Sweet Potato Protein Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Does anything else scream "THANKSGIVING" like sweet potatoes?! You've got sweet potato pie, sweet potato casserole, baked sweet potatoes, glazed sweet potatoes....you get the picture. I usually make a pumpkin cheesecake for the big feast. However, I wanted to create a twist on my traditional cheesecake flavor. Then it dawned on me. Sweet potatoes! This cheesecake has an amazing texture...smooth and silky - and is topped with a salty and sweet salted caramel sauce. It's a match made in Thanksgiving heaven. It also doesn't hurt that the macros of this cheesecake are exponentially lower (except for the protein, which is higher) than the traditional pumpkin cheesecake. 

Ingredients

Crust

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

¼ cup almond meal flour

¾ cup coconut flour

1 scoop ARO vanilla whey protein powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons water

Cheesecake

2 (8 oz.) packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1½ cup cooked sweet potato, mashed

¾ cup plain greek yogurt

¾ cup maple syrup

2 scoops ARO vanilla whey protein powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 eggs, at room temperature

Sauce

1 cup pitted dates (about 6 total)

1 cup water

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Stir together coconut oil, almond meal flour, coconut flour, 1 scoop protein powder, 1t ground cinnamon, and apple sauce until mixture is crumbly. Stir in water. (Mixture should holds its shape when pressed down)

3. Pour mixture into a 9½-inch springform pan and press down until crust is formed on the bottom of the pan. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes; remove from oven and set side.

4. Add cream cheese, sweet potato, greek yogurt, and maple syrup to a large mixing bowl. Beat mixture until smooth. Mix in protein powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.

5. Whisk the eggs then, on low speed, beat them into cheesecake filling.

6. Pour cheesecake filling into springform pan.

7. Bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes (edges of cheesecake should be cooked but center may slightly jiggle).

8. Turn oven off and let cheesecake sit in the oven with the door slightly opened for 1 hour.

9. To make the sauce, place the dates, water, and salt in a small saucepan over low heat. Let sauce cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Pour into a food processor and blend until smooth.

10. Pour sauce on top of cheesecake then cut into 16 slices. Enjoy!

Makes 16 servings

1 serving is 1 slice with sauce

Macros for 1 serving

226 calories, 9.7g protein, 26g carbs, 9.6g fat, 16.7g sugar, 3.2g fiber