This combination is huge at Thanksgiving. I had just learned a few years ago. It’s a big thing in the US. It’s something I have yet to see served at Thanksgiving in Canada. What are we missing?!
This dish is not intended to be a dessert but rather a side dish for Thanksgiving dinner. Craziness! It sounds good, but it’s not. I have never tried the real thing, but I decided to try it with this Sweet Potato Cake and Marshmallow Frosting.
It was a mystery to me how this dish came about with its bizarre mixture of ingredients. It turns out that the marshmallow industry created it to increase marshmallow sales! In 1917 the marketing team of Angelus Marshmallows commissioned a person to write a recipe that included marshmallows. Sweet potato casserole is one of the recipes that was created. It’s still popular today. This is marketing done correctly.
This Sweet Potato Cake is a great alternative or tribute to the Thanksgiving classic.
You should try sweet potatoes if this is your first time doing so. It’s delicious! They are delicious! Every combination is delicious. Even the one with marshmallows is a winner. It’s even better when it comes in the form of a cake.
Sweet Potato Cake
Instead of pumpkin, I used canned sweet potato puree instead of my Pumpkin spice latte cake recipe to make this Sweet Potato Cake. You can make your puree by mashing up some cooked sweet potatoes if you like.
Unfortunately, there was not enough marshmallow fluff. Although this cake appears perfect and beautiful, things are only sometimes as they arise. The back is not covered in rosettes (lol). I knew I would be out of fluff, so I covered the most critical areas. The recipe was adjusted to produce the correct amount.
This time, my torch for the kitchen worked perfectly. It’s two times in a row that I haven’t burned myself or ignited myself. You can rest assured that I am always nervous about using it.
This Sweet Potato cake is moist, delicious, and easy to make. The cake has a flavor reminiscent of fall spices, but it’s not pumpkin. It isn’t super sweet, so the marshmallow frosting, sweet and light as air, pairs well with it.
You’ll love this, too, if you like Pumpkin cake. I hope you enjoy my tribute to the wacky side dish for Thanksgiving!
Tips to make this Sweet Potato Cake With Marshmallow Frosting
For three 8” pans, 1.5x the recipe. To make three 8″ pans, multiply the recipe by 1.5.
You can make cupcakes by reducing the baking time. Start checking after 15 minutes.
You can bake the cake layers ahead of time and freeze them for up to three months. Remove 2-3 hours before assembling.
Sweet potato puree can be substituted with your own cooked sweet potatoes.
It’s unnecessary to “set” the marshmallow with a torch, but it helps (and tastes delicious).
Use only homemade marshmallow fluff. This is too liquid and won’t pipe well.
Serve the cake as soon as possible. The marshmallow fluff will become runny and soften the more protracted the cake sits. It’s alright, but it may be less appealing.
Use Simple Syrup to moisten your cakes.
Check out this How To Bake Flat Cake Layers article to learn how to bake flat cake layers!