Gingersnap Crusted Sweet Potato Cake Recipes

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.
• Mix the cookie crumbs, brown sugar, butter and salt together in a medium bowl until well blended. Press the mixture into the pie plate. Bake until set and the crust feels firm, 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
• To make the cheesecake filling: In a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar and salt, mixing at low speed until the mixture is smooth with no lumps, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and eggs.
• Add the filling to the crust, smooth the top, and chill in the freezer until the filling is sturdy and set up, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• For the sweet potato topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Whisk in the sweet potatoes, half and half, butter, vanilla and eggs until smooth. Pour slowly over the chilled cheesecake filling.
• Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake, covering the edges with foil if it browns too quickly, until set along the outside and the center still has a slight jiggle, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour pie plate, knocking out excess flour.
• Toss together all crust ingredients in a bowl with a fork until crumbs are moistened, then press evenly over bottom and up side of pie plate. Bake crust 6 minutes, then cool on a rack.
• Make filling:
• Increase oven temperature to 400°F.
• Prick each sweet potato once with a fork. Roast in a foil-lined shallow baking pan until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Halve potatoes lengthwise and cool.
• While potatoes cool, cook sugar in a dry 8-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar melts into a deep golden caramel. Remove from heat. Carefully pour water down side of skillet (mixture will bubble and steam vigorously), then return to heat and simmer, stirring, until hardened caramel is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
• When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel, then cut away any eyes or dark spots. Purée potatoes in a food processor until smooth, then add eggs, cinnamon, and salt and blend until smooth. Add milk, caramel, rum, and vanilla, and blend until combined well.
• Pour filling into crust. Bake until filling 2 inches from edge is slightly puffed and center trembles slightly when gently shaken, 40 to 50 minutes (top may crack; filling will continue to set as it cools). If the crust begins to brown too much before the filling is done, crimp a ring of foil or use a pie shield to protect it. Cool pie on rack about 1 hour.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a small bowl, mix crushed cookies and melted butter. Press onto bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Bake 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack., Increase oven setting to 375°. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 cup brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in sweet potatoes, spices and salt until blended. Beat in egg yolks, milk and vanilla. Pour into crust., Arrange pecans over filling; sprinkle with remaining brown sugar. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover edge loosely with foil during the last 20 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning. Remove foil. Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving., In a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add maple syrup; beat until stiff peaks form. Serve with pie.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F
• Place cookies in the bowl of the food processor; pulse until fairly fine, yeilding 1 cup crumbs. Transfer to a medium bowl, and stir in 4 tablespoon melted butter. Press mixture into bottom and sides of 9-inch pie tin. Bake until set and slightly darkened, 12-15 minutes. Do not overbake. Set aside.
• Turn oven up to 375°F Fill a small saucepan with water. Add potato; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potato is very tender, about 12 minutes. Drain.
• In a bowl, combine flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside.
• Pass potato through a food mill or potato ricer into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add sugar, eggs and condensed milk. Mix until combined. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons butter until combined. Add reserved flour mixture, and combine. Pour filling into cooled crust, and bake until filling is set, 30-35 minutes. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream, if desired.

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, combine the crust ingredients and stir to mix well.
• 2. Press crumb crust into bottom and 1 inch up sides of a buttered 10 1/2-inch spring form pan.
• 3. Bake crust in a 350 degree oven, 8-10 minutes until just starting to deepen in color. Remove from oven and set aside.
• 4. In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and butter; beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
• 5. Beat in sugar, scraping bowl occasionally. Add mashed sweet potatoes; beat to combine.
• 6. Add nutmeg and cinnamon. Add flavoring of your choice and vanilla. Mix until thoroughly combined and smooth.
• 7. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing just until combined after each.
• 8. Pour batter into prepared crust to approximately 1 - 1 1/2" before you reach the top of the pan. Extra batter can be used to make an additional smaller-sized cheesecake or individual custard cups can be used with the crust being 1 gingersnap cookie or cupcake pans with paper.
• 9. Bake in a 350 degree oven 20 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and continue baking 35 minutes more.
• 10. Reduce oven temperature again to 250 degrees and continue baking 20-30 minutes more until cheesecake is set around the edges and barely juggles at the center. Use a timer or the timer on your stove works great!
• 11. Remove cheesecake from the oven and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• 12. Meanwhile, for topping whisk together the sour cream, sugar, and flavoring.
• 13. Carefully spread topping evenly over cheesecake. Sprinkle with additional crumbs, if desired. Bake for 5 additional minutes to just set the topping.
• 14. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes. Run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the pan and allow to cool completely.
• 15. Chill several hours. I don't cover at this point, because the condensation on plastic wrap or an inverted plate, will drip onto the topping.
• 16. Remove from pan and plate. Run long knife in between spring form pan bottom and cake and slide back onto plate.
• 17. To pre-slice: Heat long knife in hot tap water, cut into +, then wipe blade and heat again and cut into eighths, then wipe blade and heat again and cut into sixteenths. Serves 16 slices. Reduce number of cuts for larger slices.
• 18. Cover and refrigerate until time to serve.

Steps:

• 1. To make the Crust:
• 2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Get out your 9-inch springform pan. Put the crumbs, Splenda blend and margarine in the pan. Mix with a fork until the butter is completely mixed into the crumbs and the Splenda sort of disappears into the mixture. Pat this mixture with your fingers into the bottom of the pan and partially up the sides of the pan. It should come up the side a half inch or more. You don't have to be too precise. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes until set. Let cool.
• 3. To make the Filling:
• 4. First drain the sweet potatoes in a colander. Put the sweet potatoes in a food processor and whiz them to make a puree. You can add up to a half cup of water to make the potato puree smooth. Sometimes you need a little liquid to get the processor started in its chopping process.
• 5. In a large bowl, put in your cream cheese, Splenda blend, sweet potato puree mixture, spice, and one egg. Mix for one minute, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides. Add the next egg and mix another minute. Add the last egg and the vanilla and mix one more minute. This makes your filling nice and fluffy. Pour this over your crust. Level it with your spatula
• 6. Wrap your cheesecake pan in two layers of aluminum foil. You want to seal it good and tight so no water will get in. Wrap the bottom and up the sides. Set the pan in a larger roasting pan and then add water so the water level will be one inch up the side of the cheesecake. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes until the cheesecake is set. Remove the cheesecake from the water pan and put it back in the oven (now turned off) with the door open for 15 more minutes so the cheesecake cools down slowly. Then let it cool on the counter. Take off the aluminum foil side cover. Finally, chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight before serving. You can put a loose covering of plastic wrap on top of the cheesecake after it has cooled on the counter so it doesn't soak up any refrigerator flavors.
• 7. To make Whipped Cream:
• 8. Whip your cream as usual. Instead of adding vanilla or sugar when the cream reaches soft peaks, add the syrup and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Make the whipped cream right before you serve.
• 9. To serve
• 10. Take a sharp knife and slide it along the edge of the cheesecake to make sure it is loosened from the pan edge. Place it on your platter and unlock the springform to release the cheesecake. Gently lift off the outer ring. Clean up any little crumbs or messy edges. Slice your cheesecake with a very sharp knife that has been dipped in warm water and wiped off with a towel. This will make a very smooth cut.
• 11. The cheesecake will taste best on days 2 through 4. As the days progress, the cheesecake flavor intensifies. Depending on the humidity in your refrigerator, your crust might start to get soggy, but the cheesecake will still taste good. As with all cheesecakes, I recommend taking it out of the refrigerator at least 15 to 30 minutes or even longer before you serve it. The colder it is, the less the flavors come through. Savor each bite by rolling it over on your tongue. Yum!