First Place and Best of Show, Ohio State Fair, recipe by Janet Gill
Ingredients:
- 3 cups cake flour
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ¾ tsp. nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. cloves
- ½ t salt
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 2 ¼ c sugar, divided
- 1 c cooked, pureed, sweet potato, cooled
- 10 T unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ t vanilla
- 1 ¼ c whole milk
Ingredients for Brown Sugar Cream Frosting:
- 2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 7 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup chopped pecans, divided
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 9” round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment paper and grease.
- Sift flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl together and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using whisk attachment beat egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Gradually beat in ¼ c sugar, increase speed to high, and beat until moderately stiff peaks are formed. Set aside.
- In another large bowl combine sweet potato, butter, vanilla and remaining 2 c sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each.
- With the mixer on low, add 1/3 of flour alternately with ½ of milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined. Gradually fold egg whites into batter just until incorporated
- Pour batter into pans, divided evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in cake centers comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely on wire racks
- To make frosting: beat cream cheese, butter and brown sugar until creamy Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. When all is combined, mix on high speed 1 minute until light and creamy.
- For the filling between layers, remove 2 cups of frosting to another bowl and stir in 1/3 c of the pecans.
- When cakes are cooled, fill with the pecan frosting between the layers and frost top and sides with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle top with remaining pecans. Store in refrigerator
