Marbled Sweet Potato Cheesecake

by Two Chums on November 21, 2017

Thanksgiving is just two days away. If you are still deciding about dessert, we have a pretty delicious idea for you. This is a new twist on two old favorites…cheesecake and sweet potato pie! Several years ago we had the privilege of meeting a wonderful chef with a very inspiring personal story (we will tell it to you in another post soon). His name is Chef Jeff Henderson.

This is one of his cookbooks that you can find here on Amazon. He has many, many, many, truly tasty and easy recipes. One of our favorites is his combo of cheesecake and sweet potato pie. Everyone who tastes it LOVES it! We think you and your Thanksgiving guests will too 🙂

Marbled Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Walnut Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, walnuts, and butter. Pack the crust firmly over the bottom of a 9″ springform pan. Bake for 12 -15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while you make the fillings.

Sweet Potato Pie Filling

2 large yams baked or boiled until soft (use 1 8 oz can of sweet potatoes if you don’t have time to cook them)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk or half and half

Peel the potatoes and cook. In a mixing bowl add the cooked and cooled potatoes, eggs, both kinds of sugar, the butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. On low speed beat for 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and while the mixer is on medium speed gradually add the milk. Continue to beat until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.

Cheesecake Filling

1 1/2 lbs. cream cheese at room temperature
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the eggs and sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and beat for 1-2 minutes more.

Assembly

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. To assemble the cheesecake, alternate layers of the cheesecake filling with dollops of the sweet potato pie filling. End with the sweet potato pie filling. Take a wooden skewer and crisscross the cake to create a marbled effect. Place the cheesecake in the oven. On the rack below the cheesecake, place a pan filled 3/4 full of water so the cheesecake crust doesn’t double bake. Bake until a toothpick in the center comes out clean about 30-45 minutes.