Some vegetables simply do not belong in dessert (ever!), while others turn out to be a sweet surprise. Of course, you’d rather not waste a bowl full of flour and eggs to realize you’ve made a no-good, very-bad mistake. Understood. Lucky for you (and your dishwasher), this gluten-free treat has already confirmed that adding sweet potato to cheesecake yields delightful results. The key is combining complementary flavors, such as a caramel topping and sprinkle of cinnamon, so the unsuspecting ingredient remains unsuspected.
Makes 16 servings (1 slice with sauce)
Macros per serving: 226 calories | 9.7 g protein | 26 g carbs | 9.6 g fat | 16.7 g sugar | 3.2 g fiber
Crust
3/4 cup Vitacost Organic Coconut Flour
1/4 cup Vitacost Almond Flour
1/4 melted Vitacost Organic Coconut Oil
1 scoop ARO Vanilla Whey Protein Complex
2 Tbsp. water
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. Vitacost Organic Ground Cinnamon
Cheesecake
1-1/2 cups cooked sweet potato, mashed
2 (8 oz.) packages reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup Vitacost Organic Grade B Maple Syrup
2 scoops ARO Vanilla Whey Protein Complex
2 tsp. Vitacost Organic Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 eggs, at room temperature
Sauce
1 cup dates, pitted (about 6)
1 cup water
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, stir together flours, protein powder, cinnamon and applesauce. Mix until crumbly. Add water and stir to incorporate. Mixture should hold its shape when pressed down.
- Spoon mixture into a 9-1/2-inch spring form pan. Press down and spread to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake 8 minutes, remove from oven and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add sweet potato, cream cheese, yogurt and maple syrup. Beat until smooth.
- Stir in protein powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Using a hand mixer on low speed, beat in eggs.
- Pour cheesecake filling into spring form pan and bake 75 minutes. Edges of cheesecake should be cooked but center may be slightly jiggly.
- Turn off oven and let cheesecake sit with door slightly opened for 1 hour.
- Prepare sauce in a small saucepan over low heat. Add dates, water and salt. Let it all cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Pour mixture into food processor and blend until smooth.
- Spoon sauce over top cheesecake before serving.