Another Passover-friendly recipe? Absolutely. I love finding ways to fold brightly colored fruits and vegetables into baked goods, and purple sweet potatoes have become a recent favorite. I’ve made purple sweet potato pie and even purple sweet potato gnocchi. This time, with a block of cream cheese to use up, I decided to make a purple sweet potato cheesecake. Because it was for Passover, a traditional graham-cracker crust wasn’t suitable. A little research pointed me toward a crust made with matzo meal and ground nuts, which turned out to be a great option.
If you aren’t concerned about making the dessert Passover-friendly, feel free to use a graham cracker or cookie crust. That said, the matzo meal and almond crust I developed here is surprisingly tasty. The filling—creamy, subtly earthy, and just sweet enough—was exactly what I wanted. I also topped mine with candied sweet potato roses for a pretty finish, though those are optional.
This is a small cheesecake, six inches in diameter, which is perfect if you’re baking for one, two, or a small household. It’s a compact, elegant dessert with bright color and comforting flavor.
Passover Purple Sweet Potato Cheesecake
A miniature, Passover-friendly purple sweet potato cheesecake. The crust is adapted from Epicurious, while the filling takes inspiration from “My Baking Addiction.”
Dessert
passover cheesecake, passover desserts, purple sweet potato dessert, purple sweet potato recipe, sweet potato cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1/3 cup matzo meal
- 3/8 cup blanched almonds, lightly toasted
- pinch salt
- 1/3 cup sugar (see notes)
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
For the filling:
- 8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 medium purple sweet potato (about 2/3 lb.), baked or roasted until soft
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- large pinch cinnamon
- small pinch ground ginger
- small pinch freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
To decorate:
- sweet potato roses (recipe below, optional)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
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In a food processor, pulse the matzo meal and toasted almonds until the nuts are finely ground. Add the sugar, a pinch of salt, and the melted butter. Process until the mixture is evenly moistened and begins to clump.
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Press the crust mixture into the bottom and up at least 1 inch up the sides of a 6-inch springform pan. Bake for 12–15 minutes until set and beginning to brown. Let cool while you prepare the filling.
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Scoop the flesh from the roasted sweet potato and puree it in a food processor or blender, or press it through a food mill. Set aside. Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl and set aside.
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In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and continue beating until fully incorporated.
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With the mixer on low, add the lightly beaten egg gradually, scraping down the bowl as needed, until the mixture is smooth and even.
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Beat in the vanilla, spices, and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, then fold in the sweet potato puree until evenly combined.
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Wrap the springform pan in two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil to protect it for a water bath.
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Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Depending on your pan depth, you may not be able to fit all the filling—reserve any extra for a small ramekin if desired.
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Place the foil-wrapped pan in a larger baking dish and carefully pour boiling water into the outer dish until it reaches halfway up the springform pan. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the edges are set and the center has a slight wobble.
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Turn off the oven and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour to prevent cracking.
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Remove the cheesecake from the water bath, unwrap the foil, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
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When fully chilled, remove the springform ring, transfer to a platter, and top with candied sweet potato roses if you like.
Recipe Notes
– Depending on your springform pan depth (mine is about 1.5 inches), you may have extra filling. Bake any leftover filling in a ramekin.
– Check the cheesecake at 30 minutes; shallower pans will bake more quickly. My cheesecake took 35 minutes and was slightly overdone.
– For the crust sugar, I used half granulated and half raw cane sugar, but you can use granulated, brown sugar, or what you have on hand.
Candied Sweet Potato Roses
Dessert
candied sweet potato roses, sweet potato roses, sweet potato rosettes
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup water
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 225°F (107°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment and lightly grease a mini muffin tin.
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Peel the sweet potato, cut it into quarters, and use a vegetable peeler to shave thin half-moon strips from the rounded sides.
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In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
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Add the sweet potato strips to the syrup and simmer for 5 minutes to soften them slightly.
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Lay the strips flat on the prepared baking sheets in a single layer and bake at 225°F for 10 minutes.
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Remove the sheets from the oven. Roll one strip into a tight rosette, then wrap additional strips around it, slightly overlapping, until the rose is the desired size. Place each finished rose into a cup of the mini muffin tin.
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Return the roses to the oven and bake for about an hour, until dry and crisp. Turn the oven off and let them dry further in the cooling oven for at least an hour or overnight.
