Baby Sweet Potato Cakes With Pecans And Sticky Caramel Sauce

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (15 ounce) can sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• vanilla ice cream (optional)
• heavy cream (optional)

Recipe

• 1 beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
• 2 add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
• 3 combine flour and baking soda.
• 4 gradually add half of flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended, and stopping to scrape bottom and down sides of bowl.
• 5 add remaining half of flour mixture, and beat until blended.
• 6 add vanilla and next 5 ingredients, beating at medium speed until smooth.
• 7 spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray, filling two-thirds full.
• 8 3. bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• 9 cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes.
• 10 remove warm cakes from pan, and sprinkle with toasted pecans.
• 11 top each cake with 2 1/2 tbsp caramel-pecan sauce (*recipe follows).
• 12 serve with vanilla ice cream or ice-cold heavy cream, if desired.
• 13 *caramel-pecan sauce:.
• 14 cook butter and sugar in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes or until butter melts and sugar dissolves.
• 15 whisk in heavy cream and coffee granules. bring mixture to a light boil, stirring constantly.
• 16 turn off heat, and let stand on cooktop until slightly cool, stirring often. makes 2 cups.