Creamy Raspberry Swirl Mini Cheesecakes

A creamy and indulgent treat. Mini Raspberry Swirl Cheesecakes with a crunchy biscuit base, marbled with fresh raspberry sauce.

A cheesecake, in the form of a cupcake! This sweet little treat is so creamy with a crunchy and buttery biscuit base, topped with swirls of freshly made raspberry sauce. There are three simple elements to this dessert:

• The biscuit base
• The creamy cheesecake filling
• The fresh raspberry sauce

When I first learned that cheesecakes can also be made in the form of cupcakes – my mind was blown! I mean, it’s one of those desserts where you get to eat the WHOLE thing and not feel so guilty. Nor do you feel sad, that you can’t eat the whole thing (do you get what I mean?). One of these mini cheesecakes totally does the job in satisfying a sweet-tooth. (I am in no way implying that you SHOULD stop at only one *wink wink*).

The crunchy biscuit base is made from classic digestive biscuits. These in my opinion are the BEST biscuits to use for a neutral base of any cheesecake. The filling is very similar to my Sooth and Creamy New York Cheesecake. The fresh raspberry sauce comes together in a matter of 10 minutes.

Baking this Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake to Perfection

The Biscuit Base

• This recipe begins with making the biscuit base of the cheesecake. As mentioned above – Digestive Biscuits are my favourite biscuit to use.
• Blend the digestive biscuits in a blender with melted (salted or unsalted) butter and sugar. I LOVE using salted butter because it always enhances and compliments the sweetness of the biscuits. Blend the biscuit mixture till it forms a mixture that resembles wet sand.
• The biscuit base is then pressed into the muffin trays (lined with muffin liners). I use approximately 1 tablespoon of biscuit mixture per cupcake. This recipe makes 12 mini cheesecakes so I ensure enough biscuit base to sit across 12 liners. Ensure the biscuit base is pressed firmly into the muffin liners, all the way to the edges.
• This is then baked in the oven for 5 mins, removed and placed on a cooling rack while the rest of the mini cheesecake is being prepared.

The Raspberry Sauce

• I prefer making this ahead of the cheesecake so that it has time to sit and cool before swirling into the mini cheesecakes. This sauce can be made 1-2 days ahead of time and refrigerated before use.
• I love the simplicity of the sauce. You can use fresh or frozen raspberries. Note that if you do use frozen raspberries – you will require a tbsp or two of warm water when blending it together.
• The raspberries, sugar and water (if using frozen berries) are blended together until completely blended to a liquid texture.
• This is then transferred into a small saucepan over medium heat. In order to thicken the sauce – we mix 1 teaspoon of corn-starch with 1 tsp of water and add this to the saucepan. The sauce cooks on medium/low heat for 3-5 mins on simmer or until it thickens.
• Once cooked – I prefer to transfer the sauce to a heatproof bowl for cooling while I prepare the cheesecake filling. The sauce needs to be strained to remove all the seeds.

The Cheesecake Filling

• As with my Smooth and Creamy New York Cheesecake recipe – the success of these mini cheesecakes relies on using ROOM TEMPERATURE ingredients. Room temperature ingredients ensure that the cheesecake filling isn’t over-beaten. Over-beating results in too much air being incorporated into the batter, resulting in cracks and sinking in the middle of the cheesecakes.
• Making the filling begins by beating together the blocks of cream cheese, sugar and corn-starch on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. This should take about a minute. The sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest are added and beaten until fully combined. The eggs are then added to the mixture, beaten until just combined.
• It is important to scrape down the sides of the bowl while making this mixture to ensure no lumps and that everything is incorporated evenly. The cheesecake mix is then evenly distributed across the 12 muffin liners.
• Using a teaspoon, I dollop roughly 1 teaspoon of the raspberry sauce gently across the top of each filled cheesecake liner. I then use a toothpick to create the swirls in any design that I prefer.
• The cheesecake is baked for 22-25 minutes (oven dependant) until they are still slightly jiggly in the middle. They are then placed on a wire rack to cool completely (in the muffin tray) before being placed in the refrigerator to cool. A minimum of 2 hours is recommended to allow these cheesecakes to completely set before serving.

A few more tips for perfection:

• I’ve said it before and will say it again: ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS. It’s important to ensure that your cream cheese blocks are brought to room temperature before beginning the process of the filling. Ensuring that they sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours (depending on the temperature of your kitchen) should do the trick. Having the eggs and sour cream at room temperature also ensures quicker and smoother incorporation of all the ingredients.
• High quality cream cheese blocks: do not use softened cream cheese for this recipe, it will not work. My favourite brand for blocks of high quality cream cheese is Philadelphia. Their cream cheese ensures a fool-proof cheesecake recipe every single time!
• Smooth biscuit base: ensure that the biscuit mixture is blended to a fine crumb. This enables you to pack in the biscuit base so that it sticks together and doesn’t fall apart after baking. I like to use the back of a tablespoon to press down the biscuit mix while rotating the muffin liners in the tray. This makes the base as evenly spread across the bottom of the liner.
• Make the raspberry sauce ahead of time. This ensures that the sauce isn’t too hot when you’re swirling it into the mini cheesecakes before baking.
• Don’t over-bake your cheesecake! As with all baked cheesecakes – it’s important to make sure that the cheesecake still jiggles slightly in the middle. This is because cheesecakes are delicate and it continues to cook while left to cool in the tray/pan. Most cheesecakes also require a setting time in the refrigerator to completely set. The toothpick test for doneness won’t work on this recipe, the jiggle test will have to do! Over-baked cheesecakes crack on the surface and end up very dry.

Creamy Raspberry Swirl Mini Cheesecakes

5 from 6 votes

Recipe by Shilpika Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Setting time

2

hours 

Ingredients

• Raspberry Sauce

• 150 Grams Raspberry (fresh or frozen)

• 2 Tablespoons Sugar

• 2 Tablespoons Water (if using frozen berries)

• 1 Teaspoon Cornflour

• 1 Teaspoon Water

• Biscuit Base

• 120 Grams Digestive Biscuits

• 1 Tablespoon Sugar

• 3.5 Tablespoon Melted butter (salted/unsalted)

• Cheesecake Filling

• 500 Grams Philadelphia Cream Cheese blocks

• 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

• 1 Tablespoon Cornflour

• 1/4 Cup Sour cream

• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla

• 1 Teaspoon Lemon zest

• 2 Large eggs

Directions

• Make the Raspberry Sauce
• Blend together the berries, sugar and water (if using frozen) to form a raspberry sauce. Pour raspberry sauce into a small saucepan over medium heat.
• Make a paste out of the 1 teaspoon water and 1 teaspoon cornflour. Add this to the sauce. Bring the sauce to simmer and allow to simmer for 2-5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
• Strain the sauce to remove the seeds and set aside to cool.
• Make the biscuit base
• Preheat oven to 160C. Line a 12 count muffin tray with individual muffin liners.
• Blend all biscuit mix ingredients together to form a fine sand-like texture.
• Using the back of a tablespoon, firmly press approximately 1tbsp of the biscuit mix into the base of each muffin liner. Bake for 5 minutes and remove, place on a cooling rack.
• Make the cheesecake filling
• Cream together cream cheese, granulated sugar and cornstarch on medium speed till smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
• Add vanilla, sour cream and lemon zest, beat together until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in eggs until just combined.
• Pour cheesecake batter evenly across the 12 muffin liners with the biscuit base. Gently tap the tray against the counter to release any large air bubbles. Spoon approximately 1 teaspoon of the raspberry sauce in 4-5 dots over each cupcake. Using a toothpick, swirl the sauce into a marbled design.
• Bake the mini cheesecakes at 160C for 22-25 minutes, until the edges of the cheesecake are set and the centre slightly jiggles. The centre will raise slightly during baking and deflate during the cooling process. A few subtle cracks may appear but this is normal for mini cheesecakes.
• Remove the baked cheesecakes from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool in the tray for at least 30 minutes – 1 hour. Transfer to a refrigerator and allow to cool for 2 hours (minimum). If refrigerating for longer than 2 hours, place cheesecakes in an airtight container. Cheesecakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 6 days.