Last night I baked a few too many sweet potatoes which I put away in the fridge with every intention of reheating for tonight’s dinner.

Then tonight, after toweling off from getting caught in the rain on the way home from work, I was overcome by a pickle craving. One thing let to another, and there I was, eating a tuna sandwich (full of delicious pickles) and neglecting my leftovers.

When the last bite of sandwich had disappeared, I was bored and home alone, which led to an inevitable case of baking itch (ew!), and began taking inventory of my ingredient options. And there they were again, my lovely baked sweet potatoes, all cold and wrapped in foil. 

They made me think of the sweet potato pound cake that we used to get at our county fair each fall when I was growing up. Mmmmm that sure would have been amazing, but alas, I was down to a lone egg, a stick of butter, and a package of cream cheese. Hard times in the East Village Kitchen.

When life hands you leftover sweet potatoes, a stick of butter, an egg, and some cream cheese, well, it becomes quite plain that one must suck it up and make: these.

I love cheesecake and cake blended together, especially when the cake is super-dense and moist, like in a cheesecake swirl brownie. And I figured, well, chocolate is sweet and dense. Sweet potatoes are (obviously) sweet, and dense… and there was just one way to test my hypothesis. 

The microwave made my task incredibly simple. I sliced the sweet potatoes in half and nuked them for a minute to soften them up a bit, and to my surprise, they slid right out of their skins! It also came in handy for quickly melting the butter, which I combined with the mashed sweet potatoes and whisked with a fork.

From there on, it was as simple as making brownies, and it was fun artfully swirling the cream cheese, egg, and sugar mixture on top of the batter before popping it into the oven. They smelled so amazing as they baked, I could hardly wait for them to cool so I could try one. It was totally worth the wait, the results were heavenly! The mellow sweetness of the dense, moist, and rich sweet potato cake is offset by a light delicious pillow of creamy, tangy cheesecake in every bite. In the grand tradition of adorable bar/cookie/dessert names (the brownie, the blondie, etc.) I’m calling this creation “the sweetie”. I can’t wait to unveil them for my friends this weekend!

Cheesecake Sweeties

For sweet potato bottoms:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted, unsalted butter, plus a bit more for the pan

1 and 1/2 cups whisked, cooled sweet potato

1/2 cup light-brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

For cheesecake swirls:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk

5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8 inch square pan with 2 inch high walls with butter. Trim two pieces of baker’s parchment so they can sit flat on the bottom the the pan and so they are long enough to hang over the sides by a few inches. Butter the paper.

Microwave your sweet potatoes. If you are using leftover baked sweet potatoes, remove them from foil, cut them in half and microwave them for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on thickness. If you are starting with raw sweet potatoes, poke holes in the skin with a fork and microwave on high for 4 to six minutes, or until they are soft and easily mashed. Discard skins and mash and whisk with a fork until they are smooth. Microwave the butter completely in the microwave (for about 30 seconds), and whisk into the mashed sweet potatoes until the mixture is smooth with very few bumps.

Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, a hand mixer or a whisk, add sugars and beat until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until they are fully integrated. Add flour and salt and mix just until the liquids have absorbed them. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading it evenly.

In a separate bowl, using a whisk or hand mixer, combine cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth and uniform. place 6-8 large dollops of the mixture on top of the batter in the pan. Use a knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture into the batter. Rap the pan flat against the counter a few times to level, then place in the preheated oven, on the middle rack. 

Bake until the cheesecake swirls are starting to turn golden, and a toothpick inserted into the batter part comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Use the parchment to pull the cake from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board and cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

In addition to my apple pie, I wanted to bring something new to the thanksgiving table this year. Brian’s mom hosted 23 people for dinner and I wanted to bring something a little unusual, a decadent crowd-pleaser that would be rich and memorable. Cheesecake was the answer, and pumpkin at that, to be seasonal. Done and done. In my wildest dreams I never would have guessed that my first cheesecake would come out so perfectly baked, creamy yet light, and astoundingly delicious (if I do say so myself).

The cheesecake being difficult thing is a myth. The crust is born in the food processor. I am sad to say that the biggest ingredient in the crust is a big no no – a store bought cookie, so full of preservatives that it had probably been sitting on the shelf of my local Rite Aid for ten years before I came along and bought it along with my shampoo and moisturizer. Next time I’ll make my own and I’ll probably use ginger snapish cookies instead. Not that my crust wasn’t great. It WAS.

After all, what could be bad if it involves butter, nuts, sugar, brown sugar, and a classic processed cookie-food?

Be sure to use a springform pan for this recipe and to refrigerate the crust for an hour before adding the filling.

A few weeks ago I bought a sugar pumpkin at the greenmarket and practiced cooking it into mush and straining out all the liquid with a cheesecloth with the intention of doing the same for my thanksgiving dessert. Unfortunately, I just started a new job and didn’t have the time. I did opt for the organic pumpkin in a can, if that is any consolation.

Cooking with booze (both in a glass and in your food) is always fun, and this cheesecake was no exception. This photo is slightly misleading because I did not end up using my homemade vanilla extract in this recipe – it turned out that it is still not ready.

I began whisking in the stand mixer, which turned out to be a little silly. I recommend whisking the pumpkin etc. in a separate bowl and using the stand mixer for the cream cheese mixture instead.

I was concerned that the recipe was calling for an overpowering amount of spice, but the prescribed amounts turned out to be spot-on for a subtle, hint of pumpkin pie flavor. If subtlety is not your thing, add more.

Whip the spices into the cream cheese. I recommend that you use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer if you have one, but a crank hand mixer will do the job – eventually. The more room temperature your cream cheese is, the better.

Once the cream cheese is smooth, add the pumpkin mixture.

Be sure to bake this on top of a cookie sheet in the oven – springform pans are not water-tight!

I got the above result after about 50 minutes of baking. The center felt “springy” at 40 minutes, but I was parinoid and baked it ten additional minutes from that point, just to be sure. I’m glad that I did.

The topping is very easy, it’s just sour cream, a little sugar, and a little burbon. Brian said not enough bourbon, but at this point in the game, I was not going to experiment. It goes back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes after the topping.

I was really happy with the results. It was my first cheesecake, and I knocked it out of the park. It was a perfect finish to an amazing meal (thanks Merri!). Creamy and smooth, surprisingly light, with a hint of pumpkin pie.

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake
Adapted from Gourmet November 2003

For crust

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (from five 4 3/4- by 2 1/4-inch crackers)

1/2 cup pecans (1 3/4 ounces), finely chopped

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For filling

1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin

3 large eggs

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon (optional)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

For topping

2 cups sour cream (20 ounces)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon (optional)

Garnish: pecan halves

Make crust:
Invert bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (to create flat bottom, which will make it easier to remove cake from pan), then lock on side and butter pan.

Stir together crumbs, pecans, sugars, and butter in a bowl until combined well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of pan, then chill crust, 1 hour.

Make filling and bake cheesecake:
Put oven rack in middle position and Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and liqueur (if using) in a bowl until combined.

Stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in large bowl. Add cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, then add pumpkin mixture and beat until smooth.

Pour filling into crust, smoothing top, then put springform pan in a shallow baking pan (in case springform leaks). Bake until center is just set, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool 5 minutes. (Leave oven on.)

Make topping:
Whisk together sour cream, sugar, and liqueur (if using) in a bowl, then spread on top of cheesecake and bake 5 minutes.

Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 3 hours.

Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours. Remove side of pan and bring to room temperature before serving.

Cooks’ note:

Baked cheesecake can be chilled, covered, up to 2 days.

One of my favorite types of parties to throw is a tapas party, because it allows me to experiment with new recipes without a lot of prior testing – because hey, if one thing doesn’t come out perfectly, there are twelve other foods in the queue. This weekend, in honor of my friend Sarah returning to town for the Teach For America Alumni Summit, I prepared a tapas feast for some of our friends. In the coming days I will showcase some of the recipes that I prepared for this dinner, and today I will start with one new recipe that did work – a smooth and creamy cheesecake flan. I picked this recipe because of its Spanish and New York roots – appropriate for my NYC tapas party.

Faced with the challenge of deciding the appropriate order for these tapas party posts, I’ve opted to go from nuts to soup, because the dessert took the longest to prepare and was the recipe I tackled when prepping the food for the evening. And thus, my afternoon in the kitchen began with some caramel syrup making. Resist the urge to stir – a low swirl of the pan does just fine!

After about ten minutes, the sugar and water mixture will begin to turn the color of champagne. Watch it carefully, and be ready to move the pan to a cooling bath of ice cubes and water as soon as it looks like caramel (this happens so fast, I was unable to capture it on film).

Almost immediately after removing the pan of caramel from the burner and transferring it to the cooling bath, pour enough caramel to cover the bottom waiting ramekins. These will end up baking in a water-filled pan with a towel at the bottom, which serves the dual purpose of preventing the cheesecakes from burning and preventing the ramekins from sliding around. I was very happy to be able to use Brian’s grandmother’s ramekins to prepare this recipe.

From here, the recipe gets much less technical. Lot’s of fun with a hand mixer!

Also, the opportunity to cook with both condensed and evaporated milks!

When all of the mixing is done and things are looking silky smooth, slowly pour the mixture on top on the caramel in the ramekins, stopping a quarter-inch from the edge. Then fill the pan with water so the ramekins are submerged halfway. After 30 minutes in my oven these were still not spongy to the touch, so I let them go an additional ten. I prepared these about six hours before i served them, letting them chill in the fridge. Using a knife to loosen them around the edges, they plopped perfectly onto serving plates, with the excess caramel acting as a beautiful garnish. They were deliciously creamy and received top marks. I will be sure to add them to my standard tapas repertoire. 

Ingrid Hoffman’s Cheesecake Flan

Recipe can be found on the Food Network Website

2 cups sugar 

1/4 cup water 

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (this blogger used 16 oz – I find more cream cheese yields better results)

3 large eggs, at room temperature 

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk 

1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Special equipment: 10 (3 1/2-inch) ramekins

Set a large bowl of ice water next to your stovetop. Place the sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Using a pastry brush, stir the sugar occasionally, being careful not to get any grains stuck against the sides of the saucepan, until it has all dissolved. Swirl the saucepan every minute until the sugar becomes a golden reddish-brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Shock the bottom of the saucepan by placing the bottom in the ice water to stop the cooking, and then equally divide the caramel into 10 to 12 (3 1/2-inch) ramekins and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese with the eggs on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until completely incorporated. Add the condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk and vanilla extract and continue to beat together until everything is well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Ladle the custard over the caramel into the ramekins filling them up to 1/2-inch from the rim. Place a kitchen towel in a deep baking dish or roasting pan and place the ramekins in 2 rows on top of the towel. Place the baking dish in the oven and using a pitcher, pour enough hot water into the baking dish to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins, taking care not to get water in the ramekins. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the flan is just set, about 30 minutes. When you tap the edge of the ramekin the flan should still wobble in the center.

Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven, remove the foil and let the ramekins cool slightly. Using tongs remove the ramekins from the water and set on a towel to cool for at least 2 hours before serving. Once cooled completely, the flan can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before un-molding and serving. To serve, run a thin knife around the inside edge of the ramekin to loosen the flan, and then invert onto a plate.