Heirloom Sweet Potato Rum cake has a delicate flavor, beautiful color, and velvety texture. It's just right for any holiday gathering.
Unlike most of the rum cake recipes I have found this one is from scratch start to finish. Well, you don't have to grow your own sweet potatoes or make your own rum — unless you want to, of course.
I was lucky enough to pick up some heirloom sweet potatoes, Crimson Red Velvets, at our local Farmer's Market. You can use regular sweet potatoes from your grocer as well. Yams are a good substitute. Just make sure that you use fresh ones and not canned.
I strongly urge you to try to find heirloom sweet potatoes, though. They make all the difference.
Some people may try to tell you that there is no difference between sweet potatoes and yams but that's not true. They're not even related! They are very similar but sweet potatoes almost always have a more delicate flavor. Yams have more starch and tend to be dryer.
Sweet Potato Rum Cake
You may also like my Whiskey Apple Cake. It's full of warm, holiday flavor - absolutely amazing! If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars.
Heirloom Sweet Potato Rum Cake
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Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups sweet potato, cooked and mashed
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup spiced rum
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Syrup
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¾ cup spiced rum
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Lightly grease and flour a 10-cup bundt pan.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
- Whisk the eggs, melted butter, vanilla, sugar, and brown sugar together.
- Stir in the rum and sweet potatoes.
- Add in the dry ingredients.
- Bake about an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Syrup
- Combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt in a deep saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.
- Simmer it until it reduces just a little, about 2 more minutes.
- Remove from the heat add the rum carefully.
To soak
- Let the cake cool in the pan for ten minutes.
- Remove it from the pan.
- Now, put the cake right back in the pan (this will help it not to stick) and pour the rum syrup over it.
- Pour the syrup slowly over the cake, cover, and let stand for at least 24 hours.
- Invert onto a cake plate and serve.
Telma Dorcey
Dear Marye,
May I serve the cake after 14 hours of soaking in the syrup? I don't see any more floating syrup? The butter did harden around the cake in the bundt pan. I have not flipped it over into the glass cake server. How do you recommend storing it?
Marye
I store at room temp.
Ron
Would you consider putting a glaze or icing on this cake?
Marye Audet
Sure. A rum glaze would work well, or just dust with confectioner's sugar
Alandria
Will this cake have a strong rum flavor like cake dipped in alcohol? I’m only asking because my husband and I don’t drink but we know that cooking or baking alcohol gives foods it a different type of flavor? Thanks! 🙂
Marye Audet
yes. you can just leave it off the finished cake and substitute apple juice in the batter.
Monica
I made this recipe exactly as written using regular sweet potatoes. I am an experienced home-baker and this is one of the best cakes I have ever made. The cake is very moist and the flavors are on point for a fall dessert. Thank you!
Marye Audet
Thanks Monica! That's great to hear!
Lacy
Joan do you cook the sweet potatoes? Bake them or boil them? Maybe it doesn't matter??
Marye Audet
I bake mine - I think it gives them better flavor.