Inspired by Irish Tea Cake, this Sourdough Sweet Potato Tea Cake is a simple yet flavorful bake that's easy to make and comes together in 1 bowl. The natural tang of sourdough enhances the earthy sweetness of sweet potato creates a cake with so much flavor that the only topping it needs is a dusting of powdered sugar. The sweet potato also helps keep the crumb soft and moist. Since it’s so easy to make, you can have it ready just in time for an afternoon tea break.
Sponsored by Bako Sweet®: I'm truly grateful for your support of the brands that help make Make It Dough possible. I want to assure you that all the recommendations and opinions expressed in this post are my own.
This recipe was developed using Bako Sweet® sweet potatoes! Their sweet potatoes are California-grown using sustainable farming practices that care for the land. They are meticulously hand-selected by seasoned farmers, tripled-washed, and conveniently bagged, ensuring they arrive at our tables in prime condition. This meticulous quality control is probably why each sweet potato I used to test this recipe was the perfect size for the cake batter.
Love sweet potatoes? Check out my recipes for Sourdough Sweet Potato Sandwich Bread, Sourdough Sweet Potato Biscuits and Sweet Potato Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread.
Why I love this recipe
- A delicious way to use up extra sourdough starter
- Easy to make by hand or with a stand mixer
- Bako Sweet organic orange sweet potatoes add rich, earthy sweetness
- Sweet potatoes add moisture, keeping the cake soft and fluffy
Ingredients
All-purpose flour: Low protein content keeps the cake soft and fluffy. Do not substitute whole wheat flour or your cake will be dense and dry.
Bako Sweet® Organic Orange Sweet Potatoes: This recipe uses one small sweet potato. I've tested this cake with 180 to 200 grams of grated sweet potato, and it turns out well within this range. There’s no substitute for this ingredient.
Sourdough discard: Both active starter or discard will work for this recipe. If you don’t have any discard, add 28 grams of flour and 28 grams of water to your recipe.
Brown sugar: The acidity of brown sugar reacts with baking soda, which provides leavening to this cake. Do not substitute white sugar for this recipe.
See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information.
Recipe Testing Note
I tested this recipe by hand and with a mixer. While a whisk and bowl work, the cake turns out lighter and fluffier with a stand mixer. Without butter for structure, aerating the eggs and properly emulsifying the oil, provides lift and enhances the cake’s fluffy texture.
How to make Sweet Potato Sourdough Tea Cake
Step 1: Make the dough
Whip the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy using the whisk attachment, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on, stream the oil into the egg mixture slowly to emulsify the batter. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the milk and grated sweet potato into the batter. Mix the flour in a third at a time to prevent building too much gluten.
Step 2: Bake
Pour the batter into an 8-inch cake pan with a piece of parchment paper lining the bottom. Bake the cake at 325 for 45 to 50 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the cake inside for another 10 minutes. Take the cake out and dust with powdered sugar.
Baker's Tips
- Weigh your ingredients and don’t stray from the ingredients list.
- Both active starter and sourdough discard will work in this recipe.
- Fold the flour into the batter a third at a time. This will prevent too much gluten formation and your cake from becoming gummy.
- Do not open the oven door while the cake bakes, this allows heat to escape rapidly and may cause your cake to sink. This will lead to a gummy and dense center.
- Leaving the cake in the oven with the heat off allows the crumb to set and helps prevent sinking.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely, you’ll miss out on some of the sourdough flavor, but you can just add 28 grams of flour with the dry ingredients and 28 grams of water to your batter.
Your cake is most likely underbaked. Sweet potato releases additional moisture into the batter as the cake bakes, so it's very important not to open the oven door until your cake is completely baked. Before taking the cake out of the oven, turn the heat off and leave it inside for an additional 10 to 15 minutes to allow the crumb to set completely.
You most likely did not whip enough air into your eggs and sugar. Keep whipping until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy, significantly increasing in volume.
Gently fold the flour into the batter to prevent too much gluten formation.
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Sweet Potato Sourdough Tea Cake
Equipment
- stand mixer receive a 20% discount with code MAKEITDOUGH20
- 8-inch round cake pan
This section may contain affiliate links
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 150 grams brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 75 grams oil
- 56 grams sourdough discard
- 28 grams whole milk
- 200 grams Bako Sweet Organic Orange Sweet Potato about 1 small, finely grated
- 180 grams All purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 325 F with a rack in the middle. Line the bottom of an 8-inch cake with parchment paper.
- Make the batter: Whip the eggs, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy using the whisk attachment, about 3 minutes.2 eggs, 150 grams brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- With the mixer on, stream the oil into the egg mixture slowly to emulsify the batter.75 grams oil
- Switch to the paddle attachment and add the wet ingredients and grated sweet potato into the batter.56 grams sourdough discard, 200 grams Bako Sweet Organic Orange Sweet Potato, 28 grams whole milk
- Mix all the baking soda, salt and cinnamon in the batter. Add the flour in a third at a time to prevent too much gluten formation.180 grams All purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon Baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is domed and looks golden.
- Without taking the cake out of the oven, turn off the heat and allow the cake to sit in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. This will allow the delicate crumb to set without sinking.
- Transfer the cake to a wire rack and dust with powdered sugar.
- Enjoy and store: This cake is best enjoyed the day it is baked but will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.
Notes
- I tested this recipe by hand and with a mixer. While a whisk and bowl work, the cake turns out lighter and fluffier with a stand mixer.
- Both active starter and sourdough discard will work in this recipe.
- Do not open the oven door while the cake bakes, this allows heat to escape rapidly and may cause your cake to sink. This will lead to a gummy and dense center.
- Leaving the cake in the oven with the heat off allows the crumb to set and helps prevent it from sinking.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, any nutrition information provided is an estimate.
Mandarine says
Hi,
This looks great, but the recipe mentions milk - which isn't listed in the ingredients. How much milk is needed?
The recipe also doesn't say when to add the discard (same time as the flour I guess).
Thanks for all your recipes!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Madarine - thanks for letting me know! I've corrected the recipe.