Sweet Potato Skillet Cake

Last weekend we were in Northern Georgia for a wedding.  While the weather was not great we had a wonderful time spent with family. 

The fall colors on the trees was gorgeous.  Here in Ohio there is not much color this year and a lot of the leaves are even still on the trees.  I think it has been too warm this fall, although it is cold now, this morning it was 23 degrees.

We also did a little hiking on Saturday morning.  We hiked to 2 different waterfalls.  This fall is in Vogel State Park, It is Trahlyta Falls.  We hiked along the lake and then down to the falls.  Mel kept saying WOW when he saw the falls, It is so much fun getting to see things through his eyes ❤

On our way home we visited Mercier Orchard.  If you are ever in Blue Ridge, GA this is a must stop.  They had all kinds of apples (best part was trying before you buy!!) Apple Butter, jams, other produce, hard cider, wine and a bakery!  

Melvin enjoyed his free Apple Cider Donut.  He was watching the lady behind the window making donuts and he was so cute she brought him one out, fresh out of the bakery.

One of my favorite buys at the orchard was a bag of Sweet Potatoes.  It seems around the holidays when I purchase sweet potatoes, I end up with huge, fat, hard to cut sweet potatoes and I fight to get them cut into pieces to boil.  

But not these babies, these are the nicest sweet potatoes I have ever bought.  They are the perfect size, easy to peel and cut up.  They boiled to the prefect tenderness and mashed up without clumps.

In the fall I love anything pumpkin, apple, caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg… oh you get the picture :)  I am a crazy women for all things fall.  I had always heard using sweet potatoes made things taste like pumpkin so since I had a bag of sweet potatoes this was a good time to try Sweet Potato Cake.

 I was not wrong…. This cake with it’s cream cheese frosting taste just like a Pumpkin Cake Roll… oh my was it good.  I think I might be done with messing with rolling up the pumpkin cake roll because this was so much easier and another favorite of mine is using a cast iron skillet.  Every time I pull out my cast iron skillet, I think of my Grandma Sowards ❤ and by the way, I am named after my grandma ❤

The cast iron skillet I used was a nice deep sided skillet with straight sides.  It is a Cuisinart 10 inch skillet and another thing I liked was the 2 small side handles and not a long handle.  It made for a cute cake!

Sweet Potato Skillet Cake

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup oil

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 Tablespoon Cinnamon

1/2 Tablespoon Ginger

1 teaspoon Nutmeg

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup mashed sweet potatoes

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used the soft cream cheese in a tub)

1/4 cup room temperature butter (I used salted butter)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (more to sprinkle on top)

3 cups powdered sugar

3 Tablespoons whipping cream

Peel, Cut and boil sweet potatoes until tender.  Drain potatoes and place back into the pan.  With a mixer mash the potatoes up until smooth.  I boiled more than I needed and we are going to have sweet potato casserole with the extra.

Pre heat over to 325 degrees.  Spray skillet with baking spray and dust the inside of the skillet with flour.

In a large bowl combine oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.  

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg and mix until all combined.

Add mashed sweet potatoes and mix until all combined.

Pour into prepared skillet and bake for 40-45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when tested.

Cool cake then ice with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In a bowl beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until smooth.

Alternately add the powdered sugar and cream until the icing is a spreadable consistency 

After cake is iced, serve right away or if  baking ahead of time store cake in the refrigerator.  Also store any left over cake in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese icing.  If desired sit cake out before serving so that the icing can soften up.  I am good either way, I like it cold or at room temperature.