Sweet potato and pecan cake recipe

If you're bored of making the same old sponge cake, how about whipping up this delicious sweet potato and pecan cake. It's so simple to make and really does taste as good as it looks.

Deliciously moist sweet potato and pecan cake is a must-make cake recipe. The sweet potato makes the sponge extra moist, with no butter required. The pecans are spiced with allspice and cinnamon and the frosting is infused with dark maple syrup.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 175g sweet potato, peeled and coarsely grated
• 25g self-raising flour
• 150g light muscovado sugar
• 1tsp ground allspice
• 1tsp ground cinnamon, plus a pinch to decorate
• 150ml light olive oil
• 3 medium free-range eggs, beaten
• 125g soft pitted dates, roughly chopped
• 125g pecans, roughly chopped, plus extra to decorate

For the frosting:

• 125g full-fat soft cheese
• 300g icing sugar, sifted
• 100g soft butter
• 3tbsp dark maple syrup

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/gas 4 and grease and line the base of two 20cm round cake tins. In a bowl, mix together all the cake ingredients with a spoon for 2 mins. Divide between the cake tins and smooth the surface with a wet spoon.
2. Bake for 25-30 mins until just springy to the touch. Remove from the oven, cool in the tins for 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. For the frosting, stir together all the ingredients in a large bowl, then whisk with an electric mixer until light and creamy (about 5 mins). Chill for 30 mins.
4. Spread half the frosting over one of the cakes, top with the second and spread with the remaining frosting. Scatter with reserved pecans and dust with a pinch of cinnamon.