Spiced Sweet Potato Cake with Caramel Ganache and Orange Frosting

For my beautiful littlest baby girl, who turned one this week.

Last year for my daughters 3rd Birthday I made a chocolate mudcake layered with chocolate ganache inspired by a recipe from Amy over at The Holistic Ingredient.  My pics may not have been as purrdy then but the cake....OOOoooooh the cake.  Amazing.  You can find the recipe here.For Ruby's 1st birthday the stakes were high, lucky she won't remember a thing because I wasn't sure I could compete with last I created a spiced sweet potato cake a few weeks ago and as soon as I tasted it I decided to keep the recipe to myself and then formulated the idea for this layered Spiced Sweet Potato Cake.Notes. I used raw almond milk for this recipe.  You can use any milk you like.  You can create a vegan version of this cake by using chia eggs instead of eggs (it will more dense).  Simply mix 3 tbls water with 1 tbls chia seeds for each egg.  Only use 3 eggs across the two cakes though - not four.I have layered this cake with caramel ganache, which makes this cake unsuitable for a fructose-free diet, however you can omit and it will be low fodmaps OK.If you do eat cheese or dairy, I know that if you made cream cheese icing it would taste DELICIOUS.  This one is dairy-free. I used organic Ayam coconut cream for the ganache and icing.  3 x cans of 400ml each.  I put the tins in the fridge (ring pull end UP) for 2 hours prior to making the ganache and icing.  I then scooped off the thick cream for the icing and saved the milk underneath for the ganache.I noticed this cake was even better on day two as the flavours intensified and the ganache 'wet' the cake more.  Aaaaghhhh. Seriously.

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Spiced Sweet Potato Cake with Caramel Ganache and Orange Frosting

This recipe makes 2 cakes 20cm each.

Halve the recipe for a single cake or for a cake with only two layers.  Preheat oven to 180C (350F)

Ingredients

CAKE

• 3 cups of buckwheat flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground ginger (or 1 tsp fresh grated ginger)
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbls apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups steamed soft sweet potato (keep 2 extra tbls of soft steamed sweet potato for the icing)
• 2/3 cup of macadamia oil (or a light flavoured olive oil)
• 4 x eggs (large)
• 1 cup rice malt syrup
• 2/3 cup milk of your choice
• 1/3 cup finely chopped dates (check for pits)
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)

Caramel Ganache

• 1 cup dates pitted
• coconut milk (please see in notes above)

Orange Frosting

• Coconut cream (please see notes above)
• Juice of one orange
• 2 tbls mashed steamed sweet potato

Method

1. Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl (there'll be enough for two cakes in there remember!).  Your buckwheat flour, bicarb, baking powder, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon.
2. In a food processor combine sweet potato, eggs, apple cider vinegar, rice malt syrup, milk, macadamia nut oil and milk + vanilla bean paste if you have some.
3. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry flours and combine well.
4. Grease and line a 20cm cake tin (or two if you have them)
5. Divide half of the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 25 mins or until the center of the cake springs back and doesn't feel 'wet'.
6. Allow to sit in the tin for 5 mins before turning out onto a cake rack cool completely.  Repeat with the remaining mix.
7. Using a large bread or serrated knife, carefully slice the cake in half.   Make sure cake has cooled completely before icing

Caramel Ganache

In a food processor or a high speed blender add one cup of dates.  Slowly add the coconut milk, scraping down the sides as you need, until the mix becomes a thick ganache.)  I use nearly the entire amount of milk left from three 400ml cans of coconut cream after I have skimmed the cream off the top. Using a spatula, spread on the top of your bottom cake and add the next layer.  Repeat until you place the top layer on and leave the top layer clean.  You can keep remaining ganache in the fridge or freezer.

Frosting

Place all ingredients in a food processor or combine using a whisk.  You want to make sure there are no lumps in the coconut cream.  You may want to refrigerate this until it goes a little bit firm if your processing or beating has made it runny.  Spread on top of your cake and then EAT IT! Let me know how you go with this cake, I'd love to hear from you.