Brighten up January with these deliciously beautiful Mini Lemon Cheesecakes! Perfectly proportioned, fresh and lemony cheesecakes will brighten even the gloomiest of January days. Take a look!
What’s Happening In January
On the recipe front, January is off to a very slow start. Turtle speed comes to mind. Don’t worry, it’s not a sign of things to come, just easing in the year the slow way…ha! And I can’t think of a better way to ease in slowly than with cheesecake, can you?
And if you love these, you need to check out my Mini Blueberry Compote Cheesecakes.
Notes about the cheesecake
This is a beautiful looking dessert and very easy to achieve. Sometimes, layered desserts seem daunting. At least, that is how they used to feel to me. But when you break it down and look at it a layer at a time, it’s pretty easy.
And let’s not even get started on the Homemade Lemon Curd. So delicious!
Make The Lemon Curd In Advance
The Lemon Curd for example, can be made in advance. You can make and store this up to a few weeks in the fridge. So, keep that in mind if you are planning to make this dessert. I had mine already in the fridge a few days before making these cheesecakes. In fact, it’s much easier to work with once it’s cooled completely.
FULL STEP BY STEP RECIPE FOR LEMON CURD HERE!
As for the cheesecakes themselves, they take no time at all to put together. It’s just the easy biscuit base and a very simple cream cheese recipe. And they bake in just 15 minutes.
I used fresh unsweetened fresh whipping cream for this recipe and I recommend that’s what you use. I’m not a huge fan of overly sweet desserts. And the lemon curd is pretty sweet. So topping it off with something fresh worked great.
Yes, You Can Make Them In Advance
- These can be made in advance and refrigerated before serving. So they really are a great make ahead dessert. They are also small which makes them great to serve at a dinner party.
- This entire recipe is only one pack of cream cheese and that’s divided between 12 cakes. So, when you look at it that way, it’s the perfect size dessert. So you may as well have two.
- They also freeze well as I’m finding out. I made them this past weekend and am treating myself to one a day! That’s reasonable right? So, they are safely stored in the freezer out of my reach. But I am not past eating frozen desserts. It’s been done.
And if you love mini desserts, be sure to check out my Mini Chocolate Topped Raspberry Cheesecake. Happy baking friends and enjoy January.
Like what you see today? Don’t forget you can follow on Facebook for daily inspiration or over on Instagram where I sometimes do daily cooking videos for fun! I’m also on Pinterest which is a great place that you can save and share your favourite recipes. As well, if you haven’t yet, Subscribe to the newsletter. You’ll be notified whenever there’s a new recipe! You can do that at the top of the page.
Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For the cheesecake:
- 1 – 8 oz pack cream cheese
- 1 Cup digestive biscuits crumbled (or graham crackers)
- 4-5 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 Cup sugar
For the lemon curd:
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 Cup white granulated sugar
- Juice from 3 lemons
- 4 Tablespoons butter
For the topping:
- 1 Cup whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl combine the digestive crumbs with the butter. Equally divide the biscuit crumbs between the 12 muffin tins. Press firmly into each tin.
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, mix the cream cheese on high speed until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla and egg. Continue to mix until smooth. Evenly pour into the muffin tins. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until they are set in the middle. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Remove from the tins and transfer to the fridge to set completely.
- Remove after about an hour and remove the paper liners.
- In a stainless steel bowl placed over simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar and lemon juice until blended. Cook, stirring constantly. This is really important, otherwise you risk the chance of it curdling. Continue to stir until it becomes thick. This will take between 5-8 minutes. Once it has reached a lovely thick and creamy texture, immediately remove from heat. Put through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Cut in the butter and give a good stir.
- Top each cheesecake with a spoonful of the lemon curd. Fill a piping bag with the whipped cream and give each cheesecake a swirl. Garnish with lemon zest if desired.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Thanks For Stopping By And Hope To See You Soon!
Can these mini lemon cheesecakes be kept in the freezer for a day?
Yes, no problem. Just don’t top them with the cream until after the freezing stage.