Sweet Potato Pound Cake with Brown Butter Glaze (Moist Bundt Cake)

Sweet potato pound cake is a dense, buttery Southern bundt cake with a tight, moist crumb, a warm orange color and a nutty brown butter glaze running down every ridge. The flavor comes from 2 cups (450 g) of mashed sweet potato that is roasted, not boiled, so it adds sweetness and body instead of water. A low oven does the rest: bake it at 325°F (165°C) for 65 to 75 minutes so the center cooks through before the crust gets too dark.

You need about 25 minutes of hands-on mixing, one 12-cup (2.8 L) bundt pan and 2 hours of cooling before the glaze. The cake tastes even better on day 2, which makes it an easy make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert that slices into 16 neat pieces.

At a Glance

• Yield: 16 slices from one bundt cake
• Pan: 12-cup (2.8 L) bundt pan or 10-inch (25 cm) tube pan, greased and floured
• Time: 25 minutes prep, 65 to 75 minutes baking, 2 hours cooling (plus roasting the sweet potatoes)
• Difficulty: easy, one bowl and a stand or hand mixer
• Key technique: roasted sweet potato, 4 minutes of creaming and a 325°F (165°C) bake to 200°F (93°C) inside

Why Roasted Sweet Potato Makes a Better Pound Cake

Roasting concentrates the sweet potato. Whole sweet potatoes roasted at 400°F (205°C) for 50 to 60 minutes lose water and turn some of their starch into sugar, so the mash is thick, sweet and deeply orange. Boiled sweet potato soaks up water, and that extra moisture makes a pound cake gummy in the middle and pale on top.

Pound cake also depends on air beaten into the butter. Creaming 1 cup (226 g) of softened butter with both sugars for a full 4 minutes traps tiny bubbles that the baking powder later expands. The sweet potato and 1/2 cup (120 g) of sour cream go in after the eggs, which keeps that structure while adding enough moisture that the cake stays soft for 4 days.

A heavy batter in a deep bundt pan needs time for heat to reach the center. At 325°F (165°C) the crust stays thin and golden while the middle reaches 200 to 205°F (93 to 96°C).

What Each Ingredient Does

The recipe card below has the full list and amounts. These are the ingredients that change the result:

• Sweet potato: 2 cups (450 g) of roasted, mashed and cooled sweet potato, about 2 medium potatoes or 1 1/2 lb (680 g) whole. Canned sweet potato in syrup works if you drain it well and mash it smooth, but the cake is a little sweeter and less orange.
• Butter: 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at about 65°F (18°C), soft enough to dent but not shiny. Melted or greasy butter cannot hold air, and the cake bakes up heavy.
• Sugars: 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar for structure and a crisp crust, plus 1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar for a caramel note that suits the spice.
• Flour: 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled or weighed. Too much flour is the most common reason a pound cake turns dry.
• Sour cream: 1/2 cup (120 g) full-fat sour cream adds tang and tenderness. Plain full-fat Greek yogurt is the best swap.
• Spice: 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Use 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice instead if that is what you have.

Roasting and Mashing the Sweet Potatoes

Prick 2 medium sweet potatoes with a fork, set them on a lined sheet pan and roast them at 400°F (205°C) for 50 to 60 minutes, until a knife slides in with no resistance and dark syrup bubbles out of the skins. Split them, scoop out the flesh and mash it with a fork until smooth.

Measure 2 cups (450 g) and let it cool completely, at least 30 minutes. Warm sweet potato melts the creamed butter and knocks the air out of the batter. You can roast them up to 3 days ahead and keep the mash covered in the fridge.

Mixing the Batter Without Losing the Air

Beat the butter with the granulated and brown sugar on medium speed for 4 minutes, until it looks pale and fluffy. Add the 4 room-temperature eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, sweet potato and sour cream. The batter may look slightly curdled at this stage; the flour brings it back together.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a separate bowl and add it on low speed in 3 parts, mixing only until no dry streaks remain. Overmixing at this point builds gluten and gives a tough, tunneled crumb.

Grease every ridge of the bundt pan with soft butter or baking spray with flour, then dust it with flour and tap out the excess. Spread the thick batter evenly and tap the pan on the counter twice to settle it into the ridges. It should fill the pan about two-thirds of the way.

How to Tell the Cake Is Done

The cake is done when a skewer pushed into the thickest part comes out with a few moist crumbs and no wet batter, usually after 65 to 75 minutes. An instant-read thermometer in the center should read 200 to 205°F (93 to 96°C). The top will be deep golden and cracked along the rise, and the cake should start to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Cool it in the pan on a rack for exactly 15 minutes, then turn it out. Earlier and it can break; later and the sugars start to glue it to the pan.

Making the Brown Butter Glaze

Brown butter glaze is powdered sugar whisked into butter that has been cooked until its milk solids turn toasty brown. Melt 4 tablespoons (56 g) butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat and swirl it for 4 to 6 minutes, until it foams, smells nutty and shows brown flecks on the bottom.

Take it off the heat, then whisk in 1 1/2 cups (180 g) powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, the vanilla and a pinch of salt. Add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until the glaze falls from the whisk in a thick ribbon. Spoon it over the cooled cake so it runs partway down the ridges, and let it set for 20 minutes.

Fixes for Common Pound Cake Problems

Swaps and Flavor Changes

• Pecan crunch: fold 1 cup (115 g) toasted chopped pecans into the batter and scatter more over the wet glaze.
• Loaf pans: divide the batter between two 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pans and bake for 55 to 65 minutes.
• Cream cheese glaze: beat 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese with 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons milk.

If you like this style of cake, the method is close to our sour cream pound cake and cream cheese pound cake. For more fall spice, try this brown sugar cinnamon pound cake or a maple brown sugar bundt cake.

Storing and Freezing

Keep the glazed cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring chilled slices to room temperature for 30 minutes, because cold butter makes the crumb taste firm and dull.

To freeze, wrap the unglazed cake (whole or in slices) in plastic wrap and then foil and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight at room temperature, still wrapped, then glaze. For Thanksgiving, bake it 1 to 2 days ahead and glaze it the morning you serve it. Leftover sweet potato? Use it in sweet potato muffins or a classic sweet potato casserole.

Serve slices at room temperature, plain or with lightly sweetened whipped cream. A 16-slice cake easily covers a holiday table next to pie, and our easy Thanksgiving desserts list has more make-ahead options.

Quick Answers

Can I use canned sweet potatoes?

Yes. Drain canned sweet potatoes well, mash them smooth and measure 2 cups (450 g). The cake is a little sweeter, so you can cut the brown sugar to 1/4 cup (50 g).

Why did my sweet potato pound cake sink?

Usually it was underbaked or the oven door was opened early. Bake until the center reads 200°F (93°C) and wait at least 60 minutes before the first check.

Can I make it without a bundt pan?

Yes. Use a 10-inch (25 cm) tube pan with the same time, or two 9×5-inch loaf pans for 55 to 65 minutes.

Does sweet potato pound cake need to be refrigerated?

Not for the first 2 days. After that, keep it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Pin It for Thanksgiving

Save this sweet potato pound cake to your pound cake or Thanksgiving desserts board so it is ready when holiday baking starts.

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Yield: 16 slices

Sweet Potato Pound Cake

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This sweet potato pound cake is a moist, buttery Southern bundt cake with a tight orange crumb, warm cinnamon and nutmeg, and a nutty brown butter glaze. Roasting the sweet potatoes at 400°F concentrates their sugar so the cake is rich, not gummy, and a low 325°F bake for 65 to 75 minutes keeps the crust thin and golden. It slices into 16 pieces, tastes even better on day 2 and freezes for 3 months, so it is an easy make-ahead Thanksgiving pound cake.

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Pound Cake

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• 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups (450 g) mashed roasted sweet potato, cooled (about 2 medium)
• 1/2 cup (120 g) full-fat sour cream, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Brown Butter Glaze

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• 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of fine salt

Instructions

1. ROAST: Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Prick the sweet potatoes, roast them on a lined sheet pan for 50 to 60 minutes until very soft, then scoop out the flesh, mash it smooth and measure 2 cups (450 g). Cool completely.
2. PREP: Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease every ridge of a 12-cup bundt pan and dust it with flour.
3. DRY INGREDIENTS: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. CREAM: Beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed for 4 minutes until pale and fluffy.
5. ADD WET INGREDIENTS: Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, mashed sweet potato and sour cream.
6. ADD FLOUR: On low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, mixing just until no dry streaks remain.
7. BAKE: Spread the batter in the pan, tap it twice and bake 65 to 75 minutes, until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs and the center reads 200 to 205°F (93 to 96°C).
8. COOL: Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, turn out onto a rack and cool 2 hours.
9. BROWN BUTTER GLAZE: Cook 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes until nutty and brown. Off the heat, whisk in the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla and salt, adding more milk until thick but pourable. Spoon over the cake and let it set 20 minutes before slicing.

Notes

• Roast the sweet potatoes at 400°F (205°C) for 50 to 60 minutes instead of boiling them, and cool the mash completely before mixing.
• Use butter at about 65°F (18°C) and cream it with the sugars for a full 4 minutes.
• Doneness: a skewer comes out with moist crumbs and the center reads 200 to 205°F (93 to 96°C).
• Turn the cake out after 15 minutes and cool it 2 hours before glazing.
• Storage: covered at room temperature 2 days, fridge 5 days, or freeze unglazed up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 412Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 260mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 1.5gSugar: 38gProtein: 5g