• Preheat the oven to 350°F.

For the Date Paste

• 1 cup pitted dates and ¾ cup water blended well in a blender or food processor. Set aside to be added to the wet ingredients shortly.

For the Cake

• Place dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl and whisk together well.
• In a medium sized bowl, combine wet ingredients - apple sauce, plant milk, vanilla, vinegar, date paste and whisk together thoroughly.
• Pour wet ingredients into the large bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk them together well.
• Pour the cake batter into 2 x 8" round cake pans that have been sprayed and lined with parchment.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the highest point. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done, otherwise place back into the oven and test again in 5 minutes.
 Once the cakes are done, remove them from the oven and allow to cool before frosting.

For the Frosting

• Cook the sweet potato in the microwave for about 5 minutes depending on the size of the potato. Don’t forget to poke a few holes in it with a knife. Once it’s done, allow to cool and remove the skin.
• Place all the frosting ingredients including the cooked sweet potato in a food processor and blend until smooth.
• When the cakes are cooled, frost and serve.