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Looking for a way to satisfy your sweet tooth? Look no further than this super moist and decadent sweet potato chocolate cake. It’s an easy-to-make healthy vegan sweet potato cake you can serve up for breakfast, snacks, or even for dessert!

completed Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake with two sliced pieces against a white surface

Looking for more ways you can sneak veggies into vegan desserts? Sweet potatoes and vegan chocolate are paired again to make these fudgy sweet potato brownies!

For something different, try these banana zucchini cookies, pumpkin stuffed dates, or a decadent chocolate avocado pudding.

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Why This Recipe Works

  • Sneak more veggies in! Having a hard time getting the kids to eat their veggies? The delicious flavor in this vegan loaf cake will fool even the pickiest eater!
  • Simple ingredients. This vegan chocolate cake with sweet potatoes uses easy-to-find ingredients you can get at your local grocery store.
  • Make this ahead of time. To use during the week to add on to breakfast, a lunch box meal, or even a light evening snack.

What Goes Into This Recipe

There are no big surprises in this sweet potato cake! You should be able to pick them up easily in a quick trip to the grocery store.

ingredients for Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake measured out against a white surface
  • Sweet potatoes: Cooked sweet potatoes are the secret ingredient that gives this cake its super dense fudgy texture.
  • Plant-based milk: Almond, soy, oat, cashew, and coconut milk are all good options.
  • Maple syrup: This liquid sweetener adds sweetness but you can also use date or agave syrup.
  • Oat flour: Makes a great base in this sweet potato cake recipe and holds everything together.
  • Cocoa powder: Go for unsweetened cocoa powder for the best flavor.
  • Cinnamon: Adds a hint of spice that works great with the vegan chocolate and sweet potato.
  • Baking soda and salt: For flavor and texture.
  • Vegan chocolate chips: Adds more rich chocolate flavor.
  • Chia seeds and crushed almonds: Both ingredients are optional but they do boost the nutrition and add a bit of texture to the cake.

How To Make Vegan Sweet Potato Cake

Once you get the sweet potatoes cooked, making this vegan chocolate loaf cake is super easy.

  • 1) To get started, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and boil the diced sweet potatoes in boiling water in a saucepan for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork-tender. 
  • 2) When the sweet potatoes are done, remove the skin and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.
sweet potatoes in a food processor
  • 3) Combine the sweet potato puree, plant-based milk, and maple syrup in a large mixing bowl and mix together. Add the oat flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and vegan chocolate chips. If you are using the chia seeds and almonds add them in at this time.
  • 4) Mix everything together until a dough is formed.
process of mixing sweet potato mixture together in a bowl
  • 5) Place the dough in a greased loaf pan and bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a fork comes out clean and the top is hardened a bit. 
  • 6) Remove from the oven and allow the vegan chocolate loaf cake to cool completely!
completed Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake against a white surface

Expert Tips and FAQs

  • Want a fudgier loaf? Underbake the vegan sweet potato cake slightly. 
  • Serving this vegan sweet potato cake. It tastes even better topped with your favorite nut butter.
  • Store in the refrigerator. The sweet potatoes in this recipe mean leftovers need to be stored in the refrigerator.
Can I bake or roast the sweet potatoes instead of boiling them?

Yes and no. If you prefer to bake the sweet potatoes whole instead of boiling it works great but it does take longer. I don’t recommend roasting cut sweet potatoes as they may develop crispy edges that won’t blend up smooth. Baking sweet potatoes does retain more of the nutrients than boiling them.

completed Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake with two sliced pieces against a white surface

Variations

  • Swap the sweet potatoes. If you don’t have sweet potatoes, try some pumpkin!
  • Bake muffins instead! Pour the batter into a muffin tin and decrease the baking time to 12-15 minutes.
  • Add some walnuts. Instead of almonds or chia!

More Vegan Cake Recipes

Photos by Alfonso Revilla

Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake

5 from 63 votes
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 10 servings
This Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake is an easy-to-make healthy dessert you can serve up for breakfast, snacks, or even for dessert! It's packed with tasty pantry staples that the entire family will enjoy!

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups sweet potatoes
  • ¼ cup of plant-based milk
  • ½ to ¾ cup of maple syrup
  • 1 ½ cups of oat flour (ground oats)
  • ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ Tablespoon of cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons of baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • ¼ cup of vegan chocolate chips optional
  • ¼ cup chia seeds to blend in optional
  • ¼ cup of crushed almonds optional

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Boil 2 medium diced sweet potatoes in a saucepan for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork-tender. Remove skin and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.
  • In a large bowl, combine sweet potato puree, plant-based milk, and maple syrup. Add in oat flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, vegan chocolate chips, and chia seeds and almonds (if using).
  • Combine until dough is formed.
  • Place the dough in a greased bread loaf pan and bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a fork comes out clean and the top is hardened a bit. Let cool completely and enjoy topped with nut butter of choice!

Notes

  • Want a fudgier loaf? Underbake the vegan sweet potato cake slightly. 
  • Serving vegan chocolate cake. It tastes even better topped with your favorite nut butter.
  • Store in the refrigerator. The sweet potatoes in this recipe mean leftovers need to be stored in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 173kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 4gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 364mgPotassium: 260mgFiber: 4gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 3775IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 2mg

Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.

Additional Info

Author: Lauren Bossi
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Method: Oven
Diet: Vegan
Tried this recipe?Please tag us at @PlantBasedOnABudget! 🙂
About

Lauren Bossi

My name is Lauren Bossi; I run Track & Field at the University of Hartford in CT. I’ve got a passion for running and plant-based eats. When I’m not wandering around the aisles of the grocery store I enjoy cooking, baking, photography, pun-writing and tag-saling.

More about Lauren Bossi

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Comments

  1. What size serving does this recipe for sweet potato cake have 34 g of carbohydrates? I need to watch my carb intake,

    1. Hi! We at Plant-Based on a Budget haven’t tried that out yet so can’t guarantee the results of either so please let us know how it turns out if you do 🙂

  2. OOOOH! I will be making this recipe but I will probably add chopped ginger. Also, staying with sweet potato recipes, I think a vegan cream cheese frosting made from white sweet potatoes (lemon juice, maple syrup, etc) would complete the package.

  3. 5 stars
    This loaf is absolutely perfect! I love desserts with veggies! Perfect way to add additional nutrients to your diet!

  4. 5 stars
    I love sweet potatoes but have never thought of using them to make chocolate cake. I’m always looking for healthy versions of my favourite foods that don’t compromise on taste or texture so this is perfect!

  5. 5 stars
    This was my first time using sweet potatoes in a cake so I was a little skeptical but it totally works! Delicious and the texture is spot on. 🙂

  6. I’ve been loving sweet potatoes lately and this chocolate cake did the trick! So sweet and delicious!