Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 2 lbs sweet potatoes
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• unsalted butter, for pans
• 2 cups cake flour, plus more for pans (not self-rising)
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons brandy
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted macadamia nuts, toasted coarsely chopped
• 1 lb chocolate
• 2 cups heavy cream

Recipe

• 1 heat oven to 400 degrees.
• 2 coat potatoes with 1/4 cup vegetable oil, and place on baking sheet.
• 3 bake until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• 4 when cool enough to handle, remove skin, and mash flesh with a fork into coarse pure.
• 5 lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• 6 butter two 8-by-1 1/2-inch round cake pans, dust with flour, and set aside.
• 7 in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• 8 add remaining 1 cup vegetable oil; beat on medium speed until well combined.
• 9 add the cooled sweet potatoes; mix until combined.
• 10 sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; mix into sweet potato mixture.
• 11 mix in vanilla and brandy until combined. remove batter from mixer; fold in 1 cup macadamia nuts by hand.
• 12 evenly distribute cake batter into prepared pans, and transfer to the oven.
• 13 bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
• 14 let pans cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. invert cakes onto rack; cool completely, about 1 1/4 hours.
• 15 meanwhile, chop chocolate into small pieces; set aside. bring 1 cup cream to a boil; pour over chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. chill for 30 to 40 minutes.
• 16 when chocolate mixture has cooled, pour remaining cup cream into an electric mixer; whip on medium until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture until fully incorporated.
• 17 cut each cake layer in half horizontally, creating four layers.
• 18 spread 2/3 cup chocolate frosting on one layer, then stack next layer on top, and frost.
• 19 repeat frosting-and-stacking process until each layer is frosted.
• 20 spread remaining frosting on sides and top of cake.
• 21 arrange remaining 1/2 cup macadamia nuts on top of cake, and serve.