Bryan and I love cheesecakes. But for the two of us, making a 9-inch full size cheesecake means endless eating. It is not only too much for us. It is also very unhealthy. Therefore, I love this mini version. These mini lemon cheesecakes are perfect little bites. The ratio between the cheese filling and the crust is just right. I also love the hint of tartness and the fragrant from the lemon. It tasted lighter than regular cheesecake.
I originally wanted to make these cheesecakes with Meyer lemons. However I couldn’t find any in store, I used regular lemons this time. I have tried both lemons. Meyer lemon ones were more fragrant and less tart. But they were both fantastic. Use whatever you can find.
These cheesecakes are good for parties. They are pretty looking and easy to eat. And they travel really well.
Mini Lemon Cheesecake (Adapted from RasaMalasia)
33 mini cheesecakes
Ingredients:
– 12 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
– ½ cup sugar
– ¼ cup sour cream
– 1 tablespoon lemon zest (about 2 large lemons)
– 3 eggs
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
– whipped cream (optional)
Crust:
– ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs (7 graham crackers)
– 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
– 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
Directions:
- Line a mini muffin pan with mini foil bake cups.
- In a medium bowl, combine the crust ingredients. Mix well. Place 1 teaspoon crumb mixture into each foil bake cup. Press the mixture down to the bottom with fingers to create a layer of crust.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (177˚C).
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese for 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Add the sour cream and lemon zest. Mix well. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until blended after each addition. Scrape down the side of the mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice and beat until smooth.
- Fill each bake cup all the way to the top with cheesecake filling. Bake in the oven for 14 – 15 minutes. Let the cheesecakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove them and transfer to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely. Repeat with the rest of the crumb mixture and cheesecake filling.
- When all the cheesecakes are cool, store them in a container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Decorate the cheesecakes with whipped cream before serving.
Tips:
- Meyer lemons can be used instead of regular lemons.
- When the cheesecakes came out of the oven, there maybe a lot of cracks. But once they shrink, the cracks will be subtle.
- Make sure the muffin pan is cool and not hot when making a second batch. To spend up the cooling process, I usually rinse the pan under cold water. Dry it and start the second batch.
- You can also decorate the cheesecakes with lemon curd, berry jam and berries.
Source: Read
Love RasaMalaysia and Meyer Lemons!
I love meyer lemons too! I wish I can find them all year long!
These mini cheesecakes look adorable! Lemon desserts are my favorite – wish I had a few of these – they look delicious!
They are cute, right? I know I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t stop after eating just one. A few of them were just right. At least, that was still less than a slice of cheesecake. 😛
these are delightful. i love tart flavor!
Thank you. I love tart flavor too, especially in my dessert. Great balance with sweetness. Thanks for stopping by.
I’m with you – we can’t have a whole cheesecake in the house either – it just spells trouble! Love these mini ones! They are adorable!
Thanks Ashley. Yes, whole cheesecake is too much. For these mini ones, I can easily give out some of them to neighbors and friends. Everyone is happy. 😉
Lemon and cheesecake are two of my favorite things! These are so cute. I wish I could sample one right now.
Thank you Lisa! I agree lemon goes so well with cheesecake. The tart flavor cuts off some of the heaviness of the cheesecake.
These are totally adorable! Any mini gets my vote but especially with cheesecake, it is very wise. Lemon is one of my favorite dessert flavors too. Looks great and I’m sure tastes even better.
Thanks for the sweet comment, Monica. I agree that any mini thing will win my heart over!
These mini size cheesecake is perfect for my afternoon pick me up… I can’t eat the whole slice of cake (occasionally yes, but I rather want to eat small one everyday… :D). These are so irresistiblly cute!
Haha… Very true, they are definitely “afternoon pick me up” kind of snacks. I even ate a few for breakfast sometimes. So good, but so wrong! 😛
Love that these are bit size! Less guilt right? Pinned!
Thank you Julie. Yup definitely! Eat less and have less guilt! Thanks for pinning! Have a good one!