#13: Sweet (Sweet Potato) Cupcakes

(photo credit to fred chang)

if the sweet potato intimidates you, or turns you off...think of these as pumpkin cupcakes! i made these for a thanksgiving potluck at work and they were an absolute hit! i found this recipe in my Martha Stewart cupcake book. Really, the only modification I made to the recipe was adding a dollop of cream cheese frosting. These mini cupcakes contain freshly roasted, caramelized sweet potatoes, with nutmeg and all your other standard cupcake ingredients. They were topped with cream cheese frosting, mini marshmallows, and candied pecans (also home made). My helper (Fred) also had some fun with a butane torch, lightly toasting the tops of the cupcakes (Karen, Madi, and Sarah - I finally used the torch from the creme brulee set!). I think the cream cheese was a good call to act as more of a binder - without it, I think there would have been something missing from the cupcake. What a tasty treat for Thanksgiving!