Mini Lemon Cheesecakes

Mini lemon cheesecakes are the perfect treat paired with whipped cream, berries and homemade blueberry sauce! 

These mini lemon baked cheesecakes are deliciously indulgent without being overly sweet. They’re a few bites of pure cheesecake heaven.

It’s safe to say that I love cheesecake. I think that is pretty evident with the amount of cheesecake recipes I share. But as much as I love those cheesecake recipes they often make really big cheesecakes, which is way too much for us to eat so I often end up slicing up pieces to a give to my family to help out!

These mini cheesecakes are a little less intimidating to make than regular cheesecakes. They don’t need to be cooled in the oven and are less likely to crack. Plus, mini bakes are cuter and because they’re smaller that means you can eat more than one and they’re even easier to share.

To make these cheesecakes, start by lining a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. The cheesecakes start off with a buttery digestive biscuit base, which is made by combining biscuit crumbs with melted butter to bind it.

The lemon cheesecake is made by beating cream cheese with lemon sugar. The lemon sugar is made by rubbing the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips. Sounds weird, but it helps release the natural oil from the lemon, which flavours the sugar beautifully. After beating the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy add a tablespoon of lemon juice and a couple of eggs and drop of vanilla extract. That’s the cheesecake topping ready to go!

Scoop a few tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture onto the pre-baked biscuit bases and then pop the tray in the oven and bake for 22-24 minutes or until the cheesecakes are almost set in the centre.

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

Biscuit Base:

150g or 10 digestive biscuits, crushed – this is 1 and 3/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs

70g unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Lemon Cheesecake:

450g (1lb) cream cheese, softened

130g (2/3 cup) caster or granulated sugar

Zest from 1 large lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Blueberry Sauce:

150g (1 and 1/2 cups) fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons icing (confectioners’) sugar

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C Fan / 325°F/ Gas Mark 3. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Set aside.

2. To make the biscuit base: Combine the biscuit crumbs and melted butter until combined. Evenly distribute the biscuit crumbs between the paper cases – approx. 1 tablespoon or so in each. Press down slightly into an even layer. Bake for 5 minutes until toasted slightly then remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly.

3. To make the cheesecake: Beat the softened cream cheese for about a minute until smooth. In a small bowl combine the sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingertips rub the lemon zest into the sugar until it’s fragrant. Add the lemon sugar to the cream cheese and beat again for another minute or two until the mixture is fluffy. Add the lemon juice, eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth and all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Spoon the cheesecake on top of the pre-baked biscuit bases. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until the cheesecakes completely set in the centre. Once the cheesecakes are baked place the tray on top of a wire rack and leave to cool completely to room temperature. Once cool chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

4. To make the blueberry sauce: Place the blueberries, lemon juice and icing sugar in a small saucepan. Heat gently and cook for a few minutes until the blueberries break down and the sauce has thickened. You can leave the sauce with chunks of blueberry in it or you can strain it through a sieve like I did. Chill the sauce until cool – I usually make mine ahead of time and chill it overnight.

5. To serve, remove the cheesecakes from the paper cases. Top with whipped cream, fresh berries and a drizzle of homemade blueberry sauce.

Cheesecake filling from here

Topped with a drizzle of my homemade blueberry sauce (recipe above), these cheesecakes combine my favourite flavour combo lemon and berries. They’re fresh and the perfect cheesecake for spring and summer. I know you’re going to love these as much as we did! 🙂

Thank you to Nora of A Clean Bake for organising the bridal shower and getting us all together to celebrate Meriem. 5 bloggers and myself are sharing recipes including flavour combos that are made for each other. Check out the menu below and enjoy all the delicious recipes from my friends!

A Virtual Bridal Shower Menu:

Paleo Brookies from A Clean Bake

Yellow Cake Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream for Two from An Edible Mosaic

Mocha Cupcakes  from Baking a Moment

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cupcakes from Blahnik Baker

Cheese and Charcuterie Board from Hall Nesting

Mini Lemon Cheesecakes from What Jessica Baked Next

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