Ube Cheesecake

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs 
6 tbsp unsalted butter 
1 tbsp granulated sugar 


Ube Cheesecake Filling:
3 bars of full-fat cream cheese, 8 oz each 
1 cup castor sugar 
1/4 cup purple yam 
2 cups full-fat sour cream (16 oz)
1 tbsp ube extract [15 mL]
2 tbsp all-purpose flour [15.6 g]
3 large eggs 

Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract 

Instructions

Cheesecake:

Let 3 eggs and 3 bars (8 oz each) of full-fat cream cheese, and 2 cups (16 oz) full-fat sour cream, and 1/4 cup ube halaya (if refrigerated) come to room temperature. Adjust oven rack to the lower-third position, and preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C), and begin boiling a large pot of water for the water bath. 

Take a medium-sized mixing bowl, add in 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, 6 tbsp of unsalted butter that has been melted and 2 tbsp of granulated sugar. Mix these together until they are well combined.

Take a 9" springform pan, and lightly butter the bottom and the sides. Transfer the graham cracker mixture into the springform pan and press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. I like to use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack it in tightly and get a smooth surface. Set this crust aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add in the 3 bars (8 oz each) of room temperature cream cheese and 1 cup of granulated sugar. With the paddle attachment, mix these together on medium-high speed till it looks smooth. 

Stop the mixer and add in the 1/4 cup of room temperature sweet purple yam, 2 cups of room temperature full-fat sour cream, 1 tbsp ube extract, and 2 tbsp of all-purpose flour. Continue to beat on medium speed until everything is well combined.

One at a time, add in the 3 room temperature eggs, making sure that the previous egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg.

Pour this batter into the prepared crust, and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all the air bubbles to the surface.

Place 2 large sheets of aluminum foil over a large roasting tray. I'm using a 11" x 15" roasting tray that is 2" high. You can use any size, as long as the springform pan fits inside it. Place the springform pan with cheesecake in the center of the foil, and fold the foil up so that it creates a high 2-layer wall of foil that is hugging the sides of the springform pan, and overshooting a bit in terms of height - about 1 inch or so higher than walls of springform pan. It's important that there are no holes or tears in the foil so water will not leak into the cheesecake. The 2 layers of foil will help to ensure this.

With the 9" springform pan in the center of the larger roasting tray and the wall of aluminum foil in place, pour boiling water into the larger roasting tray so that there is boiling water halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan (about 1 inch of water). The springform pan with the cheesecake should be heavy enough to weigh it down, and it will not float in the water.

Transfer everything (cheesecake inside a water bath) into the preheated oven, and bake at 350 F (175 C) for 60 minutes (may take 55 to 65 minutes, depending on your oven), until it is almost done. The cheesecake should mostly hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage.

Leaving the oven door closed, turn off the heat, and let it rest in the cooling oven for another 60 minutes.

After resting in the turned-off oven / water bath for 60 minutes, remove the water bath from the oven, and carefully lift the cheesecake out of the water bath. Be very careful as water could still leak into the cheesecake at this point.

Let the cheesecake finish cooling to room temperature, uncovered. When it is at room temperature, put it in the fridge to chill for a minimum of 6 hours, preferably overnight.


Whipped Cream: 

In the bowl of the stand-mixer, add in 2 cups of very cold heavy cream. With the whisk attachment, beat on medium-high speed till the heavy cream mixture increases in volume, about 50% increase in volume.

Then while continuing to beat, add in 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Continue beating on medium-high speed until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Leave this whipped cream in the fridge till you're ready to serve.

Serving:

When it is completely chilled, carefully remove the sides of the springform pan and leave the bottom part under the cake. For clean slices, dip a sharp metal knife in warm water between each slice. Serve the ube cheesecake with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!