Another Friday, another mini vegan cake. It is very obvious how in love I am with them and just how much I enjoy making tiny little sweet treats.
And the humble sweet potato is one of the best additions to desserts out there. I have used it in no-bake cakes, in truffles, snack bars, and as you can see, it is simply perfect in cakes, as well. It gives wonderfully earthy, almost caramelized and rich undertones to any treat it enriches, and I love it for that reason alone.
In frostings, it is truly unmatched. It achieves that perfect truffle-like texture so effortlessly, even just combined with cocoa powder and a touch of maple syrup, but that is a story for another recipe and another day.
On a final note, you can absolutely use boiled, steamed, and roasted sweet potato, it truly does not matter for this cake. The only thing that matters is that it is cooked through, soft, not watery, and mashed well before being added to the cake batter or frosting.
As with all my cakes, serve it in thin slices, with strong coffee, and enjoy.
Ingredients
For the vegan mud cake
90 grams plain flour, sifted25 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
130 grams sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
120 grams granulated sugar
30 millilitres neutral oil
1 heaping teaspoon vanilla bean paste
150 millilitres carbonated water
For the vegan fudge frosting
250 grams sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed60 grams vegan block butter, melted and cooled
100 grams dark chocolate, melted and cooled (70%)
50 grams toasted almonds, ground
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
1/2 teaspoon apricot extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Preparation
Start by making the chocolate fudge cake. Let the oven preheat to 180°C and line a small round cake tin (13 cm) with baking parchment, bottom and sides. Sift together the flour with the cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Add in the sugar and salt, and whisk everything together. In a separate bowl, whisk or blend together the mashed sweet potatoes, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, along with the carbonated water, and fold everything gently, making sure not to overmix. Pour it into the prepared cake tin, level the top, and bake immediately, in a nicely preheated oven, at 180°C, for about 60-65 minutes. Just like any cake, check it with a toothpick to make sure it does not dry out. Take it out of the oven and let it cool down completely in the tin.
Once the cake is cool, proceed to make the filling. Place the mashed sweet potatoes in a medium bowl, add in melted dark chocolate and melted vegan butter, and mix well. Add in the orange zest, apricot extract, and the vanilla, along with the ground almonds, and mix vigorously until smooth. If you wish, you can use a mixer on the lowest setting for this.
Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and place the whole tin in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Once ready to serve, remove from the cake tin, top with chocolate shavings, chocolate shards, flaked almonds, or some unsweetened cocoa powder, and serve with freshly brewed coffee. Yields 8-10 servings.
