Sweet Potato Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Vanilla Bean Frosting
This cake is both beautiful and delicious! Sweet potatoes and carrots give the recipe extra fiber and update this classic dessert.
CAKE BATTER
2 Sweet potatoes, medium
3 Carrots, large
4 Eggs, large
1c Vegetable oil
1c Buttermilk
2 tsp Vanilla
2 1/2 c All-purpose flour
1 1/2 c Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon, ground
1 tsp Clove, ground
1 tsp Ginger, ground
1/2 tsp Allspice, ground
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
2 1/2 tsp Baking powder
FROSTING
1 c Butter (room temperature)
16 oz Cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 c Sour cream
1 Vanilla bean pod
4 c Powdered sugar
1/2 c Chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 325 F and line the bottom of two nine-inch cake pans with parchment and then spray with non-stick spray.
First, peel sweet potatoes and carrots and then quarter the sweet potatoes. In seven-cup food processor with shredding blade, turn on high and, one at a time, use food pusher to shred carrots and sweet potatoes. When complete, set aside.
Next, cut open the vanilla bean pod and scrape it into the bowl of a stand mixer with flat beater secured. Add eggs, oil and buttermilk to the vanilla and turn to speed 3, and then mix until incorporated. Add the shredded sweet potatoes and carrots to the mixture and combine.
In another bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cinnamon, clove, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, salt and allspice. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet and mix by hand with spatula until all ingredients are incorporated.
Transfer batter to pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until center is firm. Remove the finished cakes from the oven and cool them on a wire rack.
To prepare frosting, add butter, cream cheese, sour cream and vanilla to stand mixer with the wire whip in place. Mix on 6 until smooth, and then, slowly add the powdered sugar until combined and smooth.
Fill between layers with frosting and frost sides and top. Top with chopped walnuts if desired.
