Purple Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Did you know that today is National Cheesecake Day? Is there a better way to celebrate than with this Purple Sweet Potato Cheesecake? I’m thinking not! Are you a big cheesecake fan? I’m generally not a big fan of overly sweet cheesecakes, but this was perfect to me.

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By now you may know that I have a purple sweet potato problem. Have you seen my muffins, biscuits, and rolls? I wanted something a little different and I thought that National Cheesecake Day was the perfect excuse. Tim loves cheesecake and we happened to have everything on hand. Thanks to these s’mores bars we had an overabundance of graham crackers so this was the perfect recipe to attempt.

How this cheesecake came to be

I searched for a recipe that sounded like what I was envisioning, but nothing sounded right. I wanted to let the sweet potatoes shine. Something simple yet delicious. Is that so much to ask for?

I knew I didn’t want any added sugar in my crust and I wasn’t going to pre-bake the crust. A lot of recipes do pre-bake, so I ended up pre-baking the crust as well and I think that was the right decision. The crust came out slightly golden and it was delicious. If you don’t pre-bake your crust, it could end up being soggy. No one wants a soggy bottom!

The filling was a little more complicated. I did my normal routine of boiling the sweet potatoes the day before and letting them chill overnight in the fridge. I highly recommend doing this step ahead of time. If you don’t have purple sweet potatoes, you can substitute regular sweet potatoes.

Most cheesecake fillings contain a combination of cream cheese, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. I wanted a lighter cheesecake so I decided to stick with the basic ingredients. I came up with this recipe and lucky for me it was a success! A few simple ingredients and you get a creamy and delicious cheesecake.

How to avoid cracks in your cheesecake

There are a couple of things that you can do to help avoid cracks in your cheesecake. First, you can bake it in a water bath, which I did not do, I chose to fill a loaf pan half way full of water and placed it in the oven with my cheesecake. Second, over baking your cheesecake can also cause cracks. I would recommend checking the cheesecake early in case your oven cooks hotter.

My cheesecake cracked, but I think it was because I touched the top of the cheesecake to see if it was set. DON’T do what I did. My finger broke through the top of the cheesecake and then it went downhill from there.

At first I wanted to cover the cracks, but I didn’t want to cover the beautiful color so I left it. It just goes to show that cracks happen and the end result still tasted just as good. Next time I will not touch the cheesecake and just let it be. Lesson learned and hopefully you will learn from my mistake as well.

Another important thing to note is that a spring form pan is really useful when making a cheesecake. I have only made cheesecakes using a spring form pan so I can’t recommend an alternative pan to use. Let me know if you’ve used something other than a spring form pan before.

Have you made a cheesecake before? Was it successful or did yours crack as well?

Purple Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Amy

This cheesecake is creamy and not too sweet with a subtle flavor of sweet potato. It is the perfect combination of flavors without being too heavy.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Resting and Cooling 6 hours hrs

Total Time 7 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

  

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 10 full sheets
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake Filling

• 8 oz full fat cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (12-13 oz) mashed purple sweet potatoes, 2 medium, at room temperature (see notes)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

Instructions

 

Graham Cracker Crust

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Mix together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Pour the crust mixture into a 9-inch spring form pan.
• Spread out the crumbs in the bottom of the pan. Using the palm of your hand, a spatula, or the bottom of a measuring cup, press the crust evenly into the pan.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the crust turns slightly golden brown. Once your crust in done, increase the oven temperature to 350°F.
• While the crust is baking you can assemble your filling.

Cheesecake Filling

• In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese and sugar. Beat on medium speed until combined.
• Add in the mashed purple sweet potatoes and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined.
• Add the eggs to the cream cheese mixture one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate the egg before adding the next one.
• Once you have mixed in all of the eggs, pour the cheesecake filling into the pre-baked crust. Gently tap or drop the cheesecake on the counter a couple of times to remove some of the air bubbles from the batter. Only drop the cheesecake from an inch or so above the counter.
• This recipe does not use a water bath, however I do bake the cheesecake with a loaf pan filled halfway with water on the side.
• Bake the cheesecake for 50-55 minutes or until the center is almost set. There should be a slight jiggle in the middle when you move the pan. Do no over bake the cheesecake.
• Once the cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven and crack the oven door. Cool for 60 minutes and then let the cheesecake cool completely on the counter before refrigerating.
• Before you refrigerate the cheesecake, run a knife or metal spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen the cheesecake from the pan. Do not remove from the pan at this point, only remove it from the pan once it has been chilled.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Notes

1. You can check out my Purple Sweet Potato Biscuits for the mashed sweet potato instructions.
2. You can easily substitute regular sweet potatoes for the purple sweet potatoes if you cannot find them.
3. You can replace the reduced fat cream cheese with full fat cream cheese.
4. If you have extra cheesecake, you can freeze individual slices.  I like to freeze solid on a parchment or plastic wrap lined baking sheet.  once frozen wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.

 

If you make any of my recipes, be sure to tag me on Instagram and use #amysdeliciousmess.  I’d love to see all of your pictures!

 

The nutrition facts below are based on the recipe above.  This is only an estimation and intended for informational purposes only.

 

Keyword cheesecake, purple sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes