Something Sweet for the Holidays

It's the best time of the year to be a sweet potato fan! November always brings a surge of new sweet potato products to the store shelves, fresh sweet potatoes are always on sale and the blogs, chat rooms and message board start filling up with wonderful Thanksgiving recipes.

During this time, you will no doubt see countless variations of holiday classics like Sweet Potato Pie and Sweet Potato Casserole.  However, if you are looking for something extra special, try a new holiday classic - Sweet Potato Cheesecake. What could be more perfect? Cheesecake's rich and creamy decadence paired with the subtle sweetness of Sweet Potatoes. Add in a pinch of warm spices and top it all off with a liquid chocolate glaze... This may be the most perfect Holiday dessert ever. Get ready to make a second one for Thanksgiving, because this is so good the first batch will be long gone when Turkey Day rolls around.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup ground pecan pieces
• 1 stick melted butter
• 3 pounds cream cheese, softened and cubed
• 1 cup white corn syrup
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, roasted peeled and mashed
• 1 cup prepared chocolate sauce - warmed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the crumbs, ground pecans and the butter together. Mix well and press into a 10-inch spring-form pan. Mix or blend the cream cheese until smooth. Add the corn syrup and blend. Add the eggs one at a time to thoroughly incorporate into the cheese mixture. Add the heavy cream.  Add the flour, salt, spices and vanilla and blend until smooth. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and blend until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake is set.

Remove from the oven and with a knife loosen the sides from the pan. This will prevent the cake from spiting down the center. Completely cool the cake before cutting.


Top each piece of cake with Whipped Cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.