This Sweet Potato Coffee Cake is perfectly spiced, has the most delicious cinnamon layer and crumb topping, and is drizzled with a sweet orange icing for the perfect finish. This recipe is perfect for your next holiday breakfast or brunch!
Easy and Delicious Sweet Potato Coffee Cake
I really wanted to make sure that sweet potato had its full moment this holiday season and this sweet potato coffee cake is just one of the sweet potato recipes I’m publishing this fall. I love pumpkin so much but I felt like I was overlooking my beloved sweet potato and we cannot have that. If you’re a sweet potato love like me then you’re going to love this cake. It’s tender, moist, perfectly spiced and has the perfect hint of orange for a delicious finish. Imagine serving this for your Thanksgiving breakfast or brunch or offering your friends a slice the next time they come over for a cozy fall gathering. It’s easy to make, so good, and just the perfect recipe to have in your back pocket.
Watch How to Make this Recipe
More Reader Favorite Sweet Potato Recipes
- Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
- Sweet Potato Cornbread Muffins
- Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pie
- Vanilla Cardamom Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Almond Butter Sweet Potato Muffins
Ingredients
Brown Sugar: we’re using dark brown sugar throughout the cake to add the perfect touch of sweetness.
Flour: you’ll need all-purpose flour for this recipe. I’ve included notes on how to keep this recipe gluten-free below if needed.
Spices: we’re using ground cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves to create the coziest, warm flavor.
Orange Zest: the bright, citrus taste pairs so well with the warm spices and just really gives the cake the best flavor.
Butter: I always recommend using unsalted butter when baking.
Yogurt: whole milk Greek yogurt helps keep the sweet potato coffee cake moist.
Mashed Sweet Potato: you’ll need one cup of mashed sweet potato for this recipe.
Milk: both whole milk or a non-dairy milk will work in this recipe.
Vanilla: a must-have in any baked good!
Eggs: you’ll need 2 large eggs for the cake batter.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Brown Sugar – you can swap the brown sugar for coconut sugar if you prefer. It’ll be a bit less sweet but still delicious.
- Greek Yogurt – whole milk Greek yogurt can be swapped for sour cream if you prefer.
- Flour – need to keep this recipe entirely gluten-free? you can swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free cup for cup flour instead. My favorite gluten-free flour replacement to use is cup 4 cup gluten free flour. It always works well for me as a 1 to 1 swap for all-purpose flour. Please note, that you cannot substitute almond flour, coconut flour, or cassava flour 1:1 in this recipe.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make This Sweet Potato Coffee Cake
Step One: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, lightly grease a square 8×8 baking dish, or line it with parchment paper.
Step Two: Make the cinnamon orange layer by adding the dark brown sugar, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, and orange zest to a large bowl. Stir until well combined.
Step Three: Brown the butter. To do so, add the diced butter to a small light-colored skillet or pot. Heat the skillet to medium heat, and allow the butter to bubble and “cook” until it begins to turn a golden brown color. Continually stir the butter as you see the foam start to dissipate and brown bits begin to form in the bottom of the pan. Cook and stir until the butter is golden brown and has a nutty aroma. Then, remove it from the heat, and transfer it to a heat-safe dish to cool slightly.
Step Four: Make the crumb topping by adding the melted butter, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon to a small mixing bowl. Stir until the mixture is well combined and a crumble forms.
Step Five: Make the coffee cake batter. Add the browned butter, Greek yogurt, mashed sweet potato, vanilla, brown sugar, and milk to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined.
Step Six: Next, add the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, and clove to a mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined.
Step Seven: Gently fold the dry cake batter ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients until you have a thick batter. Then, transfer half the batter into the prepared baking dish, spreading it out in an even layer. Sprinkle the cinnamon orange layer evenly over the batter, and pour the remaining half of the batter over the cinnamon layer, smoothing it out evenly.
Step Eight: Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If you’re using a ceramic baking dish, the cake may take a bit longer to bake. So, keep a close eye on the oven, and adjust as needed!
Step Nine: Let your sweet potato coffee cake cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Then, drizzle the icing on top while it’s still warm, slice, and enjoy!
Easy Sweet Orange Icing Drizzle
This sweet potato coffee cake has a lot going on in the best way, and one of my favorite elements is the delicious orange icing drizzle on top. Don’t worry though it’ll take you five minutes to make the icing!
What You Need:
- Powdered Sugar: also known as confectioner’s sugar, this is the base of the drizzle.
- Milk: use dairy milk or your favorite non-dairy milk.
- Vanilla Extract: adds just the right touch of sweet vanilla flavor.
- Orange Zest: this ties the flavor of the cake in with the icing and adds the perfect touch of brightness.
How to Store and Reheat
Store: If you plan to eat your coffee cake within a few days, you can leave it wrapped tightly, or in an airtight container on the counter for 2 to 3 days. If you would like the cake to last a bit longer, you can wrap it tightly, and store it in the fridge for up to a week.
Freezing: You can also freeze this coffee cake! First, slice the cake into even slices. Then, wrap them individually in food-safe plastic wrap, and transfer the cake slices to a freezer-safe storage bag. Store the sliced cake for up to three months. If you are freezing, I recommend waiting to put any of the icing on the cake until after it is thawed.
Reheat: You can reheat a slice of the coffee cake from frozen in a 350 degree oven until warmed through. I like to wrap the cake in a bit of aluminum foil before placing it in the oven to reheat. To reheat out of the fridge, you can place a slice in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds at a time until it is warmed through.
More Delicious Coffee Cake Recipes
- Apple Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake
- Banana Coffee Cake with Peanut Butter Icing
- Brown Butter Orange Cinnamon Coffee Cake
I hope you give this Sweet Potato Coffee Cake a try! It’s perfectly sweet, spiced, and so delicious. If you do give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews and ratings help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you trust and love.
Print
Sweet Potato Coffee Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Sweet Potato Coffee Cake is perfectly spiced, has the most delicious cinnamon layer and crumb topping, and is drizzled with a sweet orange icing for the perfect finish. This recipe is perfect for your next holiday breakfast or brunch!
Ingredients
Middle Cinnamon Layer
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon orange zest
Coffee Cake Batter
- 6 tablespoons butter, diced
- 1/2 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
Crumb Topping
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Sweet Orange Icing
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk or non-dairy milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a square 8×8 baking dish or line with parchment paper.
- Make the Cinnamon Orange Layer: Add the dark brown sugar, all purpose flour, ground cinnamon, and orange zest to a small bowl and stir until well combined.
- Brown the Butter for the Cake: Add the diced butter to a small light-colored skillet or pot. Heat the skillet to medium heat. The butter will start to melt as the skillet heats up. Allow the butter to bubble and “cook” until it begins to change from a bright yellow color to a golden brown color. Continually stir the butter as you see the foam start to dissipate and brown bits begin to form in the bottom of the pan. Cook and stir the butter until it is a golden brown color and has a nutty aroma. Remove the butter from the heat and transfer to a heat safe dish to cool slightly.
- Make the Crumb Topping: Add the melted butter, brown sugar, all purpose flour, and cinnamon to a small mixing bowl. Stir together until well combined and a crumble forms. Set aside.
- Make the Coffee Cake Batter: Add the browned butter, Greek yogurt, mashed sweet potato, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and milk to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined.
- To another mixing bowl, add the all purpose flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, and clove. Whisk together until well combined.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until you have a thick batter. Transfer half the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer. Next, sprinkle the cinnamon orange layer evenly over the batter. Next, pour the remaining half of the batter over the cinnamon layer and smooth into an even layer.
- Bake the coffee cake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. If using a ceramic baking dish the cake may take a bit longer to bake.
- Make the Icing: Add the confectioner’s sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and orange zest to a mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined and smooth.
- Let the coffee cake cool for 15-20 minutes before drizzling the icing over the cake while warm. Slice into 9 squares and enjoy!
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: Eat Love Eat
