Sweet Potato Cake With Orange-cream Cheese Frosting

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 navel orange, cut into quarters
• 1.5 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°.
• 2 grease 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with shortening; line pans with wax paper, and grease paper.
• 3 dust with flour and shake out excess.
• 4 drain and press pineapple between paper towels to remove excess moisture; set pineapple aside.
• 5 beat butter and sugars at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.
• 6 combine flour and next 4 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• 7 beat at low speed until blended after each addition, stopping to scrape bowl as needed.
• 8 stir in reserved pineapple, sweet potatoes, and next 3 ingredients until blended.
• 9 pour batter into prepared pans.
• 10 bake for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• 11 cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
• 12 make frosting-.
• 13 peel orange sections, removing any bitter pith.
• 14 process cream cheese and butter in a food processor just until smooth.
• 15 add 3 orange sections; process 20 seconds or until mixture is smooth (reserve remaining orange section for another use).
• 16 transfer cream cheese mixture to a mixing bowl; gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended; stir in vanilla.
• 17 spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake; garnish with candied pecans and orange zest, if desired.