Sweet Potato Cupcakes
Sweet potato cupcakes are tender, soft treats topped with fluffy marshmallow frosting. They’re a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving dessert table!
Ooh Thanksgiving… The dessert menu is my responsibility and this year I wanted to introduce a non-pie dish. Sorry pie, but you get the spotlight every year. I thought, “Why not try sweet potato cupcakes?”
Why this recipe works: The sweet potatoes are shredded similarly to how you would make carrot cake. There is plenty of moisture and spice for a delicate and flavorful cupcake. The marshmallow frosting us easy to make in a stand mixer and recalls a baked sweet potato dish.
How to make sweet potato cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- Make the cupcake batter: Whisk together dry ingredients—flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside. Beat together wet ingredients—eggs, sweet potato, brown sugar, sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Bake cupcakes: Transfer batter to prepared muffin tin and bake for 18 to 22 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: Beat butter, marshmallow cream, salt and vanilla until combined. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar until incorporated. Mix in milk if necessary for desired consistency.
- Frost the cupcakes: Transfer frosting to a piping bag with preferred tip and frost the cooled cupcakes. Garnish with chopped pecans.
How to make marshmallow frosting
The marshmallow creme frosting sits on top of these cupcakes like a sweet fluffy cloud. Light and airy, the frosting packs quite a bit of sweetness, which holds up well with the warm flavors in the spiced sweet potato cupcakes. Marshmallow frosting is simply butter, marshmallow creme, vanilla and confectioners’ sugar. I like to add a pinch of salt and milk to mine for desired consistency.
Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature. Beat the butter, marshmallow creme, vanilla and salt together (a whisk attachment is best to keep the frosting fluffy). Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until combined. Add milk if you need a thinner consistency.
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with desired tip and frost away! I also use this recipe in my hot chocolate cupcakes. If you prefer a meringue frosting, check out my maple cupcake recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have not tried this, but it should work. Use about 3/4 cup sweet potato puree instead of the shredded sweet potato.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Cupcakes will keep at room temperature, but the frosting will lose its shape and consistency.
Yes. Unfrosted cupcakes may be individually wrapped and stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to one month. Defrost in the refrigerator before bringing to room temperature and frosting.
It was likely over mixed. Try placing the bowl back in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes and mix again for 10 seconds.
I must admit though, at Thanksgiving I usually go straight for a slice of pecan pie or my mom’s apple pie, but this year I will definitely be reaching for sweet potato cupcakes first. These sweet treats are just what I’ll be craving after the savory Thanksgiving meal. And since they’re mini, I’ll definitely be going back for seconds!
Sweet Potato Cupcakes
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups (187 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 2 large eggs,, slightly beaten
- 2 ½ cup (12 ounces or 340 grams) peeled, shredded, sweet potatoes*
- ¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Chopped pecans for garnish, optional
Marshmallow Frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter,, room temperature
- 1 7 ounce jar marshmallow creme
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups (240 g) confectioners' sugar,, sifted
- 1-2 teaspoons milk, (if necessary)
Instructions
Sweet Potato Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), combine the eggs, shredded sweet potatoes, brown sugar, sugar, oil and vanilla. Mix until well blended, about 1 minute.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to stir together until just combined, about 20 seconds. Do not overmix.
- Spoon batter into prepared cupcake liners until about two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
Marshmallow Frosting
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the butter, marshmallow creme, salt and vanilla. Mix until creamy, about 1 minute. Add one cup of powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add remaining one cup of confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth and creamy. Add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached (I used 1 teaspoon).
- Transfer frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a tip. Frost cupcakes and garnish with chopped pecans (optional). Cupcakes are best when served the same day. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Notes
Inspired by The Recipe Critic.
14 Comments on “Sweet Potato Cupcakes”
I absolutely love the idea of Sweet Potatoes in a cupcake. The photos are so inviting, please pack some for me 😉
Thank you, Sapna!
marshmallow frosting has got to be the PERFECT topping for these cupcakes. I love this. Perhaps since it has sweet potato in it I can have it for breakfast ….. doesn’t that count??
I say, yes! Cupcakes for breakfast 🙂
These are so cute! The would be great for Thanksgiving as you mention or as dessert for a fall harvest celebration. And what a great way to use sweet potatoes!
Fall harvest celebration is perfect for these cookies!
I love using sweet potatoes in place of pumpkin! and mini anything tastes better, right?! 😉
These look delicious! I gotta try this marshmallow frosting that sounds really good. Do you think it would it char the same as a marshmallow, if you took a torch to it?
Delicious. Perfect for the up and coming holidays and perfect to hide a vegetable from kids.
sweet potato and cupcakes are two of my favourite things, so I love that you have combined them. YUM!
My kids and I had so much fun making these! They were soft and fluffy, just the perfect treat we needed for the fall season!! Great recipe – thank you!
Such beautiful cupcakes! They look absolutely incredible topped with that marshmallow frosting and the chopped pecans. Definitely perfect for the season. Yum!
Love these photos and the cupcakes look absolutely delicious! The marshmallow frosting sounds unreal, saving this one for sure!
This is so brilliant! I’ve always used mashed sweet potatoes in my recipes and here you go doing this clever thing of using shredded sweet potatoes. That makes things so much easier and quicker. Great recipe!