Southern Sweet Potato Pound Cake & October's Give-Away Apron

I bet you didn't know that North Carolina is the leading state in sweet potato production (38.5%); California and Louisiana are second and third.  Furthermore, the town of Benton, Kentucky celebrates sweet potatoes annually in their Tater Day Festival on the first Monday in April. (Whohoo, my Kentucky grandson would like that one!)

I know that my mother loved baking with sweet potatoes and quite often chose to bake a sweet potato pie rather than a pumpkin on several occasions.  This sweet, starchy tuber is rich in complex carbohydrates, beta carotene, and dietary fiber to name a few of the benefits so, understandably it was my choice when coming up with this pound cake.

Sweet potatoes are a reliable crop and grown all over the world for their resistance to the many common pests that plague other vegetables.  In addition to not requiring pesticides, they can be grown in somewhat poor soils without adding fertilizers.  That makes them one of the best "organically grown" vegetables we can eat.

Southern Sweet Potato Pound Cake
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter at room temperature
1-8oz pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups (about 4 medium) mashed sweet potatoes
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
3 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour

Peel and cut into 1-inch chunks, the 4 sweet potatoes.  Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer on a low boil until the sweet potatoes are tender.
Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray a tube pan with a non-stick baking spray and set aside. 

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together.  Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Add the mashed sweet potato and mix together, then add the cinnamon and vanilla and beat on medium for 1 minute.

Sift the dry ingredients and add to the mixture on low speed.  Beat 1 minute more to incorporate thoroughly.  Transfer mixture into the prepared baking pan.

I placed the baking pan on a parchment lined baking sheet and placed in the oven for 65 to 70 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan about 10 minutes, then, lift the bottom up and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

I used a metal spatula to loosen the bottom and around the "cone" then transferred the cake to a serving plate and dusted the top with confectioners' sugar. 

I remember my mother telling me how much more dense the sweet potato was than baking with pumpkin, so I can assure you that the cake transfers quite easily.

To serve, I whipped up heavy cream with 2 T confectioners' sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla.

 Now, finally the apron.  I've found this lovely quilt shop in Raleigh that had the perfect fabric for this month's apron.  The soft orange chrysanthemums revel the season and speaks volumes of the colours that Kelly loved.  She once said to me, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer..."you know, Mom, I really don't like the colour pink!"  We laughed and was reminded of a line from the movie Legally Blonde, when Reese Witherspoon says, "whoever said Orange was the new Pink!"  Well, that would be Kelly.

I'm back from traveling for work and should have quite some interesting recipes to share for the remainder of the month.  Just comment on any of the posts for October and you're entered to win this beautiful and memorable apron. Enjoy!