Dreamy creamy mini blueberry cheesecakes baked in a muffin pan. These little cheesecakes are the perfect size for a weekend get-together or party.
Cheesecake - need I say more? Truly one of the best desserts out there. Whether you go for baked or unbaked, you just know it's going to go down well.
A large traditional sized cheesecake can be intimidating to make. It requires a water bath and careful cooling to ensure the top of the cheesecake does not crack. To get around this...simply make mini cheesecakes.
Ingredients for Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes
Berry Compote
Blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries - the choice is yours. If using frozen blueberries do not defrost them ahead of time. Just toss them in the pot.
Sugar sweetens the compote.
Lemon Juice adds a nice brightness to this compote. If you do not have fresh lemon juice, a teaspoon of concentrated lemon juice will work.
Biscuit Base
Malt'O'Milk biscuits - these biscuits are relatively sweet with a nice malty flavour. However, if you prefer a different biscuit, go ahead and use it.
Butter binds the biscuit crust together.
Cheesecake Filling
Cream Cheese - firm cream cheese is needed for a really good cheesecake. Here in New Zealand, I suggest using Philadelphia cream cheese blocks.
Sour Cream - light or regular cream cheese or creme fraiche adds to the tang of the cheesecake and adds to the freezing capability of the unbaked cheesecakes.
Eggs bind the filling together.
Caster sugar adds sweetness to this cheesecake without adding additional flavour. Granulated white sugar will also work.
Vanilla Extract and Lemon Juice give a nice flavour to the cheesecake.
Flour thickens the batter as a whole.
Making Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes
This recipe makes 18 regular cupcake-sized cheesecakes or 49 mini cupcakes sized cheesecakes.
To make regular cupcake-sized cheesecakes - place 11/2 tablespoons of biscuit base into each cupcake liner, and 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake filling.
To make mini cupcake sizes cheesecakes - place 1 ½ teaspoons of biscuit base into each cupcake liner and 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of filling.
The temperatures stated are for conventional ovens. For convection, fan-forced, fan-assisted, or air-fryers, the temperature must be reduced by 20°C/25°F.
For baking, make sure the oven is fully preheated, and that the rack is in the middle of the oven. Open the oven as little as possible. For best baking results use an oven thermometer.
Remember that all ovens work slightly differently and bake times may need to be adjusted for your specific oven.
Blueberry Compote
Making the blueberry is very easy. Combine all the ingredients in a small to a medium-sized pot, and bring to a boil. Once the compote is boiling, slightly reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes. The compote is finished when you can drag a line along the back of the wooden spoon without it flooding towards itself.
Once the compote is finished, allow it to cool before placing it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to a week, or this can be frozen for up to a month. Which mean this compote can be made up to a month in advance.
Extra blueberry compote can be used on top of yoghurt and granola, pancakes, or even toast.
Plain cheesecakes can be made by simply skipping this step altogether.
Biscuit Base
Making the biscuit base could not be easier. Simply crush the biscuits by rolling them in a plastic bag or toss them in the food processor until the biscuits are crumbs. Then add the melted butter and mix through until a wet sand consistency has been obtained.
This biscuit base must be baked for about 5 minutes before adding the filling.
Cheesecake Filling
Making a smooth cheesecake filling begins with room temperature ingredients. Remove the ingredients from the fridge about an hour before you begin. If you live in a colder climate, similar to that of New Zealand, room temperature may still be a bit too cold.
When the days are on the cooler side, I zap the cream cheese in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time until the cream cheese is pliable. The sour cream can be zapped in 10-second increments and the eggs can be placed in lukewarm water to bring them to temperature.
Using a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and lemon juice on a medium speed until smooth. Then add in the sour cream, vanilla and beat to combine. On a medium speed at the eggs and beat until just combined. You don't want to add too much air into the batter with the eggs. This will result in a thick creamy batter.
Divide the batter into the cupcake liners with the baked biscuit base. You can swirl the blueberry compote into the cheesecake filling, or bake these cheesecakes as is for a plain cheesecake.
The mini cheesecakes must be cooled for at least 2 hours in the fridge, or overnight before serving. Additional blueberry compote can be poured over the top of the cheesecakes when served.
Making mini cheesecakes ahead of time
These cheesecakes can be made ahead of time by simply preparing them up until the baking stage. The mini cheesecakes can then be frozen for up to 3 months in advance without the blueberry compote. Before baking, thaw out in the fridge overnight.
Scaling the mini cheesecake recipe
This recipe is really easy to scale down to make 9 mini cheesecakes or to double or triple the recipe for larger functions.
If you want to make a single cheesecake using this recipe - line a loaf pan (with overhanging slings), place the biscuit base in the bottom and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Pour the cheesecake filling into the pan and smooth over. Add about ½ cup of blueberry compote and swirl into the top of the cheesecake. Place the loaf tin into a roasting tin, and fill the roasting dish halfway with hot water. Bake for 50-60 minutes. The cheesecake is done when the outer edge is set until about 3cm towards the centre, while the middle still jiggles.
Turn off the oven, prop it open with a wooden spoon and allow it to cool for an hour before removing and cooling in the tin on a wire rack. Once cool, place in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
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Recipe Card
Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Blueberry Compote
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries do not defrost frozen berries
- 60 grams white granulated sugar (caster/granulated)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Biscuit Base
- 160 grams malt biscuits
- 85 grams butter (melted)
Cheesecake Filling
- 500 grams cream cheese
- 150 grams white granulated sugar (caster/granulated)
- 120 grams sour cream
- 1 tablespoon plain flour (all-purpose/standard grade)
- 2 eggs (large)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Blueberry Compote
- Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized pot and simmer over medium heat, until the mixture begins to bubble a bit. Reduce the heat slightly and cook for a further 15 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon mashing some of the berries in the cooking process.
- The compote is finished when a spoon is dragged across the bottom of the pot and leaves a trail for a few seconds before rejoining.
- Allow the berry compote to cool before placing it into a glass jar, or another fridge-suitable container. This sauce can also be frozen for up to a month.
- Biscuit Base
- Crush the malt biscuits or process in a food processor until you have a sandy crumby mixture. Add the melted butter and mix until just combined. Line a muffin tray with
- For regular cupcake sized mini cheesecakes, place approximately 1 tablespoon of the biscuit base into the bottom of the cupcake liner, and for mini cupcake size, approximately 1½ teaspoon into the cupcake liners. Bake the crust for about 5 minutes and set aside to cool.
- Cheesecake Filling
- Allow all the ingredients to come to room temperature. This will take about an hour and is crucial for a smooth creamy cheesecake. Cold ingredients will result in lumps.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Whisk or beat the cream cheese using a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, sugar, flour and lemon juice on a medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add in the sour cream and vanilla and beat until fully combined. On a medium speed add in the eggs and beat until just combined. The batter will be thick. Divide the batter between the liners - approximately 2½ tablespoon per regular sized cupcake liners or 1 tablespoon per mini-sized cupcake liners. Then swirl in a teaspoon of blueberry compote into the regular-sized or ½ teaspoon in the mini cheesecakes.
- Bake the regular sized cupcake cheesecakes for approximately 18-20 minutes and the mini-sized cheesecakes for about 10 minutes. The edges will be set and centres will be slightly jiggly. Set the pan aside to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before chilling in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to a day. If the cheesecakes will be in the fridge for longer than 2 hours, cover loosely with a tea towel or plastic wrap.
- Once the cheesecakes are fully cooled, add additional blueberry topping and serve. The cheesecakes can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Berry Compote
Make-ahead instructions: The berry compote can be made up to a week in advance if stored in the fridge, or can be stored in the freezer for up to a month.Cheesecake filling
Make-ahead instructions: These mini cheesecakes can be made ahead of time by covering all the steps right up until baking. The filled unbaked cupcake liners can then be stored in the fridge 2 to 3 days in advance. Baked mini cheesecakes can be frozen for up to 3 months without the topping. Frozen cheesecakes can be thawed in the fridge overnight before serving. Cream cheese - I used Philadelphia cream cheese for this recipe. I would suggest only using firm cream cheeses. Softer cream cheeses will result in a very different cheesecake filling texture. To make plain cheesecakes, simply leave out the blueberry compote. These cheesecakes are delicious with or without the blueberries.Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate. If scaling the recipe remember to scale your cook and bakeware accordingly. All temperatures stated are conventional, unless otherwise stated. Recipes tested in grams and at sea level.
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