Sweet Potato Cinammon Roll Cake with Caramel Butter Rum Icing

When a good friend called one day and said, "Come get some sweet potatoes," I went and brought home more than I had anticipated. At first I thought I would make her and her husband some sweet potato butter, but then my mother told me about a recipe she had seen and so we tried it and tweeked it a bit. Oh my goodness gracious. It is bliss on the plate. I think people would drool if you served this for brunch! It's a little time consuming as are all recipes with yeast, but just follow the directions and you'll be glad you did.

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Roll Cake

2 (1/4-oz.) envelopes active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

5-1/2 cups bread flour, divided

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup cooked mashed sweet potato

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped fine

1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix first 3 ingredients in a 1-cup glass measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes. Mix 4-1/2 cups bread flour, salt, and baking soda. Beat yeast mixture and 1/2 cup bread flour at medium speed until well blended. Gradually add sweet potato, next 4 ingredients, and flour mixture, beating until well blended.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic (about 4 to 5 minutes), gradually adding remaining 1/2 cup bread flour. Place dough in a lightly greased large bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place free from drafts (oven with only light on), 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk.

Stir together 2/3 cup granulated sugar and next 3 ingredients. Punch dough down; turn out onto a well-floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll 1 portion into a 16- x 12-inch rectangle. Brush with half of 1/4 cup melted butter. Sprinkle with half of sugar mixture. Cut dough lengthwise into 6 (2-inch-wide) strips using a pizza cutter or knife. Loosely coil 1 strip, and place in center of a lightly greased 10-inch round pan. Loosely coil remaining dough strips, 1 at a time, around center strip, attaching each to the end of the previous strip to make a single large spiral. (Sugared sides of dough strips should face center of spiral.) Repeat with remaining dough half, butter, and sugar mixture. Cover and let rise in a warm place free from drafts, 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans to serving platter.

Caramel Icing

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon  butter rum flavoring (or vanilla)

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Remove from heat; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thicken. Spoon over the warm cake. If too thick, add a little milk.