This Sweet Potato Cheesecake is the perfect dessert for the holidays and fall! Sour cream cheesecake is swirled with sweet potato and cinnamon, and baked on a pecan crust.
Ingredients
For the Pecan Crust:
2cupspecans
4tbspsugar
1/4tspvanilla extract
4tbspbuttersoftened
pinch of salt
For the Cheesecake:
1lbsweet potato
1cupsour cream
16ozcream cheeseat room temperature
1cupsugar+3 tbsp sugar
2eggs
2egg yolks
1/4cupheavy cream
1tbspamaretto
1/2tspcinnamon
small pinch of nutmeg
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, take the pecans, sugar, salt and vanilla for a spin in the food processor, until the pecans are a bit chopped. Add in the butter and process until it starts riding around the blade a little bit. Be careful not to pulse it into pecan butter. Dump the pecan mixture into your cake pan or springform pan (whatever you’re making the cheesecake in. I don’t bother with springform pans. I just use a cake pan). Pat it out with your finger tips, and push it up the sides a little bit.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, then let it cool on a wire rack.
To start the cheesecake, pierce the sweet potato with a fork several times, then microwave for 8 minutes until tender. Scoop out the flesh, then puree it in a food processor. You should have about 1 cup. Set it aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use a hand mixer instead), beat the sour cream for 15 seconds with the paddle attachment to spread it around the bowl really well. Add the cream cheese and sugar, and beat on medium speed until it’s smooth and everything has blended into one homogeneous, well combined mixture.
In a small bowl, whisk to combine the eggs, egg yolks, heavy cream, and amaretto. Pour half of it into the cream cheese mixture, and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl, then add the rest of the cream cheese and beat again, until smooth.
Move 1 cup of the cream cheese mixture to another bowl, and add the sweet potato puree, 3 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and small pinch of nutmeg and mix until combined.
Spread half of the sweet potato mixture on the bottom, then half of the cream cheese mixture on top of that. Swirl with a spatula. Add the rest of the sweet potato mixture and cream cheese mixture, and swirl again, until you have a beautiful pattern.
Bake at 350 degrees F in a water bath for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, open the door for 1 minute, then shut the door and leave in the oven for 1 more hour. Remove from water bath, and chill in fridge for 6 hours before serving. When slicing, dip your knife into hot water first. ENJOY!!!