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And now for something different–sweet potato cheesecake!
Sweet Potato Cheesecake
We all know about pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin pie, right? Why not be bold and substitute sweet potato?
Sweet potato pie is very popular, especially in the south, as a Thanksgiving dessert. Think out of the box and serve this sweet potato cheesecake as an alternate dessert choice for the holidays?
Since sweet potatoes will be featured for very low prices this time of year, I always stock up. What I do is bake them in their jackets and then freeze what I’m not using. This way you always have them on hand. They freeze well and they last for about six months provided they are wrapped properly.
Nope Not Chocolate
See that top? I know you are thinking chocolate; but it’s not.
It’s actually something better than chocolate. It’s the caramelized sugars of the sweet potatoes. I think it’s the best part of this cheesecake. It’s not burned even though it’s quite dark. That caramelized layer is full of flavor. This layer reminds me of the dark skin that forms on top of a baked rice pudding. If you’re a fan of that then you will love this.
Happily, if it doesn’t appeal to anyone, it is easily peeled off.
FYI, this cheesecake bakes at a much higher temperature than the usual. Doesn’t use a water bath either. The higher temps make the caramelization possible.
Garnet Potatoes
If you can get this variety, that’s what the original recipe stated. You will get a nice ruby-colored cake and top skin.
The use or garnets was the first suggestion, however, plain old sweet potatoes can be substituted. The only difference is color, but it won’t affect the taste in the slightest.
One thing I noticed is that even with the high baking temperature, this cheesecake did not crack on the top. Very curious but I was delighted.
The Recipe
Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 2 lb sweet potatoes about 3-4 large
- 24 oz cream cheese at room temperature. DO NOT USE LOW/NO FAT!!!!
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature DO NOT USE LOW/NO FAT!!!!!
- 1/2 cup heavy cream at room temperature
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F/230 C. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for about 1 hour or until a skewer easily slides into flesh. Remove from oven and let them cool slightly then peel off the skins and discard skins.
- Place the sweet potatoes in a food processor and process until smooth. Let them cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour.
- Lightly grease a 9-inch/23 cm springform pan and line the bottom with non-stick parchment.
- Preheat oven to 425 F/220 C.
- Beat cream cheese, sugar and brown sugar in a sturdy mixer until mixture is very smooth, about 3-5 minutes. With mixer still running, add 2 cups of the sweet potatoes gradually and beat until fully incorporated.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- With mixer on low speed, add the cream, sour cream, salt and vanilla. Turn off mixer and sift in the flour, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Turn on mixer to low speed and beat until just incorporated. Fold a few strokes by hand making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth the surface. Place pan on a tray and bake for 55-65 minutes. Top will be deeply brown (and resemble chocolate) and will have a slight wiggle in the center. Transfer to a rack and cool at least 1 1/2 hours.
