Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Every now and again, I find myself making something unplanned. I recently went on a baking binge and during a search, came across something that sounded too good to pass up.

Galatoire's Restaurant in New Orleans serves a Sweet Potato Cheesecake, and the recipe caught my eye immediately. A creamy cheesecake with a light baked topping? Say no more. It sounded flavorful and coming from a restaurant with that decadent of a menu, I knew it had to be good.

I know what you're thinking. Em, it's Jan 2. Why are you still on fall stuff? Hear me out: fall flavors don't have to die in fall. I challenge this attitude. Besides, I'm in Florida. Seasonal vegetables have longer seasons here!

I've made pumpkin cheesecake in the past, but had not really dove into the world of sweet potato baked goods (though I've heard canned pumpkin is often sweet potato, I've never inspected the cannery to be sure. We need cold, hard evidence!).

The thing I decided to modify here was the crust. You see, I'm a cookie butter girl. A speculoos lady in general, really. I think those little cookies are the best thing since sliced bread. I get excited to fly Delta because of these cookies (can I go buy a pack? Yes. But you're missing the point!). They've got the spices that the holidays are made of, and I think make a lovely pie crust. I should note that I am simply taking the full recipe and splitting into two pans.

Now, in some recipes, they'll suggest you mix crushed up graham cracker crumbs (or speculoos cookes) together in a bowl with sugar and butter before putting them in the pan or pie dish. I'm not a member of the Wasting Bowls club, so I simplify a bit.

I laid out the cookies in the pan to guesstimate how many I'd need, then threw them into the food processor to get them into crumb form. I then put the crumbs and butter into the pan, mixed them, and pressed them into the bottom. I did not add sugar, nor do I ever really. The pie itself will have sugar, and I've yet to find an occasion that adding extra sweeteners was necessary in a cookie crust. But, it is the baker's call.

I opted to note pre-bake the crust; I don't typically do this with cookie crusts, but you can if you wish. Speculoos cookies are already well-done, so I did not want to risk burning.

The filling was created by beating the cream cheese and sugars together until well combined. Then I added in the mashed sweet potato (I'd made this in advance since I was doing a few recipes), eggs, evaporated milk, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg.

The mixture went right on top of the crusts and they made their way into the oven.

After about 45 minutes of baking, I added a light topping. This was composed of Greek yogurt (my go to replacement for sour cream), sugar, a little vanilla sugar (I love a pretty white dish you can see vanilla beans in) and a dash of almond extract. If you want the simple version, it's just Greek yogurt and sugar.

I spread this over the top and put it in the oven for 5 more minutes, until that was set.

I couldn't help but be reminded a bit of candy corn with this; it is that same color scheme and stacked together, they're quite pretty.

This pie was a decadent delight. You might think that adding a root vegetable to a cheesecake would add a lot of weight, but in all honesty it was still fluffy. I shared one of the cakes with a friend of mine who said her family fought over pieces. That's pretty much how I felt about it, too. The topping was like getting built in whipped cream, and the layers combined created something special. Kudos to Galataoire's on this; next time I'm in NOLA, that'll be a key stop for certain so I can try the real deal (PLUS: they put a praline topping on it!).

Sweet Potato Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups crushed speculoos cookies (or graham cracker crumbs)

1/3 cup melted butter

For the filling:

1 package cream cheese (8 ounces), softened

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 3/4 cups mashed sweet potatoes (2-3 medium sweet potatoes, cooked through)

2 large eggs

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

For the topping:

2 cups Greek yogurt or sour cream

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (optional)

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix cookie crumbs, sugar and butter until combined. Press evenly onto bottom and slightly up the side of a springform pan. Beat cream cheese  with sugars until smooth. Add sweet potatoes, eggs, evaporated milk, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and almond extracts, beating until well combined. Pour into crust. Bake until edge is set, 45 to 55 minutes (depending on pan size). For the topping, whisk Greek yogurt, sugar, vanilla sugar, and almond extract to combine. Spread over warm cheesecake. Return to oven, and bake until just set, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

adapted from galatoire's sweet potato cheesecake