I know, it sounds too good to be true, and it is. But compared to what frosting usually is, this recipe seems a bit better! With only two ingredients - sweet potato and chocolate chips - it really does a fantastic job at both mimicking a standard chocolate frosting AND cutting out a bit of the fat and sugar, depending on which standard frosting type you're comparing it to. Here's the breakdown, all using semisweet chocolate, per 1/4c (about the amount on a tall cupcake):
Chocolate American Buttercream Frosting: 277cal, 30g sugar, 14g fat
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting: 187cal, 16g sugar, 14g fat
Chocolate Sweet Potato Frosting: 169cal, 19g sugar, 9g fat
Crazy, right? When compared to American buttercream - your typical chocolate frosting with butter, powdered sugar, and chocolate; the type you buy at the store, comes on store-bought sheet cake, or what most people make at home - it's pretty damn "healthy". Cool to see, though, that swiss meringue buttercream is significantly healthier than that as well.
I will say that this frosting is neither as silky smooth or as sweet as what you're probably used to, but it's REALLY delicious! I made this cake and served it to a group of about 15 people, and not only did everyone gobble it up just as quickly as any of my other cakes, but no one could guess the secret ingredient! If you don't know that it's sweet potato and you're not a huge cook/baker yourself, you couldn't guess. Once you know what's in it you can taste the sweet potato a bit, but it's really just super tasty regardless.
I highly encourage you to try this recipe for yourself, especially since it's got only two ingredients and four steps. It's perfect for when you want to lighten things up a bit, or if you need a non-dairy/vegan frosting recipe (just make sure you pick dairy-free chocolate).
Happy Baking!
MAKES ~6 cups of frosting, enough to fill and frost a 3-layer 8” cake or 24 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS/SUPPLIES
2 large sweet potatoes (36oz) OR 36oz canned sweet potato puree
24oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (or chocolate chips) - you could use milk chocolate instead, but it would be a bit sweeter (and therefore less healthy) and thinner
aluminum foil
tons
food processor
mixing bowl
spatula
DIRECTIONS
If using sweet potato puree, heat it to steaming but not bubbling in the microwave or on the stovetop, then skip to step 4. If using sweet potatoes start with step 2.
Heat your oven to 375F, then roast your sweet potatoes on a piece of aluminum foil until fully cooked (~1 hour, or when there's no resistance when a fork is inserted).
Let the sweet potatoes cool just until you can handle them, about a half hour - but they should still be hot.
Scoop the potato out of the skins into your food processor, add 24oz chopped chocolate or chocolate chips, and process until completely combined and smooth (the residual heat from the potato will melt the chocolate).
Transfer it to a mixing bowl and let cool to room temperature, stirring with a spatula occasionally. At that point if it's not thick enough for you to use, chill it in the fridge until it is, making sure to stir every 20 minutes.