The Brown Betty Cookbook by Linda Hinton Brown

Author:Linda Hinton Brown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Published: 2012-07-11T16:00:00+00:00

To Miss Mary

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

In 2004, when we opened the bakery, it seemed like every soul food restaurant had sweet potato cheesecake on the menu, so I felt pressured not only to put it on our menu, but to make it a standout. We did that by roasting whole sweet potatoes, mashing and straining them, and adding them to our batter—all that roasting, mashing, and straining takes time, but it’s worth it to get that true and vibrant sweet potato flavor. Ever since, sweet potato cheesecake remains our most popular Thanksgiving dessert.

Serves: 12 to 14 people

Active time: 45 minutes

Total time: 2 hours and 25 minutes, plus at least 2 hours of refrigeration time

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

1 pound sweet potatoes or yams, scrubbed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Graham Cracker Crust

Vegetable shortening

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons superfine sugar

Cheesecake Filling

Three 8-ounce packages Philadelphia® cream cheese, at room temperature

11⁄4 cups packed dark brown sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

11⁄2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Sour Cream Topping

1 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon superfine sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 To make the mashed sweet potatoes, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and rub the skins with oil.

2 Roast the potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, 50 to 55 minutes. Set the potatoes aside until they are cool enough to handle. Using a knife remove the skin of the sweet potatoes and place the flesh of the potatoes in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the potato flesh on medium-high speed to remove the pulp, about 1 minute. Push the flesh through a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 175ºF.

3 Increase the oven temperature to 440ºF. Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven to catch any drippings. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with shortening.

4 To prepare the crust, in a small bowl, use your fingers to mix the crumbs, butter, and superfine sugar until blended.

5 Firmly press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and 2inches up the sides of the prepared pan. Refrigerate the crust while preparing the filling.

6 To prepare the filling, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar and beat on low speed until smooth. Scrape the bowl. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and beat on medium speed until blended. Add the eggs, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and beat until well blended.

7 Pour the batter into the crust and bake 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 250ºF and bake until the filling is set, 80 to 85 minutes longer.

8 Meanwhile, prepare the sour cream topping. In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, superfine sugar, and vanilla to blend. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

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