True story: I had never eaten sweet potato pie.
I’d never even seen one.
I’d never been in the same room as a sweet potato pie.
I never tried making one or looked up a recipe for it.
The closest I’d come was belting out James Taylor’s song in the bathroom (hairbrush microphone, excellent acoustics). That was as close as I got to sweet potato pie—until I decided to make sweet potato pie cupcakes.
Yes, I photographed them, acted like I knew what I was doing, and convinced myself that making a dessert with a vegetable deserves a gold star.
I hope someone who has actually tasted sweet potato pie—or considers themselves a sweet potato pie connoisseur—will make these cupcakes and tell me whether they capture the real thing. To me, sweet potato pie suggests sweet potatoes, cinnamon, plenty of sugar and maybe marshmallows. But that could be confused with sweet potato casserole, in which case I’ve basically made a casserole-style cupcake, which sounds gross but isn’t.
These cupcakes are not gross. I’m just a little needy today and could use reassurance.
Eating half a dozen cupcakes in two days didn’t convince me, so I’m asking you: did I get close?
Sweet Potato Pie Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting
12
cupcakes
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Ingredients
Graham crust
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
Cupcakes
- 1 1/3 cups loosely packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 6 ounces cooked, mashed sweet potato
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup milk
Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1–2 teaspoons milk, if needed
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake tin with liners. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs until moist. Press about 1/2–1 tablespoon of crumbs into the bottom of each liner.
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In a large bowl, whisk egg and brown sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and melted butter, then whisk in the mashed sweet potato. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add milk and mix until combined and smooth. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter over each graham crust. Bake 15–17 minutes, until set and springy to the touch. Cool completely before frosting.
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For the frosting: beat softened butter until creamy. Add marshmallow fluff and beat 2–3 minutes, then add vanilla. With the mixer on low, add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until incorporated. Beat on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Adjust consistency with more sugar if too runny, or 1 teaspoon milk at a time if too thick. Frost cupcakes and, if desired, drizzle with caramel and sprinkle crushed cinnamon pecans.
Dessert
American
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I can’t wait to tell you about bread tomorrow.