Individual Cheesecakes Recipe | My Baking Addiction (2024)

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By Jamie

on Dec 19, 2010, Updated Jul 02, 2015

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I think I may have mentioned once or… 50 times that I love cheesecake. I am also a big fan of all things miniature. If you follow MBA, you may have noticed that the lovely Katie from GoodLife Eats and I have been hosting a Holiday Recipe Exchange.

Many of the recipes that have been posted look outstanding, but there is one particular creation that immediately caught my eye. That recipe was for mini cheesecakes with cranberry topping from Tessa of the blog, Handle the Heat. I thought Tessa’s recipe for creamy vanilla flecked individual cheesecakes topped with cranberry sauce would be the perfect festive dessert to make for our holiday potluck at work.

If you have never made mini cheesecakes before, don’t be intimidated because they are pretty simple. Not to mention, they are a great addition to any potluck or holiday spread because they’re quite portable if you keep them in the cupcake liners. I hope you enjoy this recipe for mini cheesecakes as much as I did, have a great start to the week and thanks so much for stopping by!

Individual Cheesecakes with Orange-Cranberry Sauce

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Individual Cheesecakes Recipe | My Baking Addiction (3)

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

  • 1 ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; melted
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

For the Filling:

  • 3 (8 ounce) bricks of cream cheese; softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 vanilla bean, split in half and seeds scraped
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream

For the Orange-Cranberry Topping:

  • 12 ounces fresh cranberries
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup orange juice

Directions:

For the Cheesecake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake pans with 24 paper liners.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. Stir together with a fork until well blended and all dry ingredients are moistened and look like wet sand. Press 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Bake until just set, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
  3. In a medium bowl beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed with an electric mixer just until smooth. Beat in sugar until well incorporated. Mix in the salt and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, add in the heavy cream. Be careful not to over-mix.
  4. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the cheesecake batter over the crust in each cupcake liner using an ice cream scoop or two spoons.
  5. Bake until the filling is just set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and let chill for at least 4 hours before topping and serving, preferably overnight.

For the Sauce

  1. In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice. Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.
  2. Before serving, top refrigerated cheesecakes with the cooled cranberry sauce.

adapted from Handle the HeatAll images and text © for My Baking Addiction

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63 Comments

  1. I just made these mini cheesecake for a party, they are chilling in the fridge :-p
    Can’t wait to taste them.
    Thank you for sharing this great and easy recipe =)

    Reply

    1. I hope everyone at the party enjoys them, Sarah!

  2. Sounds delicious. Can these be frozen. I live alone and would like to eat one at a time.
    Thanks

    Reply

    1. Hi, Pat! Yes, these can be frozen. You might want to consider freezing without the sauce and putting the sauce on before you enjoy. Take care!

  3. Hi , I am wanting to make these for a baby shower in 3weeks.
    I want use Reynolds cupcake liners without the cupcake pan and I want to make more than 24. Can you please help me out.
    Thank you

    Reply

    1. Hi, Christina! You can definitely use cupcake liners without the pan; just put them on a baking sheet. I would double the recipe just to make sure you have enough. I hope everyone at the shower enjoys them!

  4. Is there a way you can measure the ingredients for me with grams and not with cups? I’m from Holland and I really want to make these but I find the cups so confusing to convert!

    Reply

  5. I didn’t make the sauce. I used: Maine wild blueberry sauce, black raspberries, cherry pie filling, and home made chocolate sauce. My husband went nuts and now I am making them again this week. Don’t know whether to thank you or curse you!

    Not only do they taste great and look very cute on my plate, they also are just the perfect size.

    Reply

    1. Annie,

      Wow, those sound great! Thank you so much for stopping back and thank you for following MBA!

      Jamie

  6. I just made your mini cheesecake for my 4th of July bbq tomorrow and they are amazing. We live in Italy so cranberries are not common but lucky for me cherries are in season plus were do not have graham crackers so I just used a breakfast biscotti from Esselunga. I did not us a water bath and they were perfect. Thank you again for the great recipe my italian in laws will surly love these tomorrow.

    Reply

    1. Yvonne,

      Your substitutions sound delicious! Thank you so much for stopping back to let us know that you enjoyed the recipe. Have a wonderful day and thank you for following MBA!

      Jamie

  7. what size muffin pan did you use? mini cupcake or regular

    Reply

    1. Hi Tracie,
      These were made in a regular muffin tin.
      – Jamie

  8. I put my cupcake cheesecakes in a water bath, is that ok?

    Reply

    1. Fallon-
      That should be fine! I hope they worked out for you and have a great day!
      -Jamie

  9. Could I use vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean or will it really change the flavor of the recipe?

    Reply

    1. Amber-
      Although vanilla bean is recommended, using one teaspoon of vanilla extract in place of one vanilla bean shouldn’t change the flavor too much. Thanks for visiting and have a fantastic day!
      -Jamie

  10. What kind of liner do you use with the cheesecake cupcake? is it a standard paper liner?

    Reply

    1. Teralyn-
      Yes, just standard cupcake liners.
      -Jamie

Individual Cheesecakes Recipe | My Baking Addiction (2024)

FAQs

How do you know when mini cheesecakes are done baking? ›

Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the mini cheesecakes' tops appear puffed up and look set. Look closely at the edges. They should be completely set, while the center may still be slightly jiggly when lightly shaken. When they apppear as described above, remove them from the oven.

How many cheesecakes can you bake at once? ›

A: Yes, you can bake two cakes at the same time BUT only with fan assist so the heat can circulate around them.

What happens when you overbeat cheesecake batter? ›

Overmixing may lead to cracks and a grainy texture

With a batter mainly composed of cream cheese, sugar, and egg yolks, you can quickly form cracks in your cheesecake with the excess air that comes from overmixing (via Cheesecakes World).

How to thicken no bake cheesecake batter? ›

Sometimes, a no-bake cheesecake filling can turn “soupy” in texture. Don't worry, we can rescue it! If your cheesecake filling goes soupy in texture, don't worry—you can fix it! Just add a little gelatin to the mix, and it will set up in the fridge just fine.

Is it better to overcook or undercook cheesecake? ›

Baking temperature determines the texture

Cheesecake is a custard, and custards can overcook easily. Overbaked cheesecake will crack and the texture will be dry and gritty.

Why do my mini cheesecakes fall in the middle? ›

Cheesecake may sink in the middle due to overbeating the batter, which incorporates too much air, or drastic temperature changes causing it to rise and fall rapidly. Also, if it's underbaked, the middle may collapse. Cooling gradually can help prevent sinking.

What happens if you leave cheesecake in the oven too long? ›

Eggs and cheese have high protein and moisture content, which, when left out at room temperature, can lead to bacteria multiplying. Conditions ripe for bacteria will make the cheesecake unsafe for eating.

What happens if you don't bake cheesecake long enough? ›

Too little time and your cheesecake is too soft in the middle. Too much time and your cheesecake could be too firm, dry and crack. So how do you know when it's just right and ready to begin the cooling process? Here's how to get a perfectly baked, creamy cheesecake every time.

What does adding an extra egg to cheesecake do? ›

As Bon Appétit shares, using too many eggs when making cheesecake can cause a big divot in the middle of the dessert. Because eggs add a luscious, creamy texture to custards and cheesecakes, some bakers might be tempted to fold in another yolk or two.

How to avoid overmixing cheesecake? ›

According to Chef Eddy Van Damme, you can do several things to avoid your cheesecake from cracking. Don't overmix ingredients. You want to start with room temperature cream cheese. This way you will be able to blend your ingredients very easily without overmixing.

How to not overmix cheesecake? ›

Once baked, the air bubbles will burst, and the cheesecake will fall and crack. THE FIX: The number one reason why you'd overbeat your batter is because you're having dificulty incorporating cold ingredients. Bring your ingredients to room temperature beforehand so the batter will need minimum mixing.

Can I leave cheesecake in the oven overnight? ›

I shut off the oven and do not open door for 6 hours or leave in oven all night. This will get you great reviews from friends. You also will not order cheesecake out again. If it cracks, garnish with fruit to hide the cracks.

Why put cornstarch in cheesecake? ›

Flour or cornstarch is sometimes included in cheesecake recipes to preventing cracks. If you find that you always have problems with cracking and your cheesecake recipe does not call for any flour or cornstarch, it's ok to experiment and add some cornstarch (one to two tablespoons) to the batter when you add the sugar.

Can you over whip cheesecake batter? ›

Avoid Overmixing: Unlike other cakes, where beating air into the batter is key, overmixed cheesecake can rise, fall and then crack from that excess air. Keeping ingredients (cheese, eggs, liquids and flavorings) at room temperature can help.

Why is my no bake cheesecake not firm? ›

The primary reason a no-bake cheesecake is too runny or doesn't set up properly is generally the temperature of the ingredients. If your cream cheese is too warm, the mixture will be too soft and will never set up properly.

Should a cheesecake be jiggly out of the oven? ›

You want the outer 2-3 inches of the cheesecake to look more set and less jiggly, and in the center to be the party that's jiggly. It should wobble a bit, but not too much. If it looks liquid-y still and has kind of a sloshy wiggle, it's not done it. If it's just set and still jiggly, it should be good.

Can you check a cheesecake with a toothpick? ›

Unlike with a standard cake, it is not recommended that you poke a cheesecake with a toothpick to see if it is done. In fact, a cheesecake is done before it looks done. The edges should be set, but the center will still be soft. Give the pan a little jiggle; the center few inches should still move a bit.

How long can mini cheesecakes sit out? ›

When you have cheesecake that's already baked and chilled, the absolute max time you could let it sit out to avoid the USDA's "danger zone" is two hours. Save yourself the stress of wasting that by putting it in the fridge as soon as everyone's grabbed a slice or it's cooled enough after baking to chill.

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