Bring a taste of Old Salem home for the holidays.

This North Carolina specialty is made with mashed potatoes and topped with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

While Moravian sugar cake is eaten year-round, it’s especially beloved at religious holidays like Christmas and Easter.

Southern Living Moravian sugar cake cut on plates to serve

Credit:Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

It also makes a fantastic gift for the holidays or a sweet surprise for new parents.

What Is Moravian Sugar Cake?

There, it’s not at all uncommon to spot the dimpled cake in bakeries and storefronts.

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake ingredients

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It’s deeply connected (as the name suggests) to the Moravian Church community in and around Winston-Salem.

In fact, you may have most on hand as long as you have the potatoes.

Why mashed potatoes?

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake

Credit:Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Using potatoes to enrich a yeasted dough is not an uncommon practice.

Here’s a brief guide to the process.

The full recipe with step-by-step photos is further below:

What Does Moravian Sugar Cake Taste Like?

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake mashing the potato

Credit:Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Its surprisingly not too sweet and has a nice subtle warmth from the cinnamon.

The sugar topping creates a crisp shell on top that gives a satisfying crunch when you bite into it.

Ingredients

Dough:

1small(6 oz.

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake blooming the yeast

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)envelope active dry yeast

1/3cup, plus1/4tsp.granulated sugar, divided

6Tbsp.

to 8 1/2 oz.

Bring to a simmer over medium; cook, undisturbed, until potato is tender, about 10 minutes.

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake stirring in the mashed potato

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Drain and mash the potatoes:

Drain potato, and return to saucepan.

Mash potato until very smooth.

Measure out 1/2 cup mashed potato, and set aside.

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake adding the egg

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(Reserve extra potato for another use or discard.)

Let stand at room temperature until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add mashed potatoes:

Stir in 1/2 cup mashed potato until evenly combined.

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake beating the dough until smooth

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(Dough should be soft and tacky but not sticky.)

Cover and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume, 60 to 90 minutes.

Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake dough beaten until smooth and elastic

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Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375F.

Prepare the Topping:

Stir together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Indent Dough using your knuckles, and sprinkle evenly with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake dough after rising

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Drizzle melted butter evenly over top.

Bake cake:

Bake in preheated oven until puffed and golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.

Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 1 hour.

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake pressing the dough into the pan

Credit:Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Cut into 9 squares, and serve.

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake after rising in the pan

Credit:Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake sprinkling with the topping

Credit:Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake drizzling with melted butter

Credit:Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Southern Living Moravian Sugar Cake after baking on a cooling rack

Credit:Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox