Chocolate Potato Cake

About this chocolate potato cake. It's beyond good.
Incredibly moist, sweet and fudgy, it's mixed in the food processor! And the potato is used raw, so there's no cooking it and waiting for it to cool. The chocolate peanut butter frosting is just, literally, the icing of this fabulous cake.

The text and images have been updated to serve you better; the recipe remains the same. Originally published on August 2017

The original recipe is made with Idaho potatoes.  Are they special? Do they taste different? Creamier? Never seen one, or tasted one; not a clue. 

What I do know is that different potatoes make it more or less fudgier. I guess the starch content is different. Or something like that. So make it with your favorite and see how it goes. It will be amazing with any type of potato, but you might see subtle differences.

1. Shred raw potato.
2. Put all ingredients in the processor, including potato. Mix well.
3. Scrape chocolate batter into prepared pan and bake.
4. Make the one-bowl peanut butter chocolate frosting.
5. Frost top of cooled cake.
6. Eat cake with frosting.

The peanut butter chocolate frosting was a last-minute addition when I updated this post years ago. I thought the cake needed something more, for the pictures really.

It turned out to be perfect. And amazing by itself. So use it with any other chocolate cake or muffin or whatever you want. Even as a spread for toast!

Steps for making the frosting:

1. Melt chocolate with some of the cream. I find it's the easiest way to melt it in the microwave without risk of burning it. Even so, you have to be very careful and put the bowl in 10-second spurts and mix it well before popping it again. Sometimes the chocolate looks whole but it is mostly melted already in the center.
2. Mix with the peanut butter (image above, left).
3. Add powdered sugar and/or cream until you get the consistency you want (image above, right). It depends a lot on how thick the peanut butter and cream are. A lot. Sometimes you don't need to add any sugar.

This for me is one of those perfect everyday chocolate cakes. It can be made in any pan you want - cupcakes, round layers, square, even loaf pan.

I like to make it in a square pan (image above) because I like to cut cakes in squares. It's sort of a sheet cake.
It's probably my favorite pan.

Frosting this chocolate potato cake.

I find that a layer of frosting on the top is all it takes to make the cake extra special.

If you have a special icing spatula (image above, right) by all means use it. But a smooth blade everyday knife will do the job perfectly. No need to go buying gadgets you might not use regularly.

So, the ever-popular potato found its way into this truly wonderful chocolate cake. I hope you make it. It's so easy and interesting, you should give it a try. Did I mention the potato is used raw?

Other recipes you might like:
Fudgy Brownie Muffins
Peanut Butter Bread with Chocolate Sauce
Chocolate Chip Date Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
No-bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars
Triple Chocolate Brownie Cake 

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Chocolate Potato Cake

★★★★★ 5 from 11 reviews

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 40
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 12 servings 1x
• Category: Cakes
• Method: Mixing
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Chocolate Potato Cake, Incredibly moist, sweet and fudgy, it's mixed in the food processor! The chocolate peanut butter frosting is just, literally, the icing of this fabulous cake.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the cake:

• 4-oz. (115g) russet potato (or another type), raw, peeled and cut to fit feed tube
• 2 cups (450g) sour cream, at room t°
• 1 ¾ cups (230g) all-purpose or cake flour
• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup  (115g) unsalted butter, room tº
• 2 large eggs, room t°
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt

For the peanut butter frosting:

• 1 cup (250g) peanut butter, at room t°
• 2 oz (55g) semisweet chocolate, melted
• 3-4 tablespoons whipping cream
• ¼ to ½ cup powdered sugar, optional, see notes below

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Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF /180°C.
2. Butter and flour 9×13 inch (20x26cm) cake pan or line it with parchment paper.
3. If you don’t have a large food processor you may need to make it in two batches.
4. Put the shredding disc in the food processor and shred the potato.
5. Change the shredder for the steel knife. If you had to remove the shredded potato momentarily put it back in the bowl of the processor.
6. Add the remaining ingredients and process for 3-4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl and making sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
7. If you have to make it in batchen transfer each mixture to a large bowl and then mix it all together.
8. Transfer chocolate mixture to prepared pan.
9. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until tester inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Cool completely in pan and invert onto platter.
11. Frost with peanut butter chocolate frosting or dust with powdered sugar.

For peanut butter frosting:

1. Melt chocolate and 2 tablespoons of cream in microwave or double boiler.
2. Mix thoroughly with peanut butter and rest of the cream.
3. If you want a thicker consistency add some powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. If it's too thick for your taste add a few tablespoons more cream.
4. Spread on top of the cooled cake with a spatula.

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Notes

Tips & tricks for this recipe:

• Potato: I had different levels of fudginess depending on the potato I use. I guess it's the amount of starch. They all work perfectly well, but you might find that you like the consistency more with one or another.
• Frosting: after mixing peanut butter with chocolate, add powdered sugar and/or cream until you get the consistency you want. It depends a lot on how thick the peanut butter and cream are. A lot. Sometimes you don't need to add any sugar at all.
• Powdered sugar: you can only use a dusting of powdered sugar instead of making the frosting. It is a wonderful plain cake.
• Pans: it can be made in any pan you want - cupcakes, round layers, square, even loaf pan. I like to make it in a square pan (image above) because I like to cut cakes in squares. It's sort of a sheet cake.
• Freezing it: wrap it well and freeze it for up to a month, as any other chocolate cake. Defrost at room t°.

Keywords: potato cake, chocolate potato cake

from Bon Appétit - January 1989

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.