Cheesecake is a science. It inevitably comes out lumpy like your down feather mattress or with Grand Canyon-style cracks. Don’t let common cheesecake mishaps deter your determination to enjoy this Thanksgiving-approved, sweet potato-infused cake of cheese. I’ve done the experimenting for you. Now, just follow my proven-to-succeed tips, and you’ll be baking a perfectly fluffy, surprisingly healthy cheesecake in no time.
Tip 1: Fill a pan with water and place it in the oven while your cheesecake is baking. The moisture this provides will help keep the surface of your cake from drying out and cracking.
Tip 2: Bring all fat ingredients to room temperature, including the egg, cream cheese and coconut oil. Cold fats don’t mix smoothly, which is how you end up with a lumpy center. At room temperature, these fats will incorporate much better.
Tip 3: Lower the baking temperature part-way through to keep the filling creamy and slightly jiggly. Otherwise, you risk over-baking the cheesecake, which is the last thing you want to do.
Ready for the recipe? Here goes…
Sweet Potato & Maple Cream Protein Cheesecake
Makes 4 slices
Macros per slice: 151 calories | 12.8 g protein | 8.6 g carbs | 7.2 g fat | 3.5 g fiber | 2.2 g sugar
Crust:
¼ cup coconut flour
2 Tbsp. xylitol or stevia
½ Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
¼ tsp. water
Cheesecake:
½ scoop Giant Sports Vanilla Shake Protein Powder
2 Tbsp. sweet potato, cooked and mashed
2 Tbsp. xylitol or stevia
¼ cup low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. sugar-free maple syrup
Maple Cream Sauce:
¼ scoop Giant Sports Vanilla Shake Protein Powder
¼ cup cottage cheese
¼ cup sugar-free maple syrup
10 drops vanilla crème liquid stevia
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Spray a 4 1/2 –inch mini spring form pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix all crust ingredients together until well combined.
- Press crust mixture into the bottom of greased spring form pan and bake for 6 minutes.
- Remove from oven and prepare the cheesecake filling while crust cools.
- In a large bowl, use a hand held mixer to blend cream cheese and yogurt until smooth and creamy.
- Add xylitol/stevia and blend until well combined.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir well until mixture is completely smooth.
- Pour cheesecake mixture into spring form pan and bake for 15 minutes.
- Turn the oven down to 180°F and bake for another 32-36 minutes. Oven times may vary, so pay close attention to your cake! The batter will have a slight jiggle but should not be soupy at all.
- Remove from oven. Using a knife, gently separate the crust from the pan. Place cheesecake in the fridge for 3-4 hours.
- Just before serving, prepare maple cream sauce.
- In a food processor or Magic Bullet, blend all maple cream sauce ingredients until smooth.
- Spread on top of cheesecake. Slice into 4 even pieces and enjoy immediately!