Sweet potato sour cream pound cake is as decadent as it sounds. Flecks of sweet potato throughout topped with a luscious maple pecan praline sauce.
My sweet potato praline sour cream pound cake recipe is a true 1:1:1:1 ratio pound cake with sweet potato in the batter. The maple pecan praline sauce is rich and buttery goodness. It’s one of my most popular recipes on the blog and social media. Because of the shares it received on Twitter and Facebook I asked for honest feedback from my readers and you all gave it to me straight. So, I made a few adjustments that I know you will appreciate.
Updates to the Recipe
I agreed with you all. The recipe had too much batter. Most people, including myself, don’t use real pound cake pans when making pound cake. We use bundt pans. To be honest, I didn’t know there was a difference until I saw someone use it for my recipe {insert facepalm here}. I scaled back the measurements so that it will fit a bundt pan without tons of batter leftover. Other than that, it’s the exact same recipe. The only real change is the praline topping. Now it’s a sauce instead of a crumb.
The New Maple Pecan Praline Topping
Like I said in the initial post, I had an issue with the topping sticking to the pan almost every time. It was hit or miss with the praline topping but I shared the recipe because the cake is so so good. Besides the praline topping issue, feedback from those I personally baked this pound cake for, suggested a sauce of some sort. And voilà light bulb moment turned this wonderful sauce. It can be poured over the entire cake or offered as an optional topping on the side.
To make it, heat brown sugar, cream, butter, and maple syrup, in a saucepan on simmer until bubbling. Turn off the flame and add the vanilla extract, pecans, and kosher salt. Give a good stir—heavenly goodness.
How to Make Sweet Potato Sour Cream Pound Cake
First, use real sweet potato. This point cannot be stressed enough. I will spare you the details of how I know this but trust me, canned sweet potatoes do not work in this recipe. Typically, I cook fresh sweet potatoes using the potato setting on my microwave but you can bake them if you prefer. But once they’ve cooled, peel and mash them then set them aside.
Next whisk together your dry ingredients of flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon.
Then using a mixer, cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla together. Follow with the eggs one at a time then the sweet potato mash. Starting and ending with the dry mix, alternate adding sour cream and flour to the wet batter.
Prepare a bundt or pound cake pan with butter and flour or cooking spray. Pour the batter in and bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool before removing it from the pan. Pour a generous amount of the warm maple pecan praline sauce over the entire cake. Enjoy and be praised!
Ingredients
- 3 c all-purpose flour properly measured
- 1 1/2 c butter
- 1 1/2 c sweet potato cooked and mashed
- 1 c sugar
- 3/4 c brown sugar packed
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 c sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Maple Pecan Praline Sauce
- 1 1/4 c light brown sugar
- 1 c pecans chopped
- 1/2 c salted butter
- 1/2 c heavy cream
- 1/4 c maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 35In a medium bowl mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and soda, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon and set aside.
- Use a stand mixer to cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla together. Follow with the eggs one at a time then the sweet potato. Starting and ending with the dry mix, alternate adding sour cream and flour to the wet batter.
- Prepare a bundt or pound cake pan with butter or spray. Carefully scoop the batter in to the pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. A toothpick will come out clean when it’s done. Cool well before attempting to remove from the pan.
Maple Pecan Praline Sauce
- To a saucepan over low flame, add brown sugar, cream, butter, and maple syrup. Allow the butter to melt and the sauce to come to bubbling stirring consistently. The sugar should be fully melted and the smooth sauce should resemble a smooth caramel.
- Turn off the flame and add the vanilla extract, pecans, and kosher salt. Allow the sauce to cool to near room temperature before serving
More Southern Classics
TY’S DOWN HOME SWEET POTATO BISCUITS
CLASSIC FLAKY SOUTHERN BISCUITS
This is my all time favorite pound cake. I’ve had it again and again and it turns out perfectly each time. Yum!
This recipe is and my hubbys favorite. Ugh! Like melt in your mouth. Perfect amount of sweetness. Amazing flavor. And extra You gotta try it!
Followed this recipe TO THE LETTER – came out underdone & collapsed. Tried it a second time, let it bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes – slightly different result.
Regretfully, I wouldn’t recommend this recipe.
I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work our for you. I’ve had several people try it and it turned out perfectly for them. I will add to the notes to bake longer if necessary but as for the structure of the cake many things can be a factor: measurements being off, pans and ovens being different, altitude, etc. The post points out that it makes a lot of batter and that I make cupcakes out with some of it. If you attempted to use all of the batter in one pan it would have definitely needed more Cook time. Again I’m… Read more »
How did you make the sweet potatoes? Just boiled or roasted? Can’t wait to try this.
I actually microwaved them using the potato setting on my unit. Please let me know how it turns out!
Oh my, this is ridiculously good. So moist and full of flavor. I paired it with some light ice cream, perfection. Pinned!
Thank you so much, Christina! It was great to meet you and a pleasure to feed you lol
You have outdone yourself! I’m biased because I love sweet potatoes but this cake is the moistess and tastiest cake I think I have had in a very long time, maybe in my whole life!
Oh wow, Manda! What a compliment. I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Looks delicious. Saving for future reference and use of sweet potatoes other than as pie.
Thank you! It’s become a family favorite and I hope you get a chance to experince it soon. ????
Must you use a bundt pan? I have a pound cake pan but not the other.
That’s a really good question. I haven’t tried it in anything other than my bundt pan but I don’t see why a couple of loaf pans would not work. I think as long as the pan is heavy bodied it should conduct the heat evenly without burning the bottom.
Well, then I will give it a whirl! 🙂
Awesome! Please let me know how it turns out.
Pinned! Do you think I could half the recipe and use a loaf pan? I would probably need two loaf pans.
Yes, I believe you can. It’s a simple pound cake base. I haven’t halved this but I quartered a lemon pound cake recipe and it turned out fine. Let me know how it turns out!