This Roasted Sweet Potato Cheesecake is a wonderful tasting cheesecake that is perfect topped with maple whipped cream.
I know it sounds kind of strange. Sweet potato? In a cheesecake? Absolutely. Think about Sweet Potato Pie. No one is complaining about that one. It turns out that roasting sweet potatoes and adding them to cheesecake gives it a fabulous, earthy flavor. This is one of those desserts that will be the surprise hit of the crowd you’re serving it to. It’s so delicious!
How to make Roasted Sweet Potato Cheesecake:
The first step is roasting the sweet potatoes. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Place in a baking pan, brush with melted butter and bake until the potatoes are softened. Cut into chunks and mash with a little lemon juice. You want them to be nice and smooth, so it’s okay to use a food processor if you’d like.
What the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?
In markets in the U.S., the light skinned potatoes are usually labeled as sweet potatoes and the copper skin/orange flesh potatoes are usually labeled as “yams.” Both of them are actually two different varieties of sweet potatoes. It’s confusing, isn’t it? You’ll want to use the orange flesh sweet potatoes for this recipe. Some markets refer to them as “yams!”
The crust is a mix of pecans, graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. this will give you a crust to line the bottom of the pan. If you prefer a thicker crust that goes up the sides of the cheesecake, increase all of the crust ingredients a little bit. The crust is baked for about 10 minutes.
The filling is a typical cream cheese cheesecake mixture with 1 cup of the roasted mashed sweet potato mixed in. The filling is poured onto the baked crust.
The cheesecake is baked in a water bath. This means that you will double wrap the bottom of the springform pan with heavy-duty foil. The cheesecake is then placed in a roasting pan. Boiling water is poured around it. The cheesecake is baked for about 55 minutes. Give the cheesecake time to cool at room temperature, then chill in the fridge. Once well chilled, you can remove the rim.
Make the maple whipped cream, when ready to serve. Beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. On low speed, beat in the maple syrup just until blended. Cut slices and serve with the whipped cream.
The texture of this cheesecake is super creamy, and the flavor is super rich and delicious. It’s so much more exciting than a traditional cheesecake!
It’s fun to serve this roasted sweet potato cheesecake to guests without telling them what it is. They’re going to be surprised to hear that the flavor of the cheesecake is roasted sweet potato. Once they taste it, they’re going to be hooked. It’s the kind of dessert where you’d better have copies of the recipe on hand because people will be asking for it. Enjoy!
Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Maple Whipped Cream
Ingredients
ROASTED SWEET POTATOES:
- 1½ pounds dark orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, such as jewel or red garnet (sometimes sold as yams)
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
PECAN CRUST:
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped pecans
- 1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted
FILLING:
- Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese (regular or low fat), at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed roasted sweet potato
- ¼ cup whipping cream
- ¼ cup sour cream (can sub 2% plain Greek yogurt)
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
MAPLE WHIPPED CREAM:
- ¾ cup whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (convection not recommended).
PREPARE POTATOES AND CRUST:
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Place in a 9x13-inch baking pan and brush with melted butter. Bake until the potatoes are soft when pressed, 45 to 55 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the crust: Whirl pecans in a blender until finely ground; you should have ¼ cup. In a bowl, mix the pecans, graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Pour into 9-inch springform pan with removable rim (2¼-inches tall). Press the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake in the same oven with the potatoes until lightly browned all over, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Scrape any charred spots off the potatoes, then cut the potatoes into chunks. Whirl in a food processor or mash in a bowl with lemon juice until smooth. Reserve 1 cup; save any extra for another use.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
PREPARE THE FILLING:
- In a bowl, with a mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in the granulated and brown sugars, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the mixture is well blended and smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Add the reserved sweet potato mixture, the whipping cream, sour cream, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix on low speed until well blended.
- Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with a double layer of heavy-duty foil, pressing it up the sides. Pour the batter over the crust. Put the pan in a 12x15-inch roasting pan at least 2 inches deep. Set the pans in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake until the cake barely jiggles in the center when gently shaken, about 55 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven. Lift the springform pan from the roasting pan and let it cool completely on a rack, about 1 hour, then chill until cold, at least 1½ hours, or up to 3 days (cover once cold).
- Up to 6 hours before serving, cut around inside of the pan rim to release the cheesecake; remove the rim.
PREPARE THE MAPLE WHIPPED CREAM:
- In a bowl, with a mixer on high speed, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. On low speed, beat in the maple syrup just until blended. Spoon the maple whipped cream onto each individual serving.
Notes
- *You can make this cheesecake up to 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Garnish with whipped cream up to 6 hours before serving; cover and chill until serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
