Sweet Potato Pecan Cheesecake Bars
The following recipe and photography were provided by Food Scientist Kathleen Ann of Bread Over Heels.
These Sweet Potato Pecan Cheesecake Bars are a fun and unique treat to ring in the fall season.
Starting with a base of pecan-spiked crust made from yellow cake mix, these bars are topped with a whimsical marbled layer of cheesecake and sweet potato pie. The flavor is both decadent and wholesome thanks to the sweet potatoes, which provide a hefty helping natural sweetness and the cream cheese, which creates indulgent cheesecake texture.
To make this recipe as quick and easy as possible, I utilized canned sweet potato from my local Heinen’s, and, as always, I baked with Heinen’s brand butter and spices. These bars will make for the perfect end to an autumnal meal.
Sweet Potato Pecan Cheesecake Bars
Servings: 16 bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups yellow cake mix
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup Heinen’s butter, cold and cut into small pieces
- 7 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk, divided
- 1 package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3 eggs, divided
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes, canned or cooked from fresh
- 1 tsp. Heinen’s cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 13×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the yellow cake mix, pecans, butter and 2 Tbsp. of sweetened condensed milk. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into the prepared baking pan.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend the cream cheese until smooth. Add 1 egg, 2 Tbsp. of sweetened condensed milk and ¼ cup powdered sugar. Mix until completely smooth.
- In a medium-size bowl, stir to combine the sweet potatoes, the remaining 3 Tbsp. of sweetened condensed milk, the remaining 2 eggs and cinnamon.
- Evenly spread the sweet potato mixture on top of the crust. Add the cream cheese mixture in large spoonfuls on top of the sweet potato mixture. Use a spoon to gently swirl together the sweet potato mixture and cream cheese mixture to create a marbled appearance.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the cream cheese mixture is set and lightly golden brown. Let chill for 20 minutes at room temperature, then move to the refrigerator to chill completely. Cut and serve the bars cold.
