Sweet Potato and Blackberry Cheesecake

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Sweet potato & blackberry cheesecake resizedFull of flavour and spices, this tasty cheesecake recipe not only looks divine but also tastes it too. Serve with fresh berries and a dollop of mascarpone on the side. 

Serves: 10

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

What You’ll Need:

For the sweet potato compote

  • 2 cardamom pods
  • 1 star anise
  • 250g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2cm dice
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • 1tbsp honey

For the blackberry purée

  • 125g blackberries
  • 2tsp sugar

For the cheesecake base

  • 220g oat biscuits
  • 60g butter, melted
  • 30g dark chocolate, chopped (optional)

For the cheesecake filling

  • 3 eggs
  • Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
  • 110g sugar
  • 500g mascarpone cheese
  • 50g plain flour

What To Do:

  • Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2 and line a 25cm/8in spring-form cake tin.
  • To make the sweet potato compote, place the spices in a non-stick pan and warm them up, making sure they don’t burn. Add the sweet potato, cover, shake together and cook for 1 minute. Add half the orange juice and cook, covered, for 1-2 minutes. After 2 minutes add the honey and mix. Transfer to a cold container and cover.
  • Make the blackberry purée by placing the berries and sugar into a pan with 1tbsp water and cook on a low heat until the berries becomes mushy. Blend to a puree before passing through a fine sieve into a bowl. Set aside.
  • To make the cheesecake base place the biscuits in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix together with the melted butter and chocolate, if used. Spoon the mixture into the bottom of the prepared cake tin and press down firmly.
  • Make the cheesecake filling by mixing the eggs, vanilla seeds and sugar together. Add the mascarpone and beat together until well combined. Add the flour and mix.
  • Remove and discard the spices from the sweet potato. Fold the sweet potato into the cheese mixture. Pour into the cake tin and then drizzle over the blackberry purée.
  1. Bake the cheesecake for 40 minutes, or until the cheesecake is set and lightly golden on top. When cooked, remove from the tin, and leave to cool down before serving.

Tips

  • Blackberries can be replaced with any other soft fruit like raspberries, blueberries or strawberries or can be left out altogether.
  • Instead of making one large cheesecake, you can make little individual cheesecakes for a dinner party – better still, they can be prepared the day before.

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