I never get tired of eating cheesecakes. They're the best. Smooth, tart, moist and rich at the same time. Pair them with any type of fruit, coulis or sauce and you've a whole new dessert each time! My favorite cheesecake recipe is an adaptation of Martha Stewart's Easter cheesecake. That cake was a revelation, and for two reasons: no Graham crackers (not a fan of those) and the lemon zest! Ground almonds replace the crackers, providing the cakes with a lighter and subtler taste, and the zests add a little more freshness to the experience.
I never liked making full-size cakes because I find cutting them ruins the whole look of the dessert and I am way too impatient to wait for the cake to bake. It sometimes takes up to an hour! Cupcake-size cakes take much less time to bake and each serving is pretty! It's a win-win situation in my opinion.
Mini cheesecakes with raspberry swirls
Makes approx. 20 mini cakes
Ingredients
Crust
1 cup ground blanched almonds
Filling
4 250g cream cheese packages, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest (approx. 1 lemon)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
Raspberry sauce
8 oz fresh or frozen raspberries
4 tbsp granulated sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Line muffin tin with paper liners and pour 1 tablespoon ground almonds in each liner. Spread evenly.
Add raspberries and 4 tablespoons of sugar in a food processor and pulse until well purΓ©ed, about 1 minute.
Press the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat on medium low speed the cream cheese, heavy cream and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated.
Add zest and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
Fill each prepared liner about 2/3 full with the batter.
Drop about 5 small dots of raspberry sauce over each cake (about 3/4 tsp total over each cake).
Using a toothpick, swirl raspberry sauce with cheesecake mixture. Don't over do it; a few quick swirls will do the trick.
Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or until the center of the cheesecakes don't jiggle when the pan is tapped.
Remove from the oven and set on a rack to cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator for about 3 hours until set.
If you have leftover raspberry sauce, don't throw it away! Save it in a sealed container so that you can serve it later with the cheesecakes.
Variations
Not a fan of the ground almond crust or allergic to nuts? Not a problems! Just use the traditional graham cracker crust instead (1.5 cups of graham cracker crumbs mixed with 1/3 cup of sugar and 6 tbsp melted butter. Optional: 1/8 tsp cinnamon). I looked for alternatives because I never was a fan of graham crackers, but I do understand its appeal.
If you're looking for something different, replace the crust with Oreo cookie wafers! They add a chocolaty taste to the cakes!
If you're not a raspberry fan, do not make the swirls and bake the cakes as is. The cakes are good as they are and can be enjoyed as such. You can also pair them with any type of sauce (chocolate, caramel, condensed milk, ...), any type of coulis (strawberry, blueberry, passion fruit, ...) or any fruit of your choice! The possibilities are endless and you cannot go wrong, no matter what you go for!