Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Servings Prep Time
10-12slices 1hour
Cook Time
16-18minutes
Servings Prep Time
10-12slices 1hour
Cook Time
16-18minutes
Ingredients
crust
filling
Instructions
prep
  1. Take out cream cheese and set it on the counter. Allow it to reach room and temperature before using. Should take about 2-3 hours. Tip: I placed my cream cheese in the microwave and zapped it in 3 increments for about 15 seconds each time.
  2. To bake the sweet potato: DON’T preheat oven. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the lowest rack of your oven, this will catch any syrup that may escape from sweet potato. Prick the sweet potato 2-3 times with a fork or knife then place it directly on the middle oven rack. Turn the oven to 425 degrees F and bake for 45-50 minutes until sweet potato is very tender and cooked all the way through. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes then carefully remove skin. Set aside to cool completely and then mash with a fork until smooth.
  3. Turn oven temp to 325 degrees F and place whole pecans on a sheet tray and toast for about 7 minutes. Caution, pecans can burn very quickly. So keep an eye out on them! Once toasted, remove from oven and allow to cool before chopping.
crust
  1. Keep oven temp on 325 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan with butter. Place the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse a few times until finely ground. Place the crumbs, chopped pecans, brown sugar, salt and melted butter in a medium bowl and stir with fork until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumbs into an even layer across the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan, working outward from the center. Bake the crust for about 15-18 minutes until set and lightly browned. Transfer to rack to cool.
filling
  1. In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese both sugars until smooth. Add the vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and mix again. Scrap the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. Add the sweet potatoes and mix until smooth. Scrape the bowl again and mix for 30 seconds more. In a medium (separate) bowl, whip the heavy cream until you’ve reach stiff peaks. Take half of the whipped cream and fold into the sweet potato filling, then take the remaining whipped cream and fold until it’s smooth and there are no visible streaks of whipped cream. Pour the filling into the pan and smooth the top with a small offset spatula. Chill the cheesecake for at least four hours before serving, preferably chill overnight.