These Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream are soft, spiced, and perfectly balanced with a rich, caramel-like frosting. They're a cozy dessert that feels just right for fall gatherings or anytime you're craving something sweet and unique.
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Why This Recipe Works:
Seasonal: Perfect way to highlight fall flavors in a fun dessert.
Moist: Sweet potatoes keep the cupcakes tender and soft.
Flavorful: Warm spices and brown sugar add depth.
Balanced: The sweet, creamy frosting pairs beautifully with the cupcakes.
I've been tempted to call these sweet potato pie cupcakes because they are so good and remind me of my tasty sweet potato pie recipe! But instead of a marshmallow frosting, I have topped these with my ultra-delicious brown sugar buttercream.
What You Need For Sweet Potato Cupcakes:
Buttermilk- Buttermilk makes the crumb extra tender and adds a subtle tang that enhances the overall flavor.
Sweet Potato Puree- Canned or make your own just make sure it's nice and smooth.
Pie Spice & Cinnamon- These two are all the fall flavors combined for a tasty treat!
Butter- I like to use unsalted butter, but salted can be used in its place.
Brown Sugar Frosting- Just a few ingredients, including butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar, and heavy cream, are needed to create an incredible brown sugar frosting.
If you love sweet potato as much as I do, make sure to check out my old-fashioned sweet potato pie, sweet potato rolls, sweet potato biscuits, this delicious sweet potato soufflé, and read how to tell if sweet potato is bad!
Substitutions & Variations
Sweet Potato Puree: Swap the sweet potato for pumpkin purée and make my pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
Buttermilk: Combine 1 cup milk and 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice, stir, and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Then use it in the recipe.
Frosting: Swap out the brown sugar frosting for chocolate fudge frosting, caramel frosting, whipped cream cheese frosting, or vanilla buttercream!
How to Make Sweet Potato Cupcakes?
- Step 1: Whisk buttermilk, sweet potato puree, and vanilla in a bowl.
- Step 2: Mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice in a different bowl.
- Step 3: Whisk butter and sugar together, then mix in eggs and yolk one at a time.
- Step 4: Mix in the oil, then fold in half the sweet potato mixture, half the flour mixture, and repeat folding in the remaining mixtures.
- Step 5: Scoop into a cupcake tin, then bake until cooked through.
- Step 6: While cooling, make frosting.
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How to Make Brown Sugar Frosting?
- Step 7: Whip butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Step 8: Mix in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time. Then mix in the vanilla and a pinch of salt.
- Step 9: Mix on high until fluffy and everything is fully incorporated!
If you like this sweet potato cupcake recipe, be sure to check out all my favorite easy cupcake recipes, such as White Chocolate Cupcakes, Birthday Funfetti Cupcakes, Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes, and these delicious Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes!
Frequently Asked Questions
To make sweet potato puree, preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash and dry a medium-sized sweet potato. Using a fork, poke holes in it, then wrap it in foil. Bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes, or until it is fully cooked and tender.
Let the sweet potato cool and then peel it. Put it in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Using one batch of frosting, a Wilton 1 M tip, and a piping bag, start by piping frosting on the outer edge of the top of the cupcake and spiraling in and around the cupcake.
Store cupcakes in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Eat within 3-4 days for optimal freshness.
More Related Recipes
Make sure to check out all my tasty fall recipes! Don't miss my easy caramel sauce, mini pumpkin cheesecake, pecan pie cookies, autumn arugula pear salad, caramel popcorn, pecan pie brownies recipe, sweet potato pumpkin pie, glazed walnuts, and these delicious fall cookies!
Video
Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream
Ingredients
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups sweet potato puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ⅓ cups flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cup white sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
Brown Sugar Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 5 tbs heavy cream
- 1 tbs vanilla
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- In a small bowl whisk together buttermilk, sweet potato puree, and vanilla½ cup buttermilk, 1 ½ cups sweet potato puree, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.1 ⅓ cups flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Using a stand mixer, mix sugar and butter until fluffy.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 ¼ cup white sugar
- Once butter and sugar are lighter in color and fully mixed, add each egg and the yolk, one at a time, into the butter mixture, letting each one fully mix into the batter before adding the next. Then add in oil and mix until fully combined.3 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, ¼ cup vegetable oil
- Fold in ½ of the flour and then fold in ½ of the sweet potato mixture to the batter. Then fold in remaining flour and then remaining buttermilk mixture.
- Scoop into lined cupcake tins. Bake for 14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Once the cupcakes are done let them cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- In a stand mixer, whip your butter chunks and brown sugar on medium-low speed until the butter is light and fluffy and the brown sugar is incorporated. Then add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time, letting it mix into the butter thoroughly.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 5 cups powdered sugar, 5 tbs heavy cream
- Add in the vanilla and a pinch of salt, allowing the ingredients to incorporate fully on medium low speed.1 tbs vanilla, Pinch salt
Notes
-
- *To make sweet potato puree, preheat oven to 425°F. Wash and dry a medium sized sweet potato. Using a fork, poke holes in it, then wrap it in foil. Bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes, or until fully cooked and tender. Let the sweet potato cool and then peel it. Put it in a food processor and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you could use canned sweet potato or canned pumpkin for this recipe.
- This recipe makes 24 cupcakes, but if you want 12, halve the ingredients. For ingredients that aren't easily divided by two, I recommend using ¾ cup flour, two whole eggs, and one egg yolk.
Amaya Pendleton says
can i use this recipe to make a cake? if so what would be the time and temperature for it?
Lisa says
I haven't made this into a cake but it should work fine. I'd bake it in two 8 inch rounds and bake for 20-25 minutes. The internal temp of the cake should be 200°F-210°F when it is done, or a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Make sure to spray your cake pans with nonstick spray and then sprinkle with flour- or use the flour spray from the store.
Let me know how it turns out!
Jaime says
I'm using this recipe as a template for another, which I haven't made yet so I can't really comment on that, but I'm giving it five stars anyway because I'm in LOVE with the fact that you put the amounts of the ingredients in with the instructions so there's no need to keep scrolling back and forth. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that!
Lisa says
Yay! So glad you like that! It's a feature I enjoy too and figure other do as well!
Winnie says
I made these with the sweet potato (left over from dinner) and they were delicious. I didn't have quite enough frosting so next time I'll make more. We'll be making these again this week because my kids are already asking for more! Thanks for a great recipe.
Lisa says
I am so glad you liked them! Yes, I've found if you frost the cupcakes with a large tip (like the 1M) it uses so much more frosting! However, more frosting is never a bad thing 😛