Mile High Sweet Potato Pound Cake with a Bourbon Caramel Glaze

Mile High Sweet Potato Pound Cake with a Bourbon Caramel Glaze is a must have addition to your dessert menu!

When I created my first Sweet Potato Pound Cake recipe, it was made with a cream cheese glaze. It was so very delicious, but this version with Bourbon Caramel glaze takes this recipe to another level. The taste is between the flavor of Candied Yams and Sweet Potato pie. Never had sweet potato in a cake before? They add so much moisture and flavor in the cake. It may be an acquired taste, but it won't take very long for you to fall in love with this pound cake!

More Pound Cake recipes ---> Mile High Caramel Pound Cake, Mile High Buttermilk Pound Cake, Mile High 7 Up Pound Cake, Mile High Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Mile High Sour Cream Pound Cake, Dark Chocolate Mile High Pound Cake, Pina Colada Pound Cake, Pineapple Pound Cake, German Chocolate Pound Cake

Pound Cake Ingredients:

• All Purpose Flour
• Granulated Sugar
• Light Brown Sugar
• Unsalted Butter - room temperature
• Large Eggs - room temperature
• Buttermilk - room temperature
• Sweet potatoes - baked and mashed, room temperature
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Vanilla extract
• Bourbon

Bourbon Caramel Ingredients:

• Unsalted Butter (Salted may be used, but omit the additional salt)
• Light brown sugar
• Condensed Milk
• Vanilla extract
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Bourbon
• Chopped Pecans - optional

(Note: The full ingredient list is provided in the recipe card below.)

Steps to make the Pound Cake:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Wash your sweet potatoes thoroughly, dry them and wrap them in foil. Place them in a baking dish and bake them for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until tender. (The sweet potatoes can also be boiled or microwaved. We're not using canned sweet potatoes for this recipe, but you can do so if you choose.)

Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, peel them, scoop out 1 ½ cups of the sweet potatoes, and sit them to the side. Make sure to remove any excess stringiness and mash the sweet potatoes together.

In a separate bowl, combine the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour together. Sit it to the side.

Using a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy (approximately 5 minutes). Then add the bourbon and vanilla extract. Add the eggs to the bowl one at a time, mixing well after each addition before adding the next egg.

Add the sweet potatoes and mix just until combined. Add the flour mixture about 1 c at a time on low speed until combined, alternating with the buttermilk- beginning and ending with the flour.

Using a spoon or spatula scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix ensuring that the batter is fully mixed together.

Spray an 18-cup bundt pan with non-stick spray. Pour the batter into the pan and spread it evenly. Bake for an hour and to an hour and 30 minutes (or longer if needed). The cake is done once an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for about 20 minutes before removing it from the pan. Allow the pound cake to cool completely before adding the glaze.

Steps to make the Bourbon Caramel Glaze:

In a large pot or pan, over medium heat, melt your stick of butter. Add the brown sugar and mix until combined and no longer grainy. Add the condensed milk and mix.

Stir occasionally until your desired consistency is reached. It should be somewhat thick, but not as thick as caramel (see my video). Stir in the salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Slowly add in the the vanilla and bourbon and remove from the heat. (Add the pecans if you choose). Immediately pour over the cooled cake as desired.

Helpful Guides for Beginners:

If you're new to baking I got you covered! Here are some helpful guides to help you along the way!

• How to make a moist Pound Cake
• Pound Cake Essential Tools
• Mistakes to avoid when baking a pound cake
• How to prepare Pound Cake ingredients
• How to Make a Pound Cake for Beginners
• Holiday baking and planning guide

Helpful Baking Tools

• Mile High Bundt Pan
• Stand Mixer
• Hand Mixer
• Basting Brush
• Sifter
• Silicone Spatula
• Oven Thermometer
• Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl
• Baker's Joy
• Cake Keeper
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons

Pound Cake Tips + Tricks

Whether you are a beginner or have been in the baking game for a while, I hope these tips are helpful in making sure that your pound cake comes out great!

⇢ Always use room temperature ingredients – Standard pound cake ingredients include butter and eggs which should always be at room temperature to ensure that they properly blend into the batter and do not cause any clumping. Other common ingredients such as milk, cream cheese, etc should also be at room temperature. Make sure to allow enough time before baking to remove the ingredients from the refrigerator and sit them on the counter to allow them to come to room temperature. 

⇢ Properly measure your ingredients – Always measure each ingredient before adding it to the cake to make sure that you have the accurate amount of each ingredient for the recipe. Baking requires exact measurements for the cake to come out correctly. 

⇢ Properly cream the butter and sugar together– Once blended the texture should be light and fluffy. Blend the ingredients together at a moderate speed for at least two to three minutes.

⇢ Add the eggs one at a time– Eggs must be added one at a time blending well after each addition. Once you’ve added an egg to the batter and no longer see any yellow, then you can add another egg to the batter.

⇢  Don’t overmix your batter–  Aside from creaming the butter and sugar together, once done adding an ingredient, immediately start adding the next ingredient. If you are not quite ready, stop the mixer until you're ready to add the next ingredient. After you have added the last ingredient, just mix until blended. If the batter still requires mixing, for example, if there is any unmixed batter on the side of the bowl, finish the mixing process using a spoon. 

⇢ Spray the hell out of your bundt pan - My favorite method is using a baking spray such as Baker’s Joy which includes the flour and oil all in one can. It's always a no-fail method for me and the cake comes right out of the pan. You can also grease the pan with oil (solid or liquid) then dust the pan evenly with flour if you prefer that method.

Frequently Asked Questions: