Shelly's Recipe

SWEET POTATO LAYER CAKE WITH ORANGE CREAM FROSTING

Category: Cakes

For the Cake:
2 lbs tan-skinned sweet potatoes (about 3 medium)
3 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking soda, baking powder and ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 large eggs
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
2/3 cup dried cranberries

For the Frosting:
1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
31/4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
2 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Topping:
1/4 cup sliced candied orange peel
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries

For the Cake:
Preheat oven to 400. Pierce potatoes with fork; place on small baking sheet. Roast potatoes until soft, about 1 hour. Cool, peel, and mash potatoes. Measure 2 cups mashed potatoes; cool to lukewarm (reserve any remaining potatoes for another use). Reduce oven temperature to 350.

Butter and flour 2 (9 inch) cake pans; line pans with parchment. Sift flour and next 6 into medium bowl. Combine oil, 1 cup sugar, and brown sugar in large bowl; whisk until smooth. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time, then mashed sweet potatoes. Whisk in flour mixture in 3 additions. Stir in the 2/3 cup walnuts and the 2/3 cup cranberries. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes completely in pans on racks.

For the Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in confectioners sugar, scraping down bowl often. Beat in orange juice concentrate and vanilla.

Cut around pan sides; turn out cakes. Peel off parchment. Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Spread 3/4 cup frosting over. Top with second cake layer, flat side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Combine orange peel, 3 tbsp sugar, the 1/4 cup walnuts, and the 1/4 cup cranberries in a small bowl. Stir to coat with sugar. Transfer to sieve; sift off excess sugar. Sprinkle fruit and nut mixture decoratively atop cake. Chill until frosting sets, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)