; a kitchen blowtorch (optional)- For the cake: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
- Prick the sweet potatoes a few times with the tines of a fork, wrap each separately in foil and place directly on the oven rack. Bake until fork-tender, about 1 hour. Let cool at room temperature until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes (see Cook’s Note). Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until well combined; set aside. Whisk the olive oil and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup until combined; set aside.
- Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan with olive oil using a pastry brush. Line with a parchment circle and grease the parchment with more olive oil. Set aside.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and measure 1 packed cup of sweet potato flesh (snack on any remaining sweet potato). Transfer to a food processor, add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and pulse until smooth and warm to the touch. Pulse in the whole eggs and yolks until smooth. Pulse in the olive oil mixture until just combined. Pulse in the flour mixture until just combined, taking care not to over blend.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared cake pan. Bake until cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the cake pan to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
- For the topping: When the cake is cool, make the Swiss meringue. Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Put the egg whites in a medium heatproof bowl and whisk in the granulated sugar and a pinch of salt until smooth. Set the bowl over the saucepan and heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar dissolves, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Whip the egg white mixture with a hand mixer on medium speed until doubled in size, fluffy, shiny and medium-stiff peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Whip in the vanilla until combined.
- Run a small knife around the edges of the cake pan and flip the cake onto the wire rack. Place a serving plate or cake stand over the cake and flip so the top is facing up. Pile the cake with the meringue, making swirls with a spoon or spatula. If desired, toast the meringue using a kitchen blowtorch. Top with the chopped pecans.
Cook’s Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.) For a sweeter and deeper color, we recommend using garnet sweet potatoes; regular orange sweet potatoes also work too. You can also microwave the sweet potatoes whole. Prick with the tines of a fork and microwave on high, turning over halfway through, until tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
