Layered Sweet Potato Torte Recipes

POTATO & SWEET POTATO TORTE

Steps:

• 1. Position oven rack at the lowest level; preheat to 450°F. 2, Coat a 9 1/2-inch, deep-dish pie pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper or foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. 2, Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and thyme. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. (If necessary, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to prevent scorching.) 3. Season with 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. 4. Arrange half the sweet potato slices, slightly overlapping, in the prepared pie pan and season with a little of the remaining salt and pepper. 5. Spread one-third of the leeks over the top. 6. Arrange half the potato slices over the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Top with another third of the leeks. 7. Layer the remaining sweet potatoes, leeks and potatoes in the same manner. Cover the pan tightly with foil. 8. Bake the torte until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. 9. Run a knife around the edge of the torte to loosen it. Invert onto a serving plate. Remove paper or foil and serve. Tip: To clean leeks: Trim and discard coarse green tops. Split leeks lengthwise with a sharp knife, beginning about 1 inch from the root end and cutting toward the green end. Leave root end attached. Swish leeks repeatedly in a basin of cold water to remove grit. Alternatively, trim roots and ragged tops. Slice leeks and place in plenty of water, then drain. Repeat a few times. The slices do not absorb water or lose flavor and the process is faster.

SPICED SWEET-POTATO CAKE WITH MERINGUE FROSTING

Steps:

• For the Cake: Preheat oven to 375°F. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until soft, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Halve, scoop flesh from skins, and mash until smooth (you should have about 1 1/4 cups). Let cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days.
• Lower oven temperature to 350°F. Brush a 9-by-13-inch cake pan or baking dish with butter. Line bottom and two long sides with parchment, leaving a slight overhang on sides; brush parchment with butter.
• In a bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices until aerated and thoroughly combined, 30 seconds. In a mixer, beat butter with brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and potato mash to thoroughly combine (mixture will appear grainy). Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture in three additions, alternating with buttermilk and beginning and ending with flour mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread evenly to edges with an offset spatula.
• Bake until cake is set and springs back when lightly pressed in center, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Flip out onto a wire rack, remove parchment, and let cool completely.
• For the Frosting: In a small saucepan, bring granulated sugar, 1/4 cup water, and corn syrup to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Cook, undisturbed, until syrup registers 248°F on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar, increase speed to medium, and beat until soft peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and pour hot syrup down the side of the bowl in a slow, steady stream. Increase speed to high; beat until mixture cools slightly and reaches stiff, glossy peaks, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large, plain round tip (or transfer to a resealable freezer bag and snip off one corner). Starting at one corner of cake, pipe frosting lengthwise to form side-by-side rows. Wave a kitchen torch over frosting to brown in places (or place frosted cake under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes).

SWEET POTATO LAYER CAKE WITH SPICED PECAN BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Make Spiced Pecans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them for 10 minutes, until fragrant. Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl, using your fingers to mix everything thoroughly. Stir in the melted butter to make a paste. Add the toasted pecans to the mixture and stir to coat, then spread them evenly on the baking sheet and return to the oven for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, drizzle over the rum, and bake for 8 more minutes, stirring once. Remove from the oven, cool completely and leave the oven on. When cool, chop the pecans into medium-fine pieces, some larger than others, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork. Microwave on high until very tender, about 8 minutes per side. Cool, peel, and mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher or fork.
• Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Spray 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with nonstick baking spray and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add the canola oil; beat on medium until combined. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and mix until combined. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and then mix the dry ingredients into the sweet potato mixture. Mix in vanilla and rum. Fold in 1 1/4 cups of the chopped Spiced Pecans by hand. Evenly distribute cake batter into the prepared pans, and transfer to the oven. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let pans cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack; cool completely.
• Make the buttercream while the cake is baking: Beat the egg yolks in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high until very thick, about 5 minutes. Combine the sugar with the syrup in a small saucepan, and set over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a full boil. Immediately scrape the mixture into a heatproof 1-cup glass measure. With the mixer on high speed, pour a few tablespoons of the sugar mixture into the yolks and beat for a few seconds. Repeat until all of the syrup has been added. Beat until the bowl has cooled to room temperature. On medium speed, add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. The frosting will begin to come together after all of the butter has been incorporated (it will look curdled first, but be patient and it will come together beautifully!). Scrape the bowl and beat in the vanilla and salt. Mix in 3/4 cup chopped Spiced Pecans.
• Cut each cooled cake layer in half horizontally, creating 4 layers. Set 1 layer, cut side up, on a cake round or cake plate and spread a thin layer of frosting on the surface. Stack next layer on top, and frost. Repeat frosting-and-stacking process until each layer is frosted. Spread remaining frosting on sides and top of cake. Arrange remaining Spiced Pecans decoratively on top of cake. Chill for 1 hour or serve immediately if you can't wait!
• A viewer, who may not be a professional cook, provided this recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results.

LEEK, POTATO & SWEET POTATO TORTE

Steps:

• Have oven rack on lowest level, preheat to 450°F.
• Lightly oil a 9" deep pie plate, line it on the bottom with parchment and lightly oil the parchment.
• Heat the tbsp of oil in a skillet and saute the leeks and thyme for approx 5 minutes, watch they don't scorch, if necessary add a tbsp or two of water, remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange half of the sweet potatoes in the pie plate, have them slightly overlapping going around the plate ending up in the center of the pie plate--one layer but overlapped.
• Season with salt and pepper. Spread 1/3 of the leek mixture over the sweet potatoes.
• Layer half of the potatoes in the same manner as the sweet potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cover with 1/3 leeks repeat with another final layer of potatoes. Cover with remaining leeks. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add final layer of sweet potatoes.
• Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
• To serve run a knife around the edge to loosen, invert onto a plate, remove parchment paper, slice in wedges and serve.

YUKON GOLD AND SWEET POTATOES ANNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut Yukon Gold and sweet potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick slices with a handheld slicer or sharp knife, keeping potato varieties separate.
• Brush an ovenproof 9- or 10-inch nonstick skillet with some butter. Starting in center of pan, arrange about 20 Yukon Gold slices, slightly overlapping, in a circular pattern, covering surface. Brush with butter and generously season with salt and pepper. Make next layer with sweet-potato slices; brush with butter and season. Repeat, alternating colors. Drizzle remaining butter on top of potatoes.
• Cook potatoes over medium-high heat until butter vigorously bubbles in pan, about 4 minutes. Transfer to oven and bake 30 minutes. Tent loosely with foil and continue to bake until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes more. Remove from oven, and run a heatproof flexible spatula around edges of potatoes to loosen. Let cool; carefully invert onto a plate, cut into wedges, and serve.