How to make ube cheesecake in an Instant Pot

Reprinted with permission from ‘The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook’

“NOT to be mistaken for taro, ube has been a longtime staple in Filipino desserts and has recently made its way into mainstream American culture. This yam adds a sweet and nutty flavor to desserts and is easy to identify by its deep purple color, making ube desserts very Instagram-worthy. In this recipe, I used ube halaya (purple yam jam) and ube extract to make ube cheesecake. Cheesecake is probably one of the most popular desserts to make in the Instant Pot because you can cut your cooking time in half.” -Tisha Gonda Domingo

Serves 6 to 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Active Time: 0 minutes

Pressure Cook Time: 15 minutes

Release: Natural

For the cake:

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese 1⁄4 cup sour cream

1⁄3 cup white sugar

3⁄4 cup ube halaya (purple

yam jam)

3 tsp ube extract

3 eggs, room temperature 11⁄2 cups water

For the crust:

1 packet graham crackers 2 tbsp white sugar

4 tbsp butter, melted

Equipment:

Food processor

Parchment paper

7-inch springform pan

Hand mixer

Instant Pot trivet

Heavy-duty aluminum foil

1. About 30 to 60 minutes in advance, take cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs out of the refrigerator so they can come to room temperature.

Prepare the crust:

2. Break graham crackers into food processor and pulse until fine. Alternatively, you can put the graham crackers in a resealable plastic bag and crush the crackers into crumbs using a rolling pin.

3. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, 2 tbsp sugar, and butter. Place a larger circle of parchment paper on the bottom of a 7-inch springform pan. Spray the liner with cooking oil and pour crumb mixture into pan and press evenly to form the crust.

Make the cake:

4. In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, 1/3cup sugar, ube halaya, and ube extract using

a hand mixer at low speed. Add eggs one at a time and continue mixing at low speed until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Be careful not to overmix batter.

5. Spray the sides of the pan with cooking oil. Pour batter into springform pan and tap pan on counter to get air bubbles out.

6. Add water to the inner pot and place trivet inside.

7. Make a sling using an 18-inch piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and fold it into thirds lengthwise and place the springform on the center. Carefully lower the springform onto the trivet using the sling. Fold down the excess foil from the sling to ensure that the pot closes properly.

8. Turn and lock the lid into place, making sure the steam-release valve is in the sealed position. Select Manual and program for 15 minutes on High Pressure. When cooking is complete, allow pressure to release naturally.

9. Unlock and carefully remove the lid. Remove the cheesecake using foil sling and place on a wire rack to cool. Gently blot any water on the cheesecake with a paper towel.

10. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

11. To remove the cheesecake from the pan, run a thin knife around the inside of the pan and release the spring to remove the round pan rim.