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| Two ways of enjoying your mini blueberry cheesecakes |
Oh my god! What could be more luxurious and sensuous than a cheesecake? Here's an interesting trivia about cheesecake: in Roman times, there was a type of cheesecake known as (I bet you won't guess it) placenta. Yes, that's right when the ancient Roman said they were eating placenta, they were actually eating cheesecake. It was basically a flour dough topped with cheese and honey, and it's definitely weird that such a thing could be associated with something so...gross.
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| Mini cheesecake with blueberry preserve topping |
But that isn't what this post is about. Let's get back to what we know and love as cheesecake. There are many different ways to make cheesecake. You can either bake it or not bake it; have sour cream and eggs or no sour cream and eggs. Some are made with cottage cheese, others with other types of European cheeses. Some are flavored with chocolate, other with fruit, and there are an endless array of toppings.
The one type that I had yet to encounter was the mini cheesecake, which is essentially a cheesecake cupcake. Now, what could be better than that? After seeing a picture of a mini cheesecake on Martha Stewart.com, I could not stop thinking about those mini cheesecakes. A quick search on the internet yielded exactly what I needed. I was delightfully surprised at how easy they were to make. It's almost too easy.
To make this cheesecake, I actually used a combination of three mini cheesecake recipes. The great thing about it is that I didn't need a springform pan or a water bath. All I needed were 18 muffin cups.
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| Mini blueberry cheesecake with swirls |
For the crust
125g graham cracker (or digestive biscuits) crumbs
55g butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the filling
1lb (16oz or 454g) cream cheese (I used Philadelphia), at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
Other things needed
1 can blueberry filling or blueberry preserve
18 muffin cups and your muffin pans
Preheat the oven to 300F or 149C. Line the muffin pans with the muffin cups. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Press these to the bottom of each muffin cup. Bake for five minutes and store in the fridge while you make the filling.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and salt. Beat until combined. Then, add the eggs one at a time. Finally, add the vanilla, lemon zest and the sour cream. Do not over mix. Remove the crust from the fridge and using a spoon, divide the filling among the muffin cups. To make swirls, dot a cupcake with the syrup part of the blueberry filling/preserve and swirl with a toothpick or a small knife. You don't have to do this if you'd prefer the filling to be on top. (In this case, don't put anything on the cheesecake) Bake the cheesecakes in a 300F or 149C oven for 20 minutes. Once you remove them from the oven, cool them on a wire rack then place them in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Remember, this is a cheesecake, and that means, you can't eat it right away. This is where your EQ will have to kick into place. Once you're ready to serve, top with the blueberry preserves or whatever topping you'd prefer.
Oh, if you want more information about this cheesecake, here are the three recipes that I've combined:
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