If you think sweet potatoes are just for Thanksgiving, think again.

I know, I know—the words “sweet potato” don’t exactly conjure up images of delicious little frosted cakes, but they will after you try this recipe.

One small (the size of a small apple) sweet potato will make enough for two one-serving cakes or four sweet potato cupcakes.

For the cakes, you’ll need the sweet potato, about a half a cup of flour, 1/8 teaspoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons white sugar, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 3 tablespoons canola (or vegetable) oil, 1 egg yolk, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract.

And for the icing, you’ll need 3 tablespoons powdered (confectioners’) sugar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 3 tablespoons heavy cream, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, and a few drops of vanilla extract.

This recipe requires some prep, so you’ll need to either make it on a weekend or carve out time in your schedule for the sweet potato to cook. Here’s what you do:

Heat your oven to 375. Prick the sweet potato several times with a fork and place it in the oven to bake in a pan or baking sheet coated with aluminum foil. Let it stay in there for about an hour. When it’s done, take it out and let it cool. Leave the oven on, but turn it down to 350.

Peel the skin off the sweet potato, and use a fork to smash the flesh in a bowl. A couple of small lumps are OK, but you want it to be as smooth as possible.

Add the sugar, canola oil, egg yolk, and vanilla to the mix.

Then mix up your dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt.

Add the flour mix to the sweet potato mix and stir gently until it’s just combined.

Grease and flour your mini cake pans or muffin cups (fill any unused muffin cups with a little water). Divide your batter evenly in the pans/cups, and bake for about 18 minutes.

While the cakes are baking, you can make the icing. Put the powdered sugar in a small bowl, then put all the other icing ingredients in a small pan. Set the pan on low heat on the stove and simmer the ingredients for 2-3 minutes.

After that mixture has thickened, pour it into the powdered sugar and whisk them together (important to use a whisk because a spoon won’t break up lumps).

Let the icing cool for a few minutes, then use a spoon to drizzle it over the little cakes. You might have an excess of icing, but I’m pretty sure you can think of a way to dispose of it (read: lick the spoon often).

And that’s it! You can let your cakes cool, but I prefer them warm. Yum, yum, and YUM!