Roasted Sweet Potato Cheesecake

This Roasted Sweet Potato Cheesecake brings the cozy, caramelized flavor of roasted sweet potatoes into a creamy, decadent dessert.

Sweet potato is one of my favorite fall flavors for baking, but I feel it is overlooked for the other, more celebrated orange vegetable at this time of year. Don’t get me wrong, I do love a good pumpkin dessert, but there’s something really special about the starchy sweetness of a roasted sweet potato. Especially when paired with maple syrup, pecans, and warm spices.

Ingredients and Prep

This Roasted Sweet Potato Cheesecake recipe requires a little prep work ahead of time. Roast about 1 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes for this recipe. Which is about three large potatoes. Roasting them in the oven really intensifies their sweetness. Once the potatoes are cool, puree them in a food processor or blender. Do these steps a day ahead of time if you’d like to spread out the work.

The Crust

Mix up the crust made of graham cracker crumbs mixed with chopped pecans. This combination, along with a tiny bit of sugar, is held together with melted butter. It makes for the most crave-worthy cheesecake crust, ever! It’s a perfect foil for all the creamy sweet potato batter that goes on top.

Oh, and that batter? It has a dose of maple syrup. Which is sooo good with sweet potato flavor!

Water Bath Virtues

Dig out your large roasting pan. Because this cheesecake is the traditional sort which requires a water bath. Doing the extra steps required, such as wrapping the bottom of the pain in foil, will give you a beautiful end result.

At the end of baking, nary a crack was formed on top and the surface of the cheesecake looked like a smooth, puffy pillow – and it stayed that way with no sinking in the middle.

Dulce de leche and pecan halves are the finishing touches. And I don’t consider them optional. The mild flavor of  the milk caramel drizzle compliments the sweet potato flavor nicely. Plus, it’s not much more work, considering that perfectly good dulce de leche comes straight from a can or jar.

This recipe was sponsored by Go Bold With Butter. Be sure to check out all of their excellent recipes made with real butter and dairy!

Related recipe: Air Fryer Cheesecake Egg Rolls

Roasted Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Heather Baird

This Roasted Sweet Potato Cheesecake brings the cozy, caramelized flavor of roasted sweet potatoes into a creamy, decadent dessert. Topped with a drizzle of dulce de leche and crunchy pecans, it’s the perfect seasonal treat for Thanksgiving or any fall gathering. With its rich flavors and smooth texture, this cheesecake will be the star of your dessert table

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Equipment

• 9 inch springform pan
• 12 x 15-inch roasting pan for water bath

Ingredients

  

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Crust

• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter melted

Cheesecake

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter melted
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 8- ounce packages cream cheese at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup prepared dulce de leche
• 16 pecan halves

Instructions

 

Crust

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• To prepare crust, combine pecans and graham crackers in bowl of a food processor; pulse to a fine crumb. Add sugar and butter; pulse to combine.
• Spray a 9-inch springform pan with flour-based cooking spray. Press the crust mixture evenly in bottom of pan. Bake until browned, about 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely.

Cheesecake

• Peel sweet potatoes and cut in half lengthwise if they are large; place in a baking pan and brush with melted butter. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake 45-55 minutes, or until they are cooked through and soft. Remove from oven and cool completely. Cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks and puree in food processor with lemon juice. Reserve 1 cup for cheesecake mixture; discard any remaining sweet potato or save for another use.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• To prepare cheesecake batter, beat cream cheese until fluffy with mixer on high speed in a large bowl. Gradually beat in both sugars until well blended. Add eggs one at a time; beat well after each addition. Add in 1 cup pureed sweet potatoes, whipping cream, sour cream, maple sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Mix on low speed until well blended, making sure to scrape down sides of bowl throughout the process so that all ingredients are incorporated.
• Wrap outside bottom of cheesecake pan in foil and press up sides to seal pan. Pour batter over crust. Set cheesecake pan in 12 x 15-inch roasting pan at least 3-inches deep and set pans in oven. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the side of cheesecake pan. Bake 1 hour or until cake barely jiggles in middle when shaken. Remove cheesecake from water bath and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours or overnight.
• To serve, unclip springform collar and remove it from cheesecake; transfer cheesecake to a serving platter. Heat dulce de leche for 30 seconds in microwave or until loosened; drizzle over cheesecake. Place pecan halves around the top edge of the cheesecake.
• Serve chilled; store cheesecake in the refrigerator.

Notes

Plan ahead, this cheesecake needs to chill for at least 4 hours, but overnight is better. 

Keyword cream cheese, graham cracker crust, roasted sweet potato cheesecake, sweet potatoes

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