Golden Yam Cake

This is one of my favorite cakes to bake when we start seeing the first signs of fall. It has an extremely moist and delicate texture and the simple icing complements it perfectly. It’s a great alternative to traditional pies and pumpkin desserts you typically see at this time of year. It never lasts long around here. Slice it up and put it out at your next family gathering and you’ll see what I mean. Don’t fear the shredded yam! It does something really amazing to this cake.

I use my food processor to shred my yam – I’m lazy like that.

Golden Yam Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small red-skinned yam, peeled and shredded (approximately 2 cups)

Icing

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the batter just until blended. Fold in the shredded yam. Spread the batter evenly in the greased baking dish.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center, comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly for 5 to 10 minutes before icing.  With your hand mixer, mix together the confectioners’ sugar, butter and milk until smooth. Spread over the cake while still warm.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com