Sweet Potato Casserole Cupcakes {Homemade Marshmallow Frosting}

These delectable Sweet Potato Casserole Cupcakes have a spiced sweet potato cake, a brown sugar pecan topping and a generous swirl of homemade marshmallow frosting!

I think I’m cursed.

I see dishes and I can’t stop thinking about how to turn them into cupcakes.

Pumpkin Pecan Pie Cupcakes? Check.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes? Check.

Peach Crisp Cupcakes? Check, check.

Make it stop!

Or maybe don’t because this cupcake will give the sweet potato casserole a run for its money!

Moist spiced, sweet potato cake with a brown sugar pecan topping baked inside, all topped with the easiest homemade marshmallow frosting.

And then you get to torch it! Isn’t this fun!?

Everyone knows that the brown sugar marshmallow topping is the best part of the casserole, so I stuffed this little cupcake with a generous amount of traditional sweet potato casserole topping. Some baked down in the cupcake and some got nice and crispy on top.

My husband isn’t a fan of marshmallows. Even vanilla cinnamon scented homemade marshmallow frosting. Which means…

More for me!

Despite his aversion, he loved these cupcakes because all the individual tastes meld together into a harmony of sweet potato casserole flavors.

This frosting was delightfully easy and the hint of cinnamon paired perfectly with sweet potato cake. It holds it’s shape but will remain soft and creamy so each bite will be better than the next!

This cupcake has it all: texture, sweet and savory flavor, beauty.

The marshmallow frosting is impossibly smooth and creamy, a little crunch from the brown sugar pecan filling and the soft, and moist spiced sweet potato cake is a combination no one will be able to resist!

My only note here is to try not to taste test all of the topping. {cough, cough Lindsey}

Sweet Potato Casserole Cupcakes {Homemade Marshmallow Frosting}

Chef Lindsey

These delectable Sweet Potato Casserole Cupcakes have a spiced sweet potato cake, a brown sugar pecan topping and a generous swirl of homemade marshmallow frosting!

Cooking ModePrevent screen from sleeping

PRINT Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16 people

Calories 311 kcal

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

US CustomaryMetric

For the Cupcakes:

• ▢ 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cinnamon (slightly rounded)
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ginger
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon zest (about 1 small lemon, dark yellow parts only)
• ▢ 4 eggs
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• ▢ 1 cup sweet potato puree (about 2 small potatoes, directions below)
• ▢ ⅔ cup whole milk

For the Topping:

• ▢ ½ cup dark brown sugar (packed)
• ▢ ⅓ cup flour
• ▢ 6 tablespoons melted butter*
• ▢ 1 cup chopped pecans (toasted)
• ▢ Dash Saigon cinnamon
• ▢ Pinch kosher salt

Frosting:

• ▢ Marshmallow Frosting Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

 

Cook Sweet Potatoes:

• Peel and cut your sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes. It doesn’t have to be exact. You just want them to be roughly the same size, so they cook evenly. Place in a small saucepot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to medium and continue to cook until very tender and can easily be pierced with a fork. Drain and mash with a spoon, puree with an immersion blender, or press through a ricer (my favorite because it gets out some of the strings).

Make the Topping (Optional)

• Mix all the topping ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Make the Cupcakes:

• Preheat your oven to 350° and line 16 muffin tins with liners (I use 2 plain liners).
• In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and all spices; set aside.
• In a large bowl on in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream sugars, butter, and lemon zest together with a hand mixer until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the vanilla with the last egg.
• Add the sweet potato puree and mix on medium until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds.
• Alternately add flour and milk, beginning and ending with flour. I add a third of the flour then half of the milk and repeat. Fold the last flour addition in by hand to avoid over mixing.
• Scoop into prepared tins, filling almost to the top of the cup. Add a generous amount of topping the top of each cupcake, pressing some down inside. Bake in preheated oven 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few clinging crumbs. Mine took 17 minutes.
• Remove immediately from muffin tins to cool completely on a wire rack.

Assemble the Cupcakes:

• Once cupcakes are cool, frost with your favorite piping tip! You can spread the frosting on but it will be messy and you will probably be covered in marshmallow fluff by the time you are done.
• Toast the frosting with a kitchen torch or under a broiler. The frosting is delicious untoasted, so that is always an option.

Video Instructions

Notes

**Toast whole Pecans on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer for 10 minutes in a preheated 350° oven, or until you can smell them and the light parts of the pecans have turned a light golden brown. Pre-chopped pecans will toast faster!

Keyword Cupcake Recipe, salty sweet dessert, sweet potato

Tried this recipe?Mention @cheflindseyfarr