I know what many of you are thinking, Sick! Sweet potato cupcake? Well, set the thought aside, because you have to try these! I was a bit skeptical myself before trying them. They are amazing! If you like pumpkin desserts, sweet potatoes, candied yams or cupcakes then you will love these. A moist, tender sweet potato cupcake is topped with a sprinkling of brown sugar that bakes to amazing perfection (giving it a slight crispness on top), then it's topped with deliciously browned gooey marshmallows.
I created this recipe because I had some leftover sweet potatoes from Thanksgiving and I wanted to try something new and exciting. It took a few attempts for me to get the recipe just as I wanted it. The first batch I tried with a whole stick of butter (rather than a 1/2 like this recipe) and they were way too dense and moist (I didn't know there was such a thing but there is indeed =). It was like eating a mashed potato. So with this recipe I cut back on the butter and added more buttermilk and the texture is just right. And bonus, that means less fat (the topping has less fat than your average cupcake too, marshmallows have no fat that's a significant difference compared to your average cupcake frosting with a stick or two of butter).
Don't snub these cupcakes just because of their title! They are one of the best cupcakes I have ever eaten, with just the right amount of spice and that amazing brown sugar marshmallow topping I can't get enough of.
You may also like my recipe for Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls.
Sweet Potato Cupcakes
Yields 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup sweet potato puree*
Topping:
2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar, divided
3 cups mini marshmallows
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, set aside. In a small mixing bowl whisk together, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter and brown sugar until lighter and slightly fluffy about 3 - 4 minutes. Stir in egg and vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk. Stir until well combine. Mix in sweet potato puree. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full (about scant 1/4 cup in each). Sprinkle 1/2 tsp brown sugar over each cupcake. Bake 19 - 21 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in muffin tins before removing to wire rack to cool. Cool cupcakes on wire rack at least 5 minutes. Generously butter a cookie sheet. Spread mini marshmallows in a single layer on cookie sheet, keeping the marshmallows close together. Heat oven to broil. Place marshmallows in oven under broiler (DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM THEM), cook about 30 seconds-1 minute until they start to brown slightly. Remove from oven and using a buttered spatula scoop marshmallows over tops off cupcakes.
*I use fresh sweet potatoes in mine:
To do this preheat oven to 400 degrees. Poke 1 medium sweet potato several times, place on a baking sheet in the oven and bake until soft about 1 hour. Allow to cool slightly, then peel and puree potato in a food processor, or mash. You can also use canned pureed sweet potatoes if you'd like.
The Center of Attention
