Key Lime Baby Cheesecakes

It is a well known fact that I am a cheesecake enthusiast.  From nutella to blueberry yogurt to goat cheese variations, it has popped up quite a bit on the blog.  My party signature is to bring my 2-bite baby cheesecakes, a tradition started at my friend's 21st in college.  A few weeks ago before the complete kitchen shut out, I got an email request from my old roommate Kate (who writes a super cute nail blog) about a key lime baby cheesecake I had made when we lived together.  I could not for the life of me remember where I got the recipe, which is pretty much the reason why I started blogging in the first place, so I decided to improv a new version.

Citrus desserts are my favorite in the summer, so I really couldn't imagine anything more perfect than a cold key lime cheesecake during another spell of 100+ degree days.  I picked up some Nellie and Joe's concentrated key lime juice only because juicing those little buggers is a pain in the ass, plus it's the original so I gave myself a pass on my no premade products rule.  A little bit of sweetened condensed milk will bring in the flavors of the traditional key lime pie while fresh key lime zest is a must for zingy fresh taste.

Normally I make my baby cheesecakes "naked" but I finally tried out the mini muffin pan paper liners and I will never go back!  You can still use the two pan method to evenly pack down the graham cracker crust without crushing the liners.

Just 5 minutes for the crust and 12 minutes for the filling, this is a fast bake that would be perfect when you remember the night before an event you need to bring something!  I chilled the cheesecakes overnight and then topped the tantalizingly tart baby cheesecakes with a lime scented whipped cream dollop.

Goodness, I missed baking . . .

Goat Cheese Cheesecakes with Grapefruit Curd Topping

When I set out to make grapefruit curd, I really wanted it to be pink.  Not vibrantly electric pink, just a tinge.  So I was super disappointed when it turned out the color of a lemon curd, just with a slightly bitter bite at the end.  Delectable, but not pink.  To make up for my yellow disappointment I decided to pair the curd with a cheesecake.  But not just any cheesecake, goat cheese cheesecake to complement the grapefruit bitterness.  And it was an Easter miracle because the cheesecakes topped with the curd looked like a fried egg!

I used Ina's curd method: pulse the sugar with the zest in a food processor, creaming the butter and sugar, adding the eggs and juice, and heating for 10 minutes to thicken, and running through a sieve for a creamy curd.  Easy 20 minute process with a few hours of setting up in the fridge and no slow butter addition.  You can do the double boiler (pot with boiling water and the curd in a bowl on top) but I just cook it on very low heat with my gas stove because I feel like I can control the heat.  I've never had any scrambled eggs come out in the sieve this way, just an embarrassing egg shell piece (oops).

For the cheesecake, I wanted to try something different.  On a whim, I googled goat cheese cheesecake and came upon Anne Burrell's recipe.  Intrigued, I made a half batch to see the effect of goat cheese and sour cream.  As a person who has long used mayo in her cheesecakes (Baby Nutella Cheesecakes), I don't know why I was nervous!  But the end product was SO GOOD, tangy from the goat cheese, fluffy, and only a little sweet, my favorite kind of dessert.

Be sure to bring the ingredients to room temperature before beginning to ensure the fluffy texture.  Made in my recently replaced cupcake pans, it makes about 16 cupcake sized cheesecakes perfect for spring and summer parties!

Baby Nutella Cheesecakes

In my family, cheesecake means celebration.  Thanksgiving, birthdays, crab feasts, you name it and it was on the table with a can of whipped cream.  Even though I've never really been a chocolate person, I've never been able to resist my Dad's chocolate cheesecake.  When one of my close friends turned 21, I took his recipe and shrunk it to mini-muffin size to bring to the birthday party.  They were a hit!  I made plain ones for my 21st, pumpkin spice for my housewarming last year, and won a bake off at my old job with another batch of the classic chocolate.  Today, I'm going to a jewelry party with a bunch of my girlfriends and I thought I would try something new.  Enter baby Nutella cheesecakes!

I finally joined pinterest a couple of weeks ago and all of the delicious looking Nutella recipes inspired me to experiment with my baby cheesecake technique.  I basically replaced the semi-sweet chocolate chips in my Dad's recipe for the same amount of Nutella.  

The other surprise is the tang and texture that comes from the addition of mayonaise to the cream cheese base, one that you wouldn't think would work but now I can't imagine it any other way.  A dollop of vanilla flavored sour cream replaces the traditional whipped cream (and I think makes them look even more adorable).  A drizzle of Nutella finishes the baby cheesecakes, utilizing a plastic zip top bag snipped in the corner as a makeshift pastry bag.

Baby Nutella Cheesecakes

Crust:

1 package (about 8 full squares) of graham crackers

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 a stick of butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Using the food processor, grind up the graham crackers into crumbs.  Add the sugar and salt, pulse 3 times, then add the melted butter.  Pulse a few more times and transfer to a small bowl, being sure to scrape any butter trapped under the blade.

Add 1 teaspoon of graham cracker crumbs to each well of the 24-mini muffin pan.

From trial and error, I figured out the best way to make a perfect crust for the baby cheesecakes.  Using a second pan, I press down on the first pan to create a compact and even crust.  Bonus points if some of the crumbs come up the sides.  Repeat with the second pan.

Bake for 5 minutes at 350 F.  Let cool while you prepare the cheesecake.

Cheesecake:

1 8oz package of cream cheese

1/2 cup of mayonaise (Hellman's preferred, if only for nostalgia's sake)

1/2 cup of sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

6 oz of Nutella

Let the cream cheese, mayonaise, eggs, and nutella come to room temperature.  For best results, let cream cheese sit overnight and the mayo and eggs brought out 1 hour before you want to bake, just to come to room temperature.  Combine the cream cheese and mayonaise with a hand mixer.  Add the sugar then add the eggs one at a time.  Add the vanilla extract and 6 oz of nutella.

Pour the cheesecake mixture into a large zip top bag in order to even distribute the batter.

Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag.  Fill the wells almost to the top.  Lightly tap the pans to get rid of any bubbles.

Bake for 12 minutes at 350 F.  The tops will be puffed.  Let cool while you prepare the sour cream topper.

Sour Cream Topper:

1 cup of sour cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients and spoon into a sandwich sized zip top bag

Cut a small hole in the bag and fill the divets in the cheesecakes created from cooling.  Bake for 2 more minutes, let come to room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 hours.  To remove, use a butter knife slightly warmed with hot water to most cleanly retrieve your baby cheesecakes

Serve chilled to your party guests.  I added a little drizzle of nutella to the top to echo the flavor in the cheesecake (okay, because it was cute).  These are adorable, festive, and delicious!