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Sweet Potato Pound Cake Recipe With Brown Sugar Glaze
This sweet potato pound cake recipe bakes a tall, moist Bundt cake with a tight, velvety crumb, warm cinnamon and nutmeg, and a buttery brown sugar glaze that sets into a soft caramel shell. Mashed sweet potato keeps the cake tender for days and gives it a beautiful golden-orange color. It’s a Southern fall and holiday favorite, and it’s simple to make with everyday pantry ingredients.
Below you’ll find how to cook the sweet potatoes, the ingredients, step-by-step instructions, the brown sugar glaze, tips, variations and storage. The printable recipe card is at the bottom.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Moist for days thanks to the sweet potato.
- Warm fall spices without being overpowering.
- A no-fuss glaze that tastes like caramel.
- Perfect for holidays, potlucks and gifting; it travels well.
How to Cook the Sweet Potatoes
You need 1½ cups (about 340 g) of smooth mashed sweet potato, from about 2 medium sweet potatoes.
- Roast (best flavor): prick the sweet potatoes, bake on a lined sheet at 400°F (200°C) for 45 to 60 minutes until very soft, then scoop out and mash.
- Boil (fastest): peel, cut into 1-inch cubes, and boil for 12 to 15 minutes until tender. Drain very well and mash.
- Microwave: prick and microwave whole for 8 to 12 minutes, turning once, until soft.
Mash until completely smooth (a hand mixer works well), and let it cool to room temperature before adding it to the batter. Canned sweet potato purée (not candied yams in syrup) also works.
Ingredients You Need
For the cake
- Unsalted butter, 1 cup (2 sticks / 226 g), softened.
- Granulated sugar, 1½ cups (300 g), and packed light brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g).
- Large eggs, 4, at room temperature.
- Mashed sweet potato, 1½ cups (340 g), cooled.
- Vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons.
- All-purpose flour, 3 cups (375 g), spooned and leveled.
- Baking powder, 1 teaspoon, and baking soda, ½ teaspoon.
- Fine salt, ½ teaspoon.
- Ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons, ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon, and ground ginger, ½ teaspoon.
- Milk or buttermilk, ½ cup (120 ml), at room temperature.
For the brown sugar glaze
- Unsalted butter, 4 tablespoons (56 g).
- Packed light brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g).
- Milk or heavy cream, 3 tablespoons.
- Powdered sugar, ½ cup (60 g), and vanilla, ½ teaspoon.
- A pinch of salt.
Equipment You Need
- A 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan or a 10-inch tube pan.
- A stand mixer or hand mixer.
- A small saucepan for the glaze and a wire rack.
How to Make Sweet Potato Pound Cake (Step by Step)
1. Prepare
Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease the pan thoroughly, getting into every ridge, and dust it with flour, or use a baking spray that contains flour.
2. Mix the dry ingredients
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a bowl.
3. Cream the butter and sugars
Beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium-high for 4 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, sweet potato and vanilla
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the sweet potato and vanilla, scraping the bowl. The mixture may look slightly curdled; that’s fine.
5. Add the flour and milk
On low speed, add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk in two parts, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix only until no flour streaks remain.
6. Bake
Spread the batter in the pan, smooth the top and tap the pan on the counter. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until a skewer in the thickest part comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs and the center reads about 200°F to 205°F (93°C to 96°C).
7. Cool
Cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then turn the cake out and cool for at least 1 hour before glazing.
8. Make the glaze
Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, and simmer for 1 minute. Stir in the milk and bring back to a simmer for 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth. Let it cool for 5 minutes so it thickens slightly, then spoon it over the cake. It sets in about 20 minutes.
Tips for the Best Sweet Potato Pound Cake Recipe
- Use smooth, cooled sweet potato. Lumps leave streaks, and warm purée melts the creamed butter.
- Drain boiled sweet potatoes well. Extra water makes the cake gummy.
- Bring everything to room temperature. Cold eggs and milk can make the batter break and the cake dense.
- Measure flour carefully. Spoon and level, or weigh it.
- Don’t overmix after adding the flour. That makes the cake tough.
- Glaze a cool cake. On a warm cake, the glaze soaks in instead of setting.
- Don’t taste the raw batter; raw flour and eggs aren’t safe until baked. See the FDA’s advice on handling flour safely.
Common Mistakes
- Underbaking: the moist batter needs the full time; check the center temperature.
- A cake that sticks: grease every crevice and turn it out after 15 minutes.
- Using candied yams: the syrup makes the cake too sweet and wet. Use plain cooked sweet potato or plain purée.
Easy Variations
- Pecan: fold 1 cup chopped toasted pecans into the batter, and sprinkle more over the glaze.
- Cream cheese glaze: beat 2 oz cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons milk.
- Bourbon glaze: replace 1 tablespoon of the milk with bourbon.
- Pumpkin: use 1½ cups pumpkin purée instead of sweet potato.
- Loaf pans: divide between two 9×5-inch pans and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
Love pound cake? Try our old fashioned sour cream pound cake, our 7 Up pound cake or our rich chocolate pound cake. For more fall baking, see our carrot cake and our pumpkin bars, or browse all our cake recipes.
What to Serve With Sweet Potato Pound Cake
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
- A drizzle of warm caramel sauce and toasted pecans
- Hot coffee, chai or apple cider
- Toasted slices with butter for breakfast the next day
For holiday dessert tables, slice the cake into thin wedges and serve it next to a pie or a chocolate dessert; a little goes a long way. This sweet potato pound cake recipe also makes a lovely gift: bake it in two loaf pans, wrap each cooled, glazed loaf in parchment and tie it with string.
How to Store and Freeze
- Room temperature: cover the glazed cake and keep for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: up to 1 week, wrapped well. Bring slices to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer: wrap the unglazed cake or slices tightly in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then glaze.
Choosing Sweet Potatoes for Sweet Potato Pound Cake
Not every sweet potato bakes the same way. The color of the flesh tells you most of what you need to know about moisture, sweetness and the final color of the crumb.
| Type | Common names | Texture when cooked | Result in the cake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange flesh, copper skin | Beauregard, Covington, Jewel, Garnet (often sold as “yams”) | Moist and smooth | The classic golden-orange crumb; the best choice |
| White or cream flesh, purple skin | Japanese, Murasaki | Drier, starchier, chestnut-like | A pale, slightly denser cake; add 1 to 2 tablespoons extra milk |
| White flesh, tan skin | Hannah, O’Henry | Fluffy and mild | Pale cake with less sweet potato flavor |
| Purple flesh | Stokes Purple | Dense and dry | The baking soda can turn the crumb gray-green; not recommended |
Most “yams” in US supermarkets are really orange sweet potatoes, so either label works. True yams are a different, starchier root that is rarely sold in regular grocery stores.
What to look for at the store
- Firm, heavy potatoes with smooth skin and no soft spots, wrinkles or sprouts.
- Medium size, about 8 to 10 oz (225–285 g) each. Very large ones can have stringy centers.
- Even shape, so they cook through at the same rate.
- Buy one extra. A third medium potato gives you a cushion if some of the flesh is stringy or dark at the ends and needs trimming.
- Storage: keep raw sweet potatoes in a cool, dark, airy spot, not the fridge. Cold storage can give them a hard core and an off flavor.
Canned and leftover options
A 15-oz (425 g) can of plain sweet potato purée holds about 1¾ cups. Measure out 1½ cups (340 g) and freeze the rest. Canned cut sweet potatoes packed in water or light syrup also work: drain them well, rinse off any syrup, mash until smooth and measure. Leftover plain mashed sweet potatoes are fine too, as long as they contain no butter, cream, marshmallows or salt. Mashed sweet potato keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge, so you can cook it ahead.
Why This Sweet Potato Pound Cake Stays Moist
A traditional pound cake gets its tenderness from butter and its structure from eggs and flour. Adding sweet potato changes that balance in three useful ways.
- Water held in starch. Cooked sweet potato is about three-quarters water, and its gelatinized starch holds on to that water during baking. The cake loses less moisture in the oven and stays soft for days.
- Natural sugars. Slow cooking turns some of the potato’s starch into maltose, a sugar. That helps the crust brown and keeps the crumb moist, which is one reason roasted sweet potato tastes richer than boiled.
- Fiber and pectin. These thicken the batter, so it holds the air you beat in while creaming. That gives a tight, velvety crumb rather than an open, fluffy one.
The low oven, 325°F (165°C), matters just as much. A heavy, wet batter in a deep Bundt pan needs time for the heat to reach the center. A hotter oven would set and darken the outside long before the middle is done.
The baking soda reacts with the acid in brown sugar and buttermilk (if you use it) for an early lift, and the baking powder provides more lift later in the oven. Together they keep this moist cake from baking up heavy.
A note on nutrition
Based on USDA FoodData Central values, one slice of sweet potato pound cake (1/16 of the cake, with glaze) has about 390 calories. Nearly all of that comes from the butter, sugar and flour; the sweet potato adds only about 20 calories per slice, along with its color and some vitamin A. It is still a dessert, so treat it like one.
If you want smaller portions, cut the cake into 20 thinner slices, about 310 calories each, or skip the glaze and dust the top with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, which saves roughly 65 calories per slice.
Pan Sizes, Bake Times and a Make-Ahead Plan
One batch of sweet potato pound cake batter makes about 8 cups (1.9 L). All times are at 325°F (165°C). Start checking at the low end, and use the same doneness test as the Bundt: a skewer with a few moist crumbs, or 200°F to 205°F (93°C to 96°C) in the center.
| Pan | How to fill | Bake time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10- to 12-cup Bundt | Whole batch | 60 to 75 minutes | As written |
| 10-inch tube pan | Whole batch | 65 to 80 minutes | Deeper; tent with foil after 50 minutes if the top darkens |
| Three 8½x4½-inch loaf pans | About 2⅔ cups each | 45 to 55 minutes | Good for gifts |
| 9×13-inch pan | Whole batch | 40 to 50 minutes | Pour the glaze over in the pan; cut into 24 squares |
| Mini Bundt pan (1-cup wells) | Fill each well two-thirds full | 22 to 28 minutes | Makes about 12 |
| Standard muffin cups | Fill lined cups two-thirds full | 20 to 25 minutes | Makes about 28 to 30 |
Spreading the work over three days
- Day 1: roast and mash the sweet potatoes; cool, cover and refrigerate.
- Day 2: take the purée, butter, eggs and milk out 1 to 2 hours ahead so they reach room temperature. Bake the cake, cool it completely and wrap it in plastic wrap.
- Day 3: make the glaze and pour it over the cake a few hours before serving.
A wrapped, unglazed cake also freezes well, as noted in the storage section above.
Troubleshooting a Sweet Potato Pound Cake
Most problems with a sweet potato pound cake, or any dense, buttery batter, come down to temperature, measuring or timing. Find the symptom below.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix next time |
|---|---|---|
| Sunken center | Underbaked, or the oven door opened early | Bake to 200°F (93°C) in the center; don’t open the door for the first 45 minutes |
| Gummy streak near the bottom | Wet purée or underbaking | Roast instead of boil; blot boiled purée on paper towels |
| Crack along the top | Normal for this style of cake | Nothing to fix; it becomes the bottom when you turn out a Bundt |
| Crust too dark | Dark metal pan or hot oven | Check the oven with a thermometer; lower to 315°F (157°C) for dark pans |
| Orange streaks or flecks | Lumpy purée | Beat the purée smooth with a hand mixer before adding it |
| Dry, crumbly slices | Too much flour or overbaked | Weigh the flour (375 g); start checking 10 minutes early |
| Glaze ran off the cake | Glaze or cake still warm | Cool the glaze 5 to 10 minutes until it coats a spoon |
Ways to use leftover slices
- Pound cake French toast: whisk 2 eggs, ½ cup (120 ml) milk and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Dip 4 day-old slices, ¾ inch (2 cm) thick, and cook in 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat for 2 minutes per side.
- Fall trifle: layer 4 cups cubed cake with 2 cups vanilla pudding, 1 cup whipped cream and ½ cup toasted pecans in a glass bowl. Chill for 2 hours and eat within 2 days.
- Grilled slices: brush slices lightly with melted butter and toast in a dry skillet for 1 minute per side. Serve with ice cream and caramel.
If you enjoyed this sweet potato pound cake, try our tangy cream cheese pound cake, or turn a can of purée into a crowd-size pumpkin dump cake.
Sweet Potato Pound Cake FAQs
Can I use canned sweet potatoes?
Yes, use plain canned sweet potato purée, or canned sweet potatoes in water, drained well and mashed. Avoid candied yams in syrup.
Why is my sweet potato pound cake dense?
The ingredients were cold, the butter and sugar weren’t creamed long enough, or there was too much flour or water in the sweet potato.
What does sweet potato pound cake taste like?
Like a buttery pound cake with gentle sweet potato pie flavor: cinnamon, nutmeg and a hint of caramel from the brown sugar.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. It’s even moister the next day. Bake it up to 2 days ahead and glaze it the day you serve it.
How do I know when it’s done?
A skewer in the thickest part comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, and the center reads about 200°F to 205°F.
Sweet Potato Pound Cake Recipe Card
Calories are an estimate per slice (1/16 of the cake, with glaze) based on USDA FoodData Central values for butter, sugars, eggs, sweet potato, flour and milk.
Sweet Potato Pound Cake With Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and grease and flour a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
- Beat the butter and both sugars on medium-high 4 to 5 minutes until fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the sweet potato and vanilla.
- On low, add the dry ingredients in three parts alternating with the milk, just until combined.
- Bake 60 to 75 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean and the center reads about 200°F to 205°F.
- Cool 15 minutes in the pan, turn out and cool at least 1 hour.
- For the glaze, simmer the butter and brown sugar 1 minute, add the milk and simmer 30 seconds, then whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt off the heat. Cool 5 minutes and spoon over the cake.
