- by Susan Reid
This cake is lightly spiced, flecked with bourbon-soaked raisins for a bit of kick, and is moist and rich without being too sweet. Tangy cream cheese frosting only makes things more luscious. Baking the sweet potatoes is the best way to cook them; you don’t want them to be soggy before joining the cake batter.
Level
Intermediate
Prep Time
1 hour, 15 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour, 20 minutes
Serves
12-16
Cook it With Our
Directions
Prep
- In advance, pour the bourbon over the raisins, and allow them to soak for at least 30 minutes, up to several hours.
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a cast iron 9 x 13 inch pan.
- In a large bowl with a whisk or the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle, beat the eggs enough to break them up. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is thick and pale. Add the vegetable oil and vanilla, then beat to blend. Add the sweet potatoes and mix until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Separately, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the batter in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape the bowl, mix for 30 seconds more, then stir in the raisins and their liquid.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 45-48 minutes, or until a paring knife inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake is just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack.
Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, butter, salt, and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition until the frosting is smooth. Stir in the bourbon and vanilla, and use to frost the cooled cake.
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