Sweet Potato Cheesecake ♥ Restored from the archives

I love to shop the day after Thanksgiving, but not in all those stores with the Black Friday sales, I head to my supermarket.

This is when I buy the large packages of stuffing mushrooms, boxes of sweet potatoes and all the other items that were part of yesterdays T-day dinner. Most all at a great discount.

I now have a Black Friday tradition. I bake this Sweet Potato Cheesecake and share with all my neighbors. While I love sweet potato pie, I seem to be in the minority around here but this cheesecake is always well received.

I recently was asked to reincarnate this post from the archives.
The original recipe came from Betty Crocker, but I made a few adjustments.

Here it is..............


Sweet Potato Cheesecake
makes (1) 10" cheesecake
Crust:
* 1 cup ground gingersnap cookies
* 1/4 cup hazelnut flour
* 1/4-1/3 cup sugarless pancake syrup (like Careys)

Cheesecake:
* 1 cup whole hazelnuts, skins removed, roasted and chopped (divided 1/4 + 3/4 cup)
* 3 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed (about 2 cups)
* 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 4 eggs

Crumb Topping:
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
* 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts (from above)

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Mix crust ingredients in a bowl using just enough syrup to moisten.
2. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until crust just begins to brown around edge. Remove to cool, sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
3. In medium bowl, beat sweet potatoes, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, the nutmeg and vanilla with electric mixer on low speed until blended; set aside. In large bowl, beat cream cheese and 1 cup sugar on medium speed about 1 minute or until smooth. Beat in sweet potato mixture on low speed about 1 minute or until blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
4. Spoon batter into crust in pan. Place 10" spring form pan in larger pan on oven rack. Pour very hot water into larger pan to one-third the height of spring form pan.
5. Bake cheesecake about 1 hour 30 minutes, adding very hot water to larger pan as needed, until center is set.
6. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir flour, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon until crumbly. Stir in hazelnuts. Set Crumb Topping aside.
7. Sprinkle Topping over cheesecake. Bake about 30 minutes longer or until topping is set. Remove from pan of water. Cool cheesecake 30 minutes. Loosen side from pan; remove. Refrigerate uncovered 3 to 4 hours or until chilled. Store covered in refrigerator.