It’s a big day to be a baker – it’s my birthday! Each year I use this as an opportunity to bake something a little wild and a little complicated. This week, I’m presenting a “Sweet Potato Cake Topped with Cinnamon Swiss Meringue and Smoked Paprika Salted Caramel.”

If you’re like me and keep up with the daily horoscope section at The Dispatch, you’ll know this is the perfect birthday cake for a Scorpio – it’s dramatic, a bit spicy and requires precision. I don’t want to scare you off, though. If you do want to try this recipe, it’s actually relatively quick to make and would be an absolute showstopper at an upcoming Friendsgiving gathering.

I adapted this recipe from Justine Doiron of Justine Snacks’ “Sweet Potato Cake with Smoked Paprika Caramel” (www.justinesnacks.com). In my opinion, Justine is the queen of unexpected flavor combinations, and I love making recipes from her blog. You can find anything from “Zucchini Bread Ice Cream” to “Beet Ricotta Gnocchi.” She brings a refreshingly playful sense of curiosity to recipe development, and if you can’t tell, I’m a huge fan.

Normally, I wouldn’t change anything about one of Justine’s recipes, but I decided to make a Swiss meringue instead of using her suggested whipped cream topping. I was thinking about Thanksgiving when I made this, so this change is loosely inspired by a sweet potato casserole’s classic marshmallow topping. Swiss meringue mimics marshmallow in that it is light, airy and a bit gooey, much like melted marshmallow.

The Swiss meringue and the smoked paprika salted caramel are the more technically challenging parts of this bake. The cake itself is simple and straightforward. You don’t even have to roast your sweet potatoes beforehand; you can just peel, grate and throw the raw sweet potato into the batter. I was lucky to snag some local sweet potatoes from Lane Farms at the Hitching Lot Farmers Market.

As for the caramel, the method presented here requires maybe 10 minutes of patience. You’re left with a gorgeous, spiced caramel sauce to top your cake. The biggest tip is to watch the caramel carefully so it doesn’t burn. I didn’t have any heavy cream in my fridge, so I used a bit of coconut milk I had on hand. It worked well as a fat substitute, and it still turned out perfectly.

The Swiss meringue requires a candy thermometer and a double boiler – a fancy way of saying a bowl inside a pot. I used a recipe from Stella Parks of Serious Eats (www.seriouseats.com). She calls for a bit of a controversial step: heating your sugar-and-egg-white mixture to 175 degrees Fahrenheit instead of the traditional 160 degrees. By heating to 175 and immediately transferring to a stand mixer to whip on high, you get a shiny, fluffy, stable meringue that won’t easily deflate. This process took me about 15 minutes, including heating the water for the double boiler, so it’s easier than it sounds.

Even if you don’t try this recipe, I hope you enjoy looking at it. The cake was perfectly moist and subtly spiced, the Swiss meringue was fluffy and sweet, and the smoked paprika salted caramel added depth and intrigue. Just like Scorpios, it seems mysterious and complicated, but once you dig in, you find sweetness, care and wonderful complexity.

Happy birthday to all my fellow November Scorpios – this one is for you.

SWEET POTATO CAKE WITH CINNAMON SWISS MERINGUE & SMOKED PAPRIKA SALTED CARAMEL

Ingredients for the Sweet Potato Cake:
220 grams grated raw sweet potato (about one large sweet potato)
3 large eggs
150 grams granulated sugar
90 grams light brown sugar
140 grams olive oil
185 grams all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Ingredients for the Smoked Paprika Salted Caramel:
110 grams densely packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons salted butter
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
60 grams coconut milk or heavy cream
Kosher salt, to taste

Ingredients for the Cinnamon Swiss Meringue:
170 grams egg whites (from 5 to 6 large eggs)
255 grams granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
■ Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
■ Prepare the cake. In a large bowl, whisk together sweet potato and eggs. Add sugars and oil and mix to combine.
■ Add flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and smoked paprika. Whisk into a batter.
■ Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment. Pour in batter and bake 40–45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set in the freezer to chill about 10 minutes.
■ While the cake bakes, prepare the caramel. Set a small pan over medium heat. Add sugar and water and stir to combine. Allow to come to a soft boil, smoothing the sugar and scraping any crystals from the sides of the pan.
■ Reduce heat to low. Stir constantly and add butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing to combine. Add smoked paprika and coconut milk or cream and mix. Cook 2–3 more minutes to thicken but do not let it bubble. Taste carefully and season with salt.
■ Prepare the Swiss meringue. Fill a wide pot halfway with water and bring to a gentle simmer.
■ Combine egg whites, sugar, salt and cream of tartar in a stand mixer bowl. Place over steaming water, stirring constantly until mixture reaches 175°F.
■ Transfer to stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whip on high, gradually adding cinnamon, until meringue is glossy and holds peaks, about 5 minutes.
■ When cake is cool to the touch, remove from pan and transfer to serving plate. Top generously with cinnamon Swiss meringue and drizzle with smoked paprika salted caramel. Serve and enjoy!