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Heirloom Sweet Potato Rum Cake

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Heirloom Sweet Potato Rum cake has a delicate flavor, beautiful color, and velvety texture. It’s just right for any holiday gathering.

slice of rum cake

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.

a sweet potato rum cake on a plate

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.

sweet potato rum cake
4.5 from 2 votes

Heirloom Sweet Potato Rum Cake

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A lightly spiced, rum cake with a beautiful color, velvety texture, and delicate sweet potato flavor. Stores well at room temperature for at least a week. Store cake at room temperature for at least 24 hours before serving.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 24 servings
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Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked sweet potato, , mashed
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup Captain Morgan Spiced rum
  • 1 ¼ cups sugar
  • ½ cup light brown cane sugar
  • 1 cup melted unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Syrup

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup Captain Morgan Spiced rum or Black 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.
  • Stir 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.
Tried this recipe?Tag me!! @Marye_RestlessChipotle

You may also like:

The Captain’s Hot Apple Pie Grog

Heirloom Sweet Potato Gratin

About Marye

Marye Audet is an experienced freelance writer, editor and blogger who lives just outside of Dallas, Texas with her family. A published author, Marye believes that gathering friends and family around the table ultimately strengthens society as a whole - and there's no better way to do it than with Southern comfort food.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. 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! 🙂

    Reply

  3. 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!

    Reply

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