Made in a muffin tin, these mini cheesecakes are a yummy bitesize dessert with whipped cream and decorated with various toppings. This easy recipe makes a dozen delicious mini vanilla cheesecakes – I dare you not to eat the whole batch!
Originally posted in January 2015, recipe and photographs updated March 2020.
We’re pressing fast forward and jumping straight from 2015 to 2020 with the recipe re-do I’m sharing today! Back in 2015, little did I know many times I would bake these divine (and super adorable) mini cheesecakes. I had so much fun going back and baking an older blog recipe and I’m really pleased with the updated photographs I’ve taken of these cheesecakes.
These mini vanilla cheesecakes are scrumptious little bites of creamy cheesecake bliss and what’s so amazing about this recipe is that you can bake a cheesecake in a muffin tin! I even adapted the recipe by adding lemon juice and zest to the cheesecake filling to make Mini Lemon Cheesecakes (one of the most viewed recipes on my blog).
It’s not really a secret, I think I’ve probably told you a million times already that cheesecake is my favourite dessert? Chocolate brownies/cake is a very close second, but cheesecake (something I used to hate when I was younger) takes the crown for my most loved dessert ever.
I usually prefer No-Bake Cheesecake, but lately I’ve been really enjoying baked cheesecakes, as when made well, they’re super light and creamy and a gourmet dessert that’s pretty hard to resist.
This recipe perfect for when you don’t have the time to make a whole cheesecake, they take less than half the time to make compared to a full-sized cheesecake baked in springform tin does! These mini cheesecakes remind me of my favourite New York Baked Cheesecake, but you won’t have to wait as long to devour these. I love cheesecake a lot, but sometimes I don’t want a big cheesecake hanging around in my kitchen – it’s too tempting for a massive cheesecake fan like myself to fight the urge to grab slice after slice of cheesecake straight from the fridge!
As the cheesecakes bake they will rise slightly and upon cooling the cheesecakes will sink a little and may even develop a dip in the centre. But don’t worry too much about this as you can pile on toppings and hide this and if your cheesecakes do happen to crack you can cover it up very easily!
Once baked the cheesecakes will need to be left to cool completely to room temperature, then cover the tray tightly and chill the cheesecakes for at least 4 hours or overnight for best results. I do recommend chilling overnight if you have the time, as this will make a lot of difference regarding the taste and texture of your cheesecakes.
I chose to top my batch of cheesecakes with various toppings like homemade raspberry sauce, whipped cream, chopped strawberries and because it’s nearly Easter, I topped a few of my cheesecakes with Cadbury mini eggs. Decorate the cheesecakes right before you’re planning to serve them otherwise the toppings will go soft from the moisture in the cheesecake.
Because these are vanilla cheesecakes they suit lots of flavours. Instead of a fruit coulis/sauce why not drizzle the tops with caramel, chocolate sauce or a spoonful of curd or jam. You could even sprinkle over some chocolate chips or curls, top with pieces of your favourite chocolate bar or scatter over chopped nuts.
(Makes 12)
Ingredients:
Biscuit Base:
150g digestive biscuits (1 and 1/2 cups of biscuit crumbs), crushed – alternatively you can use graham crackers
2 tablespoons caster or granulated sugar (optional)
70g (5 tablespoons) butter (salted or unsalted), melted
Cheesecake Filling:
450g (16 ounces / 1lb) full-fat cream cheese, softened – I leave mine out at room temperature for an hour to soften
130g (2/3 cup) caster or granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 170°C / 150°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Line a 12-hole cupcake/muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
2. Mix together the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter until well combined. Using a tablespoon measure distribute the biscuit crumbs into the muffin cases and press down with a teaspoon until level. Bake the biscuit bases for 5 minutes until lightly toasted. Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin.
3. Whilst the biscuit bases are cooling make the cheesecake filling. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer beat the cream cheese for to soften. Gradually add the sugar and once it’s all added continue to mix for another minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix through – at this point make sure you scrap down the base and sides of your mixer to make sure the batter and ingredients are all well incorporated.
4. Evenly distribute the cheesecake batter between the paper liners – spoon roughly 3 tablespoons of the batter into each prepared mini cheesecake base making sure you fill 2/3 of the way up of each. (I start with a tablespoonful in each case and go round again until the batter mix is used up.)
5. Bake the cheesecakes for 22-24 minutes or until the centres are just set. Once set take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin completely. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, gently run a butter knife around the outside of the muffin case to help release the cheesecakes from the tin, as the biscuit base can sometimes release some butter which makes the case stick slightly. The cheesecakes will keep stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes:
- For the biscuit base I like using a plain flavoured biscuits like digestives or rich tea. Graham crackers are a good substitute for overseas readers.
- To save you time weighing out ingredients: 150g of digestive biscuits crumbs is exactly 10 digestive biscuits and that’s 1 and 1/2 cups of biscuit crumbs for anyone using cup measurements.
- I like adding a couple of tablespoons of sugar to my biscuit base to sweeten it, however this is optional and you don’t have to add any sugar to the base ingredients if you prefer not to.
Keep up to date with me on:
Like my Facebook page here
Instagram: @whatjessicabakednext
Twitter: @jessbakednext
Pinterest: @jessbakednext
so sweet!
Beautiful cheesecakes, Jess! I would definitely have a hard time eating just one!
First I Watch these mini cheesecakes in FB and I said: You! After these fabulous mini cupcakes follow me in Instagram ! They are so nice ! It’s for sure I couldn’t eat just one ! I have to try this 😉
Have a nice weekend lovely ! x
How cute are these?! I would eat way too many, 🙂
These are lovely! Might just have to make them… 🙂
Oh my god those mini cheesecakes look heavenly! So creamy and flavorful, how could you pass up on them! 🙂
Gorgeous little cheesecakes. A perfect serving.
These look so good and I love how simple they are! I am soon hosting a bake-day for some of my other cheesecake-loving friends soon – these are hereby on the list 🙂
These are adorable, and so pretty!
Mini desserts are always more fun! 🙂
Who doesn’t love cheesecake! 🙂 These are right up my alley too, and love the raspberry touch on top.
They’d be fab with a white chocolate ganache swirl instead of the whipped cream for me, plus extra curls of chocolate… yum. It’s the chocoholic in me! 😉
Omg, these are super cute, Jess! I simply adore cheesecake, especially mini ones!
I love all the flavors! These are so cute and I love cheesecake 🙂
Thanks Medha! I really wanted to keep the flavours simple – they taste so great together! Glad you like the recipe!
These are the cutest cheesecakes! I love that they are mini and the flavors sound perfect! The raspberry on top is the perfect touch and makes them so so pretty!
these are so cute! I wish I had one right now!
I absolutely love cheesecake, Jess! It’s probably my favorite dessert ever…and mini version? Well, let’s just say that I’m allowed to eat more cheesecake since it’s mini. Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks David! Cheesecake is such a great dessert! Glad you like this mini version, definitely means you can eat more than one without feeling guilty…haha 😀
These are the cutest cheesecakes! Love!!!
These mini cheesecakes are perfect! I am an afternoon tea type person, these would go so well with a warm cup of tea 🙂
I love cheesecake, too, and these look beyond delicious! I love when cheesecake is single-serving sized especially!
Love that these are mini. What a delicious way to use fresh raspberries!
These are so cute and look so creamy! I love raspberries on anything ESPECIALLY cheesecake Jess!
They looks cute and yummy
I will never say no to cheesecake! And I so love them in mini form…no worries about cracking AND portion controlled…which is definitely something I need in a cheesecake. 😛
These are some seriously dreamy cheesecakes, Jessica! I am swooning over how adorable and poppable they look! Definitely wouldn’t be able to stop eating these. 😉
Jessica these are so pretty!! They are super cute. Love that they are mini!
They look lovely and I love all things mini Jess because it means I can eat more..haha 😀
Gorgeous, just gorgeous!! Wow!
These are so cute!! And perfect for Valentine’s Day with the little red raspberries! 🙂
They are beautiful!!! I usually don’t make cheesecake cause I think they are too much, even in a slice. I love that these are mini. 🙂
These cupcakes are absolutely adorable!! I love the pretty raspberries on top! 🙂
What sweet, pretty bites!
So adorable! I love the balance of creamy cheesecake with a little tart, raspberry freshness. Yum!
There are so cute – just love cheesecake and raspberries – can’t wait to try this lovely little cupcakes, Jess!
Mini treats are always my thing! great taste and petite bite, perfect win-win! These look so cute and yumm, Jess! Thanks for sharing!
Yum! 😍 these cheesecakes sound scrumptious 🙂
These cheesecakes look so addictive, I love raspberries in all desserts 😀
Beautiful recipe and I am so glad to be following your blog more regularly now!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
That filling looks SO.GOOD. Holy cannoli Jess, can these get any cuter? The toppings are so pretty!
Aww very cute little cheesecakes! And they’re so prettily topped! 🙂
Hi Jess, I can see you’re going from strength to delicious strength this year. Mini cheesecakes are the ultimate indulgence for sure 🙂
Love cheesecakes, love raspberries, and LOVE mini desserts! Sounds perfect Jess!!
Lovely, simple and fresh! I think the trick would be in stopping at just one…
These look super lush! Going to have to add them to the bake trials list 😊
Chloe x
These look lovely! How long would I need to bake them for if I made them in mini (10cm) spring form tins? Thank you!
Hi Rebeca! I’m not entirely sure how long baking time would be for the 10cm tins, as I haven’t tried baking these cheesecakes in that sized tin before. I would recommend following the baking time of 22-24 minutes, but continue to bake the cheesecakes until they’re just set in the centre – this may take another 5-10 minutes. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions! Enjoy the recipe. 🙂
Also, could you put a raspberry or two in the filling?
Yes, that would work fine. I’m definitely going to try that next time I make these!
Thank you so much!!!
Can I add sour cream to make these just like in normal sized cheesecakes?
Hi Elsa – if you wanted to make a sour cream cheesecake then my New York Cheesecake recipe might be better for you to try instead of these?
Here’s the recipe: https://whatjessicabakednext.com/2019/01/25/new-york-cheesecake-with-mixed-berry-coulis/