Sweet Potato Coffee Cake
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There’s something about the holidays that make us all itch to get into the kitchen and bake. Sweet Potato Coffee Cake is a tried and true breakfast cake that isn’t too sweet. It has loads of sweet potato flavor and is best enjoyed while it’s warm, making it ideal for a cold morning.
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The secret ingredient, Crisco® vegetable oil, ensures that this coffee cake will stay moist. Whether you make this coffee cake for breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack, I’m certain you will enjoy it.
Sweet Potato Coffee Cake recipe highlights:
- This coffee cake gets its ultimate tender crumb from Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil.
- The cake is lightly sweetened to balance the extra sweet streusel topping and glaze.
- You can serve this coffee cake for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.

I’m always inspired to make breakfast during the holiday season. There’s just something about whipping up a warm, cozy breakfast for the family that has traveled halfway across the US to celebrate with us. Everyone’s morning will be much happier with the scent of sweet potato coffee cake in the air.
Coffee cake should be a breakfast staple in your kitchen. And this recipe is the one you need in your repertoire. The batter is thick and packed full of mashed sweet potato. It bakes up tall and fluffy. Crisco® vegetable oil is used in place of butter to yield an impeccably moist cake. It adds to the wonderfully lush texture that practically melts in your mouth.
I chose Crisco® brand because it is the only brand of vegetable oil I use. You really can’t beat the quality. And if you are lucky, you can catch it on sale at your local Publix. Look at that deal! It’s a fantastic bargain.

The streusel is made with brown sugar, white sugar, flour, oats, pecans, cinnamon, and butter. The butter melts during baking and blends with the sugars to create a wonderfully crunchy topping. And it’s a super thick layer of topping.
If you’re not into the whole cake for breakfast idea, you can enjoy it as an after dinner snack. The glaze adds enough extra sweetness that you could certainly get away with serving sweet potato coffee cake for dessert.


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Sweet Potato Coffee Cake
There's something about the holidays that make us all itch to get into the kitchen and bake. Sweet Potato Coffee Cake is a tried and true breakfast cake that isn't too sweet. It has loads of sweet potato flavor and is best enjoyed while it's warm, making it ideal for a cold morning. The secret ingredient, Crisco vegetable oil, ensures that this coffee cake will stay moist. Whether you make this coffee cake for breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack, I'm certain you will enjoy it.
Ingredients
For the topping
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup quick-cooking oats
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- 1 and ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
For the cake
- ⅓ cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 and ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup milk
For the glaze
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 and ½ teaspoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the topping
- In a small bowl combine the sugars, flour, oats, pecans, and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles peas sized crumbs. set aside.
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. In a large mixing bowl, beat the oil and sugar together until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the sweet potato and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir with a whisk. Add half of the flour mixture to the oil and sugar. Stir to combine. Gradually add the milk followed by the remaining flour mixture. Mix until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
- Remove the sides of the pan and top the cake with glaze.
Make the glaze
- Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10Amount Per Serving: Calories: 367
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the values shown are just an estimate.
This cake is so delicious, so moist and flavorful! We loved it! Will definitely be making it again!
Hey Jen, I’ll try your recipe for sweet potato coffee cake. Just one question. What am I to do with the 1 cup of sweet potato mash?
That would be helpful, wouldn’t it? You’ll add it to the batter with the vanilla. I’ve updated the instructions to reflect this.
This is such a genius idea!