Cook your sweet potatoes first and allow them to cool. You will need ¾ cup for the cake + 1 cup for the frosting. If you have leftover baked sweet potatoes, this is a great way to use them.I like the take the easy way out and cook mine quickly by poking a few holes in them with a knife, wrapping them in a wet paper towel, and placing in the microwave for about 5-6 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place all of the wet ingredients– cooked sweet potato, plant milk, vanilla, vinegar-- in your blender and puree until smooth. Because it's such a small amount, I have found that using a Nutribullet or Magic Bullet works well. You might also use a whisk and bowl, if needed. If you are using dates, replace the granular sugar with 1 cup dates + ⅔ cups water. This equals approximately 8-9 pitted mejool dates. Blend well with the other wet ingredients.

Place all of the dry ingredients–flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, sugar–in a large mixing bowl and whisk together well.If you're using a granular sugar, add it in this step. Some good options are pure cane sugar, maple sugar, and sucanat. Using granular sugar is my preference. For those avoiding refined sugar, see my date substitution instructions below.

Next, pour the sweet potato puree into the large bowl with the dry ingredients, add the chocolate chips, and combine them together well.

Pour the cake batter into a silicone baking pan (or line a regular pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking) and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pans work well.The heart cupcake pans are also great if you would rather have cupcakes.

Oven temperatures vary, so around the 25-minute mark, remove the cake from the oven and test for doneness. To do this, insert a toothpick into the highest center point. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. Otherwise,l place back into the oven and test again in 5 minutes.If using dates, increase the cooking time to approximately 40 minutes.

Once the cake is done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool before frosting.

This frosting is so easy, it doesn't even require a bowl! While the cake is cooking is the perfect time to make the frosting. One cup will be used for the frosting and ¾ cup for the cake.

Simply place all the frosting ingredients in a blender or food processor, and mix until smooth. If needed, add a tablespoon of plant milk to keep the blender moving. You might need to stop, scrape the sides down, and continue to blend until smooth.If using dates for the icing, replace the maple syrup with 1 cup pitted dates + ½ cup plant milk.

When the cake has cooled, frost and serve!