This cake is the epitome of those gorgeous fall flavors we love to enjoy around Thanksgiving! Sweet potato cake layers made with baked sweet potatoes, a pecan pie filling between each layer, and the BEST brown butter maple pecan buttercream. It is heavenly! We simply adore this cake, and I can’t wait to add it into my 10 Cakes-Inspired-By-Pies post (if you haven’t checked that one out, there are so many cakes that we LOVE that we make year after year!).

This cake is one that I actually made and photographed last October – I was originally going to save it for a second cookbook, but I’ve decided that we NEED IT IN OUR LIVES RIGHT NOW to deal with 2020. Fair enough? 😉 It has three easy components, and comes together pretty quickly, actually!

Sweet potato love

I love sweet potato, and it fits perfectly into this cake and the flavors throughout. However, if you’d like to skip the sweet potato and have the pecan be the only flavor you taste, feel free to make my white cake layers, and add in 1 teaspoon pecan flavoring. You can taste as you go and add more in if you’d like.

For the sweet potatoes, you are more than welcome to bake them traditionally in the oven, but I love to save time and just nuke them up in the microwave for a few minutes. Just make sure they’re baked through and super soft, remove the skin, add it to the bowl, and you’re good to go!

PECAN PIE FILLING

This filling is everything! It’s actually the same filling I use in my pecan pie at Thanksgiving, just made in a smaller portion for the filling in this cake. Instead of letting the oven do all the baking, as you would for a pecan pie, I actually just stir everything together on the stovetop and cook everything through that way. It will thicken up really quick, just add it to a glass bowl and then let it cool in the fridge until you’re ready to add it to the filling between the layers. I used all the filling, there should be about 1 cup total – so 1/2 cup per layer.

Tip: for extra toasty flavor, toast up your pecans before adding them to your filling and buttercream.

Speaking of buttercream… let’s dive into this heavenly beauty!!!!

Browned buttercream bliss

This buttercream is something else. It really is! There are so many flavors packed into one and they all shine through in the most delicious way possible. I cannot wait for you to try this!

It all begins with browned butter. I’ve added the step by step instructions with the recipe below. Make sure you make it advance so that the browned butter has time to cool to a colid before adding it to your buttercream.

Next, pulse those pecans up enough so they aren’t a hindrance when spreading your buttercream on your cake. If you have any hope of using a piping tip with this recipe, you’ll need the pecans to be almost a butter form. That way you don’t have pieces sticking in your piping tip and ruining your design.

Next, for the maple flavoring, you can always use 100% maple syrup, or you can skip it and add in maple extract. I found mine at my local grocery store. I only added in 1 teaspoon, but if you want a stronger maple flavor, add in another one. Whip it all up together, and you’ll fall in love with the smell alone before you even taste it!

As for the ruffle design, I used the LARGE Wilton 127 piping tip. It’s ginormous. It’s a super quick way to frost a cake with zero hassle! I’ve added the video to my Instagram account.

That’s it! I can’t wait for you guys to try and fall in love with this cake as we have! As always, if you make one of my cakes, I’d love to see it! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @bakingwithblondie #bakingwithblondie so I can join in on the fun!

xo and happy baking,

Mandy

Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Cake

Tender Sweet Potato Cake, filled with Pecan Pie Filling, and Brown Butter Maple Pecan Buttercream.
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Ingredients
 

Sweet Potato Cake Layers

  • 20 oz (or three small) sweet potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 whole eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 box cake mix (yellow), I use Duncan Hines, but you can use something similar from different brands.

Brown Butter Maple Pecan Buttercream

  • 4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup pecans, pulsed to a powder in a food processor
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon maple extract
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 7-8 cups powdered sugar

Pecan Pie Filling

  • 1 cup crushed pecans
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Garnish

  • 1 cup pecan halves

Instructions
 

Sweet Potato Cakes

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees convection bake, or 350 degrees convention bake. Prep three 6" cake rounds with a swipe of shortening and dust of flour. Set aside.
  • Poke sweet potatoes with a fork in several places. Place sweet potatoes on a plate and into the microwave. Nuke for about 7-8 minutes, depending on microwave, or until sweet potatoes are baked through. Scrape soft sweet potatoes in a bowl and throw away the skin.
  • In the large bowl with the sweet potatoes, stir in the rest of the cake ingredients with the exception of the cake mix. Hand whisk it together, no need for a stand mixer for this step. Sift in the cake mix and stir until just combined – don't overmix! Split between the three prepared cake pans, and bake for 30-32 minutes until center is baked through. Let cool completely, then wrap up with plastic wrap and freeze for at least two hours for easier stacking and assembling.

Pecan Pie Filling

  • In a small saucepan, stir together the pecans, egg, corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Heat over medium heat, while stirring, until the mixture comes together and bubbles. Add in butter, stir. Let thicken, then add to a glass bowl to cool completely before adding to your cake.

Brown Butter Maple Pecan Buttercream

  • Add one stick of butter to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until it melts. Continue to stir until mixture foams. After it foams, it will begin to "brown." Watch very closely and keep stirring. Don't burn it! It can go from brown to burned very quickly. Remove from the heat and add to a glass bowl to cool completely (make sure to scrape out all the brown bits – those have a lot of flavor). Cool completely before adding to your buttercream.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add in the three sticks of butter + the browned butter and whip up on high speed until light and fluffy. Add in the salt, vanilla, pecan crumble, maple extract and heavy cream.
    Add in the powdered sugar slowly until it's been incorporated. Add in a touch more heavy cream if needed. Whip up on high speed for 2 minutes until it's light in texture and color.

Assembly

  • Using a cake turntable and cardboard cake rounds at the base, stack and fill the cake layers, making sure to pipe a dam on the outer rim of the cake to keep the filling inside. Crumb coat, and freeze. Using a Wilton 127 piping tip, pipe on the ruffles, starting on the top, around the sides of the cake. Add on pecan pieces on top for garnish.