Mini Cheesecake

9 years and 827 posts later…

Somewhere along the way I realized that I marked each blog-iversary with a recipe that has chocolate in it… coffee chocolate chip cookie bars, chocolate chip doughnuts, single serving whole wheat chocolate chip cookie, chocolate cupcakes for two, banana bread doughnuts with chocolate glaze, warm chocolate fudge cakes, chocolate chip black and white cookies, then chocolate lava cakes. There is no chocolate celebration this year. Gasp. Believe me, as a chocolate lover, I am equally shocked. It just goes to show you how much I love today’s recipe. Behold a little cheesecake.

While I love cheesecake, I don’t love them all. There are a bazillion varieties out there. I tend to prefer a NY style cheesecake. I am not a fan of ricotta or lemon kinds. I’m so particular that I don’t tend to order them for dessert when I’m at a restaurant because I never know what I’m going to get and I don’t want to be disappointed. In case you are picky with cheesecakes, like me, let me be like a Food Network chef and tell you what you’re getting with this little guy.

To start off, this mini cheesecake has a traditional graham cracker crust. Oh that’s another requirement that I have. Cheesecake must have a crust. Crust, check.

This cheesecake filling is similar to a NY style. It’s rich in flavor, mostly made of cream cheese, but the sour cream here helps to tone it down a little, which is quite lovely because it doesn’t feel as heavy. The texture is smooth and creamy, and not as dense as a traditional NY style.

In all it’s glory, this little beauty is only 4 inches wide. It’s perfect for two people, however, I would not judge you if this became a dessert for one. It’s that good. My husband and I could not stop eating this mini cheesecake and it was gone before we knew it. This has easily become one of my favorite desserts from the past 9 years.

This mini cheesecake is cute and delicious and the perfect way to celebrate 9 years of Tina’s Chic Corner. Thank you, to each and every one of you who take the time to stop by here. I truly value your support.

Mini Cheesecake Recipe
(Makes a 4 inch cheesecake)

Ingredients:

about 2 to 2 and 1/2 whole graham cracker sheets (your goal is 1/4 cup of crushed graham cracker crumbs)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided per the directions
1 tablespoon melted butter
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 and 1/2 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature
1 and 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon all purpose flour
1 egg, room temperature

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 4 inch springform pan. Cut a long strip of parchment paper that is a little bit taller than the springform pan and place it inside to line the sides of the pan.
In a food processor, blend the graham crackers until they are fine crumbs. (You can also mush them up in a zip top bag.)
In a small bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and the melted butter. Mix everything until the ingredients are combined.
Press the graham cracker crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan firmly.
Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Allow the crust to cool.
While the crust is cooling, make the cheesecake filling. In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and all purpose flour. Make sure that the respective ingredients are room temperature. Using a stand or hand mixer, mix everything together just until combined. Do not overmix.
Add in the egg and mix again just until combined. Again, do not overmix. Set this aside.
Once the crust has cooled, wrap the outside of the springform pan with aluminum foil.
Pour the cheesecake filling on top of the crust.
Tap the pan on the counter (gently) a few times to remove as many of the air pockets in the cheesecake filling as possible.
Place the pan into an oven safe dish (I used a 8 x 8 inch baking dish) and fill the pan with about 1 inch of hot water. (This is why the aluminum foil was wrapped around the springform pan. If you don’t cover the springform pan then the bath water will seep into the cheesecake. In fact, even if you do there might still be a little water sneaking in, don’t panic like I did!)
Bake it for 35 minutes in the preheated oven. When the cheesecake is done it may be a bit wobbly in the center of the cake. Don’t worry, it will set as it cools.
Turn off the oven, open the oven door a little bit, and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 1 hour. (Don’t skip this step, I’m convinced this is one of the secrets to really amazing cheesecake texture that doesn’t have cracks all over the top.)
Take the cheesecake out of the oven, remove it from the water bath, and let it cool to room temperature.
Then chill it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours. (I chilled it overnight.)
When you are ready to serve it, loosen the cheesecake from the rim of the pan, remove the outer rim, and peel the parchment paper off.
(Optional) Enjoy with whipped cream and strawberries.