If you like sweet potato pie, you have to try this brown sugar sweet potato cheesecake! Made with sweet potato puree, brown sugar, and plenty of spices, the creamy cheesecake filling packs a ton of flavor. And the crunchy...
If you like sweet potato pie, you have to try this brown sugar sweet potato cheesecake! Made with sweet potato puree, brown sugar, and plenty of spices, the creamy cheesecake filling packs a ton of flavor. And the crunchy graham cracker crust is the perfect contrast to the silky smooth meringue topping.
Sweet Potato Pie Cheesecake
I like to take classic Thanksgiving pie recipes and turn them into cheesecake recipes. I’ve turned pecan pie into pecan pie cheesecake and pumpkin pie into pumpkin pie cheesecake. And now, I’ve made sweet potato pie into sweet potato pie cheesecake!
I find pie cheesecakes to be way more fun than regular pie… and way more delicious! But the best part about Thanksgiving cheesecakes? You can make them weeks – or months – in advance and store in the fridge or freezer until needed.
Why You’ll Love Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Texture: Crunchy, creamy, and silky smooth, this cheesecake has all the best textures. And you get to experience each one in every bite of cheesecake! Flavor: This brown sugar sweet potato cheesecake packs SO much flavor in every bite! The sweet potato puree is just the base flavor. Which we intensify with brown sugar, vanilla, plenty of cinnamon, and warm spices like ginger, all-spice, and nutmeg. Convenience: Make a homemade cheesecake is definitely a labor of love. And requires patience, because this recipe requires several hours of chilling. But this is actually good news for anyone who likes to make dessert in advance! Because you can make the crust, filing, and topping up to 48 hours in advance. Wow Factor: Sure, the textures and flavors in this sweet potato cheesecake are out-of-this-world. But this dessert is also a total showstopper! Between the bright orange filling and mile-high meringue topping, this dessert will have your guests raving.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes VS Sweet Potato Puree
I use and recommend using canned sweet potato puree. My reasoning behind this recommendation is convince. That being said, you may absolutely roast your own sweet potatoes! And they will likely give the sweet potato cheesecake delicious flavor.
Just be sure to plan ahead time wise for roasting the sweet potatoes. Cool the sweet potatoes completely before peeling them, mashing them into a puree, and adding them into the batter. You will need a food processor or blender to create your own homemade sweet potato puree. Be sure there are no lumps or chunks.
Make the Graham Cracker Crumb Crust
A graham cracker crust adds much needed texture contrast to the creamy cheesecake filling… and tastes divine! Made with melted butter, brown sugar and spices, this one is extra delicious. Here are a few tips to help you make the best crust ever.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees at least 20 minutes before you plan on baking. This ensures the oven has enough time to reach the proper temperature! Prep your pan by spraying it with non-stick baking spray. Then wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with heavy-duty extra wide tinfoil. You want to add a few layers here to ensure no water creeps through when you place the pan in the water bath. Here’s my guide on how to make an easy water bath for a cheesecake. For ease, feel free to use pre-crushed graham cracker crumbs. Or, add graham crackers to a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs, then measure and use as needed. Partially bake the crust before adding the sweet potato pie filling. This guarantees a crunchy graham cracker crust.
Make the Sweet Potato Pie Cheesecake Filling
Be sure to use room temperature ingredients! The most important being the cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs. If the cream cheese isn’t room temperature, when you try to beat the cream cheese it’ll clump up. Beat the cream cheese and sour cream on medium-speed until completely smooth! You’ll need to stop and scrape the sides and bowl several times during this process to ensure there are no lumps hiding. When you add the eggs, be sure your mixer is on the lowest speed setting. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until just combined. Over beating the eggs incorporates too much air into the batter. This causes the batter to rise in the oven and then fall once removed from heat. Bake in a water bath! Do not skip this step or your cheesecake will not bake up silky smooth and creamy. After baking, allow the cheesecake to cool inside the turned off oven. This helps the cheesecake cool slowly, which keeps it creamy and helps avoid cracking. Do not remove cheesecake from the springform pan until you’re ready to top and serve it! It needs to chill IN the pan.
Make the Meringue Topping
To make this extra special, top this cheesecake with a billowy meringue topping! Sweet, silky smooth, and a total showstopper, it’s worth the extra effort. Here are a few tips to help you along the way:
You’ll need 5 egg whites for the topping. Save the 2 egg whites from the cheesecake filling to use in the meringue topping recipe. That way you only need to crack 3 more eggs open. I like to make the meringue topping the day I plan on serving the cheesecake. But to save time, you can do it up to 12 hours before you plan on serving. You can top the completely cooled cheesecake with the meringue topping and then store in the fridge until needed. To toast the meringue topping, you’ll need a kitchen torch. I do not recommend toasting the meringue under the broiler because this will heat the cheesecake back up. But in a pinch, you can do this method. Then chill for at least 30 minutes. You can get fancy and pipe the meringue topping on the cheesecake. Or simply use a spoon to swirl and spread it cross the surface (which is my go-to method).
Special Equipment for this Recipe
Deep Springform Pan Food Processor or Electric Hand Mixer Large Roasting Pan Heavy Duty Extra Wide Aluminum Foil Candy Thermometer Kitchen Torch
The Best Sweet Potato Cheesecake
If you like sweet potato pie, you have to try this brown sugar sweet potato cheesecake! Made with sweet potato puree, brown sugar, and plenty of spices, the creamy cheesecake filling packs a ton of flavor. And the crunchy graham cracker crust is the perfect contrast to the silky smooth meringue topping.
Servings 1 9-inch cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
2 cups (220g) graham cracker crumbs 1/3 cup (71g) light brown sugar packed 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter meltedFor the Sweet Potato Cheesecake Filling:
3 8 ounce packages (681g) brick-style cream cheese room temperature 3/4 cup (170g) sour cream room temperature 1 15 ounce can sweet potato puree 1 and 1/2 cups (319g) light brown sugar packed 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground all-spice 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 large eggs room temperature 2 large egg yolks room temperature 2 Tablespoons (28g) all-purpose flourFor the Meringue Topping:
5 large egg whites room temperature 1 cup (199g) granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/8 teaspoon saltInstructions
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Lightly spray a 9" springform pan with non-stick spray.
Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with heavy-duty extra wide tinfoil. I recommend doing several diligent layers here to ensure no water creeps through when you place the pan in the water bath. Set the pan aside.
In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and melted butter; stir well to combine. Firmly pat the mixture into the prepared pan, pressing it firmly in the center and slightly up the edges of the pan (about 1-inch).
Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. Place partially baked crust on a cooling rack and set aside while you prepare the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees (F).
For the Sweet Potato Cheesecake Filling:
In a large food processor or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sour cream on medium-speed until completely smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.
Add in the sweet potato puree, brown sugar, vanilla, and spices, and continue beating on medium speed until evenly combined.
Add in the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, and mix, on the lowest speed setting, until just combined. Add in the flour and beat on low for 10 seconds, or until just combined. Don’t over mix here or the batter will rise and fall in the oven!
Pour the filling on top of the partially baked crust, and spread evenly, smoothing the top.
Place the springform pan into a large baking pan (with high sides) and fill the pan with 3-inches of freshly boiled water – this is your water bath.
Place the cheesecake in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Then turn the oven off and let the cheesecake sit inside the oven, undisturbed, for 30 minutes.
Remove cheesecake from the oven, and run a knife very gently around the edge of the cake. Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack and cool completely.
Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or up to 2 days.
For the Meringue Topping:
Fill a large saucepan ? of the way full with water. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat.
In a heatproof bowl that fits snugly on top of the pan, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt.
Set the bowl on top of the pan of boiling water and continue whisking until the mixture reaches 135 degrees (F) on a candy thermometer.
Carefully remove the bowl from heat. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks have formed.
Increase the speed to high and continue beating until very stiff but spreadable peaks have formed.
Spread and swirl the meringue on top of the cooled cheesecake. Using a kitchen torch, deeply brown the meringue. Slice and serve!
The post The Best Sweet Potato Cheesecake first appeared on Baker by Nature.
The post The Best Sweet Potato Cheesecake appeared first on Baker by Nature.