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Recipe File

Cheesecake Cupcakes

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A few years ago, a friend of mine showed me a way to get the cheesecake flavor and texture without taking several hours to bake and cool before serving. If you need to provide individually portioned snacks or dessert to a casual party or gathering, these simple cheesecakes are easy to make and disappear fast.

We'll use Vanilla Wafer cookies (Nabisco's Nilla Wafers is the most commonly available brand) as a bottom crust for these cheesecake cupcakes. To make a dozen cheesecakes, gather up one pound (455 g) cream cheese, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar. The cheesecakes can be topped with whatever you like - maraschino cherries, streusel, Hershey's kisses. I like to use mandarin orange slices.


Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Place the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract into a mixing bowl and beat on medium-low speed until creamy.


Starting with softened cream cheese will speed up the process, but even cold cream cheese will eventually beat in with the eggs to form a creamy mixture.


Place cupcake or muffin liners (also called baking cups) into each cup of a muffin pan. While preparing these pictures and reading up on other recipes, I read a recipe that recommended getting aluminum cupcake liners but removing the paper layer (aluminum muffin liners have an inner paper lining placed within the aluminum liner). I decided to take this opportunity to test out different liners: aluminum with paper insert, aluminum without paper, and paper muffin liners. Aluminum with paper is what I recommend (more on why later).

Place a vanilla wafer cookie into the bottom of each muffin liner.


Pour the cheesecake batter into each muffin liner. Fill to about 3/4 full. The batter should be sufficient for twelve cupcakes with possibly a little left over. Top the individual cheesecakes.


Bake the cheesecake cupcakes for about 15 minutes in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven. As soon as the cheesecakes are set, remove the muffin pan and let it cool for a couple minutes on a wire rack. After the pan has cooled a bit, pull out each of the cheesecakes and let them completely cool before refrigerating.


While pulling out the baking cups from the muffin pan, I realized that the aluminum liners made it easy to lift up and pull out. The cupcakes lined with only paper cups were a bit more difficult to grasp and lift up due to the less rigid nature of the liner.

However, the paper lined cupcakes peeled easily while the aluminum only cup had a tendency to stick to the cheesecake. Sometimes while peeling the aluminum lining off, it would tear the cupcake. So, for the best of both worlds, use the aluminum baking cups with the paper lining left inside.

After chilling, the cheesecakes will keep for a couple days - ready for a quick snack or for delivery to your next get-together.



Cheesecake cupcakes (makes 12 cupcakes, can be scaled)
Prepare muffin pan with foil baking cups
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
1 lb. (455 g) cream cheese, softenedbeat until creamyfill cups 3/4 fulltop with an orange slicebake 350°F (175°C) 15 min.cool individually on wire rackrefrigerate before serving
2 large (100 g) eggs
1 tsp. (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
12 vanilla wafer cookiesplace in each cup
12 mandarin orange slices

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Written by Michael Chu
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96 comments on Cheesecake Cupcakes:(Post a comment)

On June 03, 2006 at 09:17 AM, xinxin said...
:D I like it but afraid it will make me fat ;)


On June 03, 2006 at 03:46 PM, Chez Christine (guest) said...
Subject: Yum!
My mom used to make these and put blueberry pie topping on the top. Mmmm...


On June 03, 2006 at 08:53 PM, an anonymous reader said...
:P these turned out awsome!! My kids loved them!


On June 03, 2006 at 09:55 PM, Brian (guest) said...
Subject: Biscuit base for cheese cupcakes
Try maing your own base from a 50/50 mixture of Digestive and Ginger biscuits, crumbled and bound with unsalted butter


On June 05, 2006 at 12:45 AM, an anonymous reader said...
I like the idea of using a cookie as the base of the cheese cupcake. :)


On June 05, 2006 at 09:42 AM, Crystal said...
From a view, the madarin oranges look like little hearts :)

These look tasty! Any idea of the nutritional value though? Probably less than a slice of cheesecake...


On June 05, 2006 at 11:24 AM, SirisC (guest) said...
Subject: Chocolate
I wonder what adding a bit of bittersweet baking chocolate would do for flaver? I'm going to have to try that. (Any suggestions on how much to use?)


On June 05, 2006 at 02:24 PM, Audrey (guest) said...
I once made 300 of these mini cheesecakes for a friends wedding reception. How I wish I had seen your recipe first! The cookie-as-crust thing is genious... I spent hours and hours pressing graham cracker crumbs into teeny paper cups with my thumbs. :(


On June 05, 2006 at 04:13 PM, foodscigeek said...
For chocolate cheesecake, I usually use about 1 oz (1 square of bakers chocolate) per 8 oz package of cream cheese. So for this recipe, you'd likely want 2 oz.


On June 05, 2006 at 05:48 PM, awi (guest) said...
Subject: mini muffin
I want to try this recipe using a mini muffin pan. How long do you think the baking time will be?


On June 05, 2006 at 08:49 PM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: mini muffin
awi wrote:
I want to try this recipe using a mini muffin pan. How long do you think the baking time will be?

For something that small, I'd rely on examination over an estimated baking time. Start by checking at 8 minutes and check every two minutes after that. Just gently swing the pan left and right a little and see if the center of the cupcakes still jiggle. If they barely move (about as stiff as jello) then they are done. If they move as if they were liquid, keep baking.

After your first batch, add up the time in the oven and subtract a few minutes and use that as your new first check point for testing doneness on your second batch. On your third batch, you'll probably know the exact time it takes to set your cupcakes with your mini-muffin pan and oven.


On June 06, 2006 at 12:04 AM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Cheesecake Cupcakes-Puff up
When I baked them, they puffed up and fell, is this normal?


On June 06, 2006 at 12:33 AM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: Cheesecake Cupcakes-Puff up
Anonymous wrote:
When I baked them, they puffed up and fell, is this normal?

They might puff up if air bubbles are trapped in the batter. Try letting them sit for half an hour before you bake (and aggitate the pan intermittantly) to let bubbles work themselves out before baking if this happens all the time for you.


On June 07, 2006 at 05:36 PM, foodscigeek said...
I've always found if you soften the cream cheese with the sugar, and minimize mixing after adding the eggs you don't get the aeration in the batter.

Crystal, I did a quick and dirty calculation on the nutritionals of the mini cheesecakes. I used USDA database numbers on the full fat versions of all the ingredients. If you get 12 mini cheesecakes out of this recipe, here's the nutrition content (including the vanilla wafer, but no topping):

Calories 210
Fat 15 g
Calories from Fat 135
Protein 4 g
Carbohydrates 14 g


On June 08, 2006 at 12:38 PM, blessedmomma said...
Subject: gingersnaps
Michael have you thought about using gingersnaps for the "crust" ? I'm feeling experimental so I got some. Will make the batch tonight with half of them nilla half gingersnap. I'll give a review to let you all know.


On June 08, 2006 at 11:40 PM, blessedmomma said...
Subject: Gingersnap followup
ok, first off everything went according to plan with the recipe and I got 15 nice cheesecakes. I opted to put 5 frozen blueberries on top of each one, nice complimentary tartness. As for the gingersnap crust, it was a bit denser and had just a bit of chewiness to it where the wafer seemed to become one with the cheesecake texture. I prefer the dense texture. Flavor was suprisingly mild compared to eating a gingersnap out of the box. The ginger "bite" was all but gone where the wafer seems to again absorb the cheesecake and the flavor is not easy to distinguish. Bottom line, I like both. If you want to taste the crust try the gingersnap, if you want the cheesecake flavor unhindered, use the wafer. I'm half tempted to do a batch with brown sugar sprinkled on the bottom of the cups before the cookie is placed for a carmalized crust. What fun. Thanks Michael.


On June 09, 2006 at 01:13 PM, Crystal said...
foodscigeek wrote:

Calories 210
Fat 15 g
Calories from Fat 135
Protein 4 g
Carbohydrates 14 g


Not bad considering it is cheesecake we're taking about! Thanks very much foodscigeek ^_^


On June 10, 2006 at 10:42 PM, Ryn (guest) said...
Subject: healthy...cheesecake
I was wondering whether it'd work to use reduced-fat or even fat-free cream cheese...I'm slightly afraid that the reduction in fat content will upset them =/


On June 12, 2006 at 11:12 AM, Rev.Krull (guest) said...
Subject: Results From My Attempt
I made the cheesecake cupcakes last night. They turned out really good!
Instead of vanilla wafers for the "crust," I used chocolate chip cookies. The kind which are advertised as "soft" or "chewy" worked the best. They are generally larger than the bottom of a muffin cup, so I had to manually trim away the edges of the cookies to get them to fit (and you get to eat the trimmings, of course). Also, I'll note that the resulting mixture after beating had the consistency of pudding. You had to spoon the mixture into the cups, rather than pour. I topped my with canned cherries (3 per muffin).


On June 15, 2006 at 12:52 PM, slick (guest) said...
Subject: upside-down
I wonder if a silicone muffin pan would work. Also, if you put the crust on the top and the topping on the bottom would it still cook the same?


On June 16, 2006 at 05:04 PM, abr9er1 (guest) said...
Subject: Mini cheesecakes
Love your website, thank you.

I made a similar recipe using prepared cookie dough from the grocery store refrigerator section as the crust. I liked the options for mixing the different kinds of crusts --- chocolate chip cookie dough, chococolate chocolate chip cookie dough, sugar cookie dough, etc. with a myriad of different fruit or candy toppings.

And the individual, smaller servings are great for transporting.


On June 17, 2006 at 12:39 PM, Catherine (guest) said...
Wow! Recipe looks DELICIUOS. And the picture of the empty muffin liners with wafer is great.


On June 18, 2006 at 05:44 PM, chuie (guest) said...
Subject: crusts
For those of you who prefer to make a crumb crust, try this:
Sprinkle the crumbs into the cups then use the bottom of a second muffin pan to compress the mixture.


On June 23, 2006 at 02:38 PM, an anonymous reader said...
I have baked these for wedding showers before and they're always a huge hit. I prefer graham cracker/gingersnap crusts and I top with a fanned out sliced strawberry and a few small chocolate curls.

You can also make wee key lime pies this way, too.

Heels
http://www.mundanesuperhero.com


On July 12, 2006 at 10:40 AM, sheila said...
Subject: EASY ENOUGH FOR MY LITTLE SAIL BOAT GALLEY
Thank you so much for this cheesecake recipe. My husband LOVES cheesecake and this is simple enough to make in my little galley on our "classic plastic" 1969 CAL 34 liveaboard sailboat.

Hopefully, being individual cupcakes will allow for good portion control!

If interested, check out our sailing blog. We are currently on the Lagoon in the French/Dutch island of St. Martin / Sint Maarten in the Caribbean. We plan to head south (St. Kitts, Martinique, Grenadines, Trinidad) by the end of July.

Looking forward to perusing your site for more recipes that will fit our cruising lifestyle.


On July 12, 2006 at 02:41 PM, serenpoly (guest) said...
Subject: cheesecake cupcakes
From my experience, you can use just about any cookie that fits for the 'crust'. I've had excellent results with the shortbread and chocolate-mint Girl Scout cookies (a chocolate filling with those...) or the grocery-store equivalents.

For whoever asked about using low-fat dairy, the best cheesecake I ever made was with _extremely_ well-drained yogurt cheese. It was just tart enough to accent the sweet/rich tastes from the sugar and eggs, and I couldn't tell that the texture suffered, either.


On July 12, 2006 at 11:48 PM, superwife (guest) said...
Subject: yum!
I tried this recipe out with fabulous results. I have photos and modifications at my site- http://theadventuresofsuperwife.com/plog

As far as the crust- I really preferred a crubled graham cracker with some brown sugar sprinkled in. It gave it a very authentic cheescake taste![/url]


On July 17, 2006 at 10:14 PM, thedessertcafe said...
Subject: Great Recipe
I own an online dessert site and these are the types of dessert that would sell quite well.


On August 10, 2006 at 12:24 PM, mitchypoo (guest) said...
Subject: YUMMY!
I made this recipe and it was really wonderful! The recipe is great the way it is and we had guests over and they enjoyed them also. I like that they are individual so even if you are watching your calories you can have one and not feel guilty. And the recipe is versatile too, next time i'm going to try a ginger snap for the crust and add some orange zest to the mixture.


On August 10, 2006 at 05:41 PM, Phipps said...
Subject: Very good
I made these last night. They came out superb. Thanks.


On August 13, 2006 at 09:32 AM, billhuber said...
Subject: Another great simple recipe
My wife and son were very pleased with the cupcakes. The only things I would change would be to let the cream cheese soften more before mixing and let them sit for a half hour or longer. My cupcakes rose and fell. I like the idea of crumbled graham crackers but I am afraid they will be messier to eat with your fingers.


On August 15, 2006 at 08:58 PM, Heidi (guest) said...
Subject: Our appreciation of your site!
Hi! I wanted to tell you that we found your site a few months back when at the cottage as a family. We needed a recipe for pancakes, and my Dad pulled out his iBook and did a Google search. Being an engineer himself, and a gourmand, you can imagine his total excitement at finding a website for engineers who love to cook! Your recipe was great, too. Thanks very much for your hard work!

Heidi

My websites: Handmade wedding invitations, seed wedding favors and handmade paper & Modern photo wedding invitations.


On August 21, 2006 at 02:40 PM, Chef Geek (guest) said...
Subject: Rev A was good
These were very yummy but As an engineer I want to improve the product instructions. See below:

1 - "Cream" (blend) the softened cheese with the sugar, BEFORE adding the eggs.

2 - Add those eggs 1 egg at a time beating between each. This makes getting to a homegenous mixture much quicker.

Makes 14 or 15 cupcakes we found.
Fresh Bluberries are great on top!

Thanks! Chef Geek


On September 08, 2006 at 01:20 AM, J (guest) said...
I made this recipe according to the directions, and like others have mentioned, by the time the room-temperature cream cheese was fully incorporated into the mixture, the eggs suffered and as a result I experienced the rise, crack and fall result. And it makes about 14 cheesecakes, so I placed them on heavy-duty foil to bake alongside the muffin pan, which worked well.

The second time I made them, I did what typical cheesecake recipes state, and that is to beat the cream cheese till smooth before the addition of any other ingredients. As a result, they turned out perfectly the second time around.

I found that 1/2 cup sugar is too much. The rich cheesecake flavor tastes best when made with only 1/3 cup.

Thank you for a great addition to my saved recipe file!


On September 25, 2006 at 05:45 PM, Pocky (guest) said...
Subject: Toppings
I'd like to top mine off with strawberries, but is it okay to add the strawberries after baking the cheesecakes, or do you have to bake the cheesecakes with the strawberries?


On September 25, 2006 at 07:28 PM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: Toppings
Pocky wrote:
I'd like to top mine off with strawberries, but is it okay to add the strawberries after baking the cheesecakes, or do you have to bake the cheesecakes with the strawberries?

Topping after is fine, but the strawberry (or strawberry pieces) won't be embedded in the cheesecake. It's mostly a matter of aesthetics but the short cooking time may alter the taste of the fruit a little (mostly mellow out the flavors).


On October 05, 2006 at 10:48 AM, bekbek (guest) said...
Subject: Failing to follow scientific method
I have abandoned all hope of ever being a good kitchen mechanic, because my brain apparently does not accept the need to follow anything remotely resembling scientific method. That said, this is a good opportunity to say how much I enjoy this site --it's my favorite cooking resource, even if I then proceed to ruin all your hard work.

Made the little cheesecakes, but modified the recipe in response to other readings. I added sour cream and heavy cream (amounts by eye) to the cream cheese and egg and sugar mixture, and I used ginger snaps as the base. Then I cooked it all in a water bath.

And then (don't hate me!) I completely failed to adjust the cooking time.

What's worse is I'd decided to do them as caramel apple cheesecakes, based on a cake slice I once had at Dufflett's in Toronto (to DIE for), so I'd place thin slices of apple on top of each one of the cakes...

...meaning I could not observe the giggle factor! :shock:

Yes, you're reading this whole thing right. I changed the ingredients and the cooking method but not the cooking time, and failed to provide a way to properly observe the results.

Kill me now.

On the up side, the newly dubbed "cheesecake puddings" were AMAZING. I pooled hot caramel on top of each one. They had to be eaten with spoons, but they were delightful.

I have been asked to try again (with some greater care in the procedure) and will report back with the result.

Again, love the web site. Even if I fail to follow the instructions. :(

http://nothard.blogspot.com


On October 09, 2006 at 02:12 AM, kskerr said...
This recipe was awesome, and I also got more than 12 cheese cakes (not that I minded at all ;) ). Only thing I did different was a swiped the recipe for a graham cracker crust from another recipe, can't remember which at the moment or even if it was on this site, since I had no desire to invest in vanilla wafers for just this recipe (not a huge fan of the things) and to me only Eli's is allowed to not have a graham cracker crust, little extra work but it was so tastey :D! I did make the mistake of getting impatient and trying one before it was chilled, boy was that disgusting, especially since I generally eat my cheesecake when it is still frozen! Oh and I didn't put fruit on it since I like my cheesecake plain, would definately make this recipe again!!!


On November 18, 2006 at 05:38 PM, maryofdoom said...
I just made a double batch of these, with a few modifications.

I thought, "What better to bring to a Thanksgiving potluck dinner than pumpkin cheesecake cupcakes?"

To a double batch of the cheesecake mixture, I added:

1 can pumpkin (15 oz.)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
Pinch salt

Then I baked them like normal. I ended up with about 40 cupcakes. They have a tasty cheesecake flavor with a nice pumpkin pie addition - I'm hoping they'll be a big hit at the potluck tomorrow!


On December 06, 2006 at 03:35 AM, lilmoon (guest) said...
Subject: gonna be my first time
:) this is kewl as it comes with pictures to assist..cause i'll have no idea how it suppose to look like when i get my hands on...i'll like to make a normal cupcake for a start but i couldn't find the steps to do it..
and for the cheese cupcake.. how should i make a chocolate cheese cupcake? my dad loves them more.. would like to bake my first time for christmas :D thank you..


On December 31, 2006 at 07:23 PM, richsisters (guest) said...
Subject: Cheesecake
Hi! Can the individual cheesecakes be frozen for later consumption?
Thanks!


On January 01, 2007 at 02:40 PM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: Cheesecake
richsisters wrote:
Hi! Can the individual cheesecakes be frozen for later consumption?

Yep, they should freeze up just fine. Slide them into a ziploc freezer bag for convenience - you can pull out as many as you need/want on demand.


On January 10, 2007 at 12:39 AM, newcook (guest) said...
Subject: Awesome...
I used this recipe tonight an it was so quick and ended up being so delicious! Thanks so much.....I topped it off with a slice of strawberry and 2 bueberries to spice it up! :)


On February 19, 2007 at 08:39 AM, Gerald Graham (guest) said...
Subject: Removing mini-cakes from pan
I have found that, after the cakes have cooled, you can flip the muffin pan onto a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on top of the muffin pan, "flip" and the cakes will stay on the baking sheet (inverted), Cakes are easier to handle in the liners without disturbing their appearance and will not stick to the baking sheet. Turn them back over onto the serving dish and refridgerate. 8|


On June 29, 2007 at 12:36 PM, GSteed (guest) said...
Subject: Cheese cake cupcakes
Cooks/Engineers. Engineers work with the materials available. Make the recipe exactly as noted. Keep a notebook handy. Record brand or substitution. Cream cheese comes in many variations. Eggs are fresh and old. Oven performances vary. Ambient room temperatures as well as elevations are different. Question? Is cooking an art or a science? If you have poor results try again, vary only one item at a time. Re-read the recipe.


On January 23, 2008 at 08:04 PM, JasonJ1052 (guest) said...
Subject: Cheesecake Theory
My sister in law went to Culinary School (CIA in California) and her instructor said: cooking (on top of the stove) is art, while baking (in the oven) is science. They were doing breads with yeast an all sorts of gooies at the time.
I am a culinary scientist in the mold of Alton Brown. While I *never* share my cheesecake recipes, I will, however, share cooking advice.
First off, the cardinal sin of cheesecakes is a cracked cheesecake. The reason people put pie filling or whipped cream on top is often to hide the cracks.
The number one cause of cracking is air inside the cheesecake escaping and cracking the outside. So we need to prevent adding air to the batter, and slowing the formation of a "skin" on the outside of the cheesecake.
After 13 years and likely over 100 cheesecakes here's the best tricks for avoiding cracking.
Bring EVERYTHING to room temperature before you start (cream cheese, eggs, butter if you use it.)
Beat the cream cheese and sugar til its smooth, add vanilla if needed and beat again, but don't overbeat.
Add eggs ONE AT A TIME and only beat until there's no "obvious" egg before you add the next egg. Once the eggs are in you want to minimize any beating. Overbeating forces air into the batter which will crack it trying to escape later.
If you are adding any flavors into the batter (chocolate, lemon, lime, etc) now is the time, but beat as little as possible.
Before pouring into the crust, bang the bowl of batter on the counter some to release any bubbles "stuck" in the batter.
While preheating the oven, place a pyrex dish full of water on the shelf below where the cheesecake will be. This will heat up and keep the oven moist, so the surfact of the cheesecake won't dry and crack while baking.
While baking, watch thru the door but avoid opening the door. This willthrow off your time and could potentially cause small cracks to form large cracks.
Last and most important is to cool the cheesecake incredibly slowly. Stop early when there's a half dolloar size of apparently "uncooked" cheesecake in the middle. This will cook via "push" (carry over heat) When your tie is up, turn off the oven, open the door slightly but leave the cheesecake in the oven for 10-20 minutes. Then move it to the counter, keeping it in the springform pan. Cover with a clean dry dishtowel to keep some of the steam in but allow it to cool. Lastly, when it is cool enough to pick up and move by hand, you can move it to the fridge, still covered with a dish towel. After a few hours, you can safely run a knife around the inside of the springform pan and then release it, but don't remove it.
Let the cheesecake chill in the fridge at least overnight.
I know this sounds WAY over the top, but I assure you it's worth the effort. And once you get used to the process it's not really "work." All the extra time spent waiting gives time for cleaning up. (I make heavy use of Mise en place, so I routinely have 6 or 8 bowls that need to be washed after I make a cheesecake.)

Finally, for the muffin cheesecakes, I have used a banana cheesecake batter before and placed oreo cookies in the bottom of my muffin tins. The crust is a bit of a surprise when you bit into the cheesecake and are suddenly met by the cookie. I can only assume most any round sandwich cookie would also work, and thus the variety and creativity of cooking kick in.


On April 15, 2008 at 12:29 PM, Cecilia (guest) said...
Subject: About kitchen aid
Oh boy! I see that you have an exact same kitchenaid mixer as mine!! Just some questions though, does your kitchenaid 'slide' all over the kitchen counter when you turn it on(ie when mixing dough) - and you have to stand there and hold it down to stop it from falling over the edge.... also how do you make you mixer to stay on a 'low-stir speed' i found that for mine, the stir speed is fast already....nothing like stirring!! thanks for answering my questions :)


On April 15, 2008 at 01:01 PM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: About kitchen aid
Cecilia wrote:
Oh boy! I see that you have an exact same kitchenaid mixer as mine!! Just some questions though, does your kitchenaid 'slide' all over the kitchen counter when you turn it on(ie when mixing dough) - and you have to stand there and hold it down to stop it from falling over the edge.... also how do you make you mixer to stay on a 'low-stir speed' i found that for mine, the stir speed is fast already....nothing like stirring!! thanks for answering my questions :)

No, my kitchenaid mixer is heavy enough that it doesn't move on the counter at all when it's on. The rubber feet help keep it in place as well. What surface is your kitchen counter and does your kitchenaid mixer feel really heavy (it should)? If it's a lack of friction with your counter, I would suggest putting down a sheet of shelf liner.

Working from memory, stir speed is about one major revolution per second. It doesn't go much slower than that - it's slow enough that adding ingredients usually doesn't splatter, but if it looks like it might, then just shut off the machine to add ingredients. Once the ingredients are in the bowl, it's unlikely that anything will splash out on stir speed.


On April 16, 2008 at 07:35 AM, Cecilia (guest) said...
Subject: About kitchen aid
Oh thanks so much for replying, yes my kitchenaid is REALLY heavy lol! which is why it is a surprise to me that it rotates/moves when you mix something with it! (mine's a 5 quart one by the way) and also, the surface of my kitchen bench is like "rough" not smooth...so wouldn't that create greater friction ...hrmm correct me if i'm wrong! :) Also, yes my slow stir started off like slow...ie it goes one rev per second... then it increases it's speed to very fast for some reason ... speed two for me is VERY fast .... i haven't known anyone who owns a kitchenaid around me so I can't check with someone else ...damn! :(


On May 01, 2008 at 11:55 AM, thedessertdiva (guest) said...
Subject: cheesecake cupcakes topped with SMBC
I have a litle boy who is not a big fan of cake, so these cheesecake cupcakes fit the bill perfect for him. He wants his friends, who are coming to his party, to feel like they are getting a "real" cupcake, so my question is, can you top these with a nice swiss meringue buttercream?


On May 02, 2008 at 03:15 AM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: cheesecake cupcakes topped with SMBC
thedessertdiva wrote:
I have a litle boy who is not a big fan of cake, so these cheesecake cupcakes fit the bill perfect for him. He wants his friends, who are coming to his party, to feel like they are getting a "real" cupcake, so my question is, can you top these with a nice swiss meringue buttercream?

Sounds like it would work, but these are quite thin/flat when compared to a cupcake.


On May 21, 2008 at 03:51 AM, babygirl30721 (guest) said...
Subject: Icing on the cupcake??
I am going to make some of these for a friends birthday. Chocolate cheesecake. I wanted to put a swirly topping. Icing is what I was thinking but any certain type anyone recommends? I was going to just use chocolate. He is a chocolate lover and so I was going to do it all in chocolate.
Any suggestions.
Thanks


On June 04, 2008 at 03:19 AM, The Scarlet Pervygirl (guest) said...
Subject: High-Altitude Adjustments
Does anyone have high-altitude bake time for these? I added ten minutes, which left me with no jiggle but no browning at the edges, either, and I don't know if they got hot enough to destroy any bacteria in the eggs.

Not that this will stop me from eating them, of course. I'm just saying.


On June 10, 2008 at 05:33 PM, babygirl30721 (guest) said...
Subject: Chocolate cheesecake cupcakes
I used the recipe as someone suggested and made the cheesecake chocolate and I did not add oranges or anything but I did swirl some chocolate icing on top and it was a huge hit. People went crazy for them. The birthday I gave them for was a success I found letting the batter sit for half hour before baking was a good idea.
Thanks for a wonderful recipe.


On June 19, 2008 at 12:24 PM, Babz1223 (guest) said...
Subject: Cheesecakes
I used several different cookies for the crust- Windmills, chocolate,etc. The best tasting was a plain old gingersnap! I topped those with a tiny peice a soft caramel candy. Dee-licious!![/b]


On August 24, 2008 at 08:18 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!
YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They were delicious, and had a great aftertaste. The Nilla wafer on the bottom really made a difference instead of regualar graham crackers. Once again, yum! :) :) :) :) ;) ;) ;) B) B) B)


On October 20, 2008 at 05:40 PM, an anonymous reader said...
I like to make these with an Oreo crust. The filling provides a bit of a moisture barrier, so while the top cookie gets a bit soggy (like the nilla wafers), the bottom cookie stays nice and crispy even after a few days in the fridge. I few handfuls of mini-chocolate chips in the batter complete the event (regular chips are too big, I think, for the little cupcakes).


On November 17, 2008 at 08:37 AM, rmasea25 (guest) said...
Subject: I love cheesecakes
Thnx for the tips on how to prevent the baked cheesecakes from sinking and cracking. Will try them for my baked lemon cheesecake. Thnx again folks - you've all been very helpful.


On December 08, 2008 at 02:13 AM, diggydag (guest) said...
Subject: Cheesecake cupcakes
Hi, just discovered this site and tried the cheesescake cupcakes. My question was even though I have never noticed my oven temperature being off before... I had to cook thm 25 minutes as opposed to the directions saying 15. They didn't seem done prior to that... Any suggestions/thoughts?


On December 08, 2008 at 07:34 AM, Dilbert said...
>>suggestions:

yup, bake 'em 25 minutes <g>

seriously the baking time is affected by any temp errors, also how heat is distributed in your oven - "hot spots" are famous things... - where you put them (hi-middle-low) in the oven, type of pan you are using, paper cups, foil cups, phase of the moon (!), all kinds of stuff.


On December 19, 2008 at 07:05 PM, KCATRI (guest) said...
Subject: cheesecake cupcakes
;) AWESOME!! I recently had to make something to take to school. We were really into cheesecake at the time and this recipe is so quick and delicious! I gave out the recipe and now other people are making them to bring to the next party! Thanks!


On January 03, 2009 at 11:45 AM, goldsky (guest) said...
Subject: gluten-free cheesecake mini cupcakes
I just made, for the first time, mini cupcakes with gluten free ginger snaps. Those of us, who need gluten free crusts, should try this.


On January 03, 2009 at 06:34 PM, genakole (guest) said...
The only change that I made was I ditched the muffin tins and just put the aluminum cups with the paper liners directly on a cookie sheet. This works well for cupcakes and anything that used to require muffin tins.


On January 13, 2009 at 03:33 PM, Tina (guest) said...
Subject: My mini cheesecakes cracks in the oven help please
Mini cheesecake are cracking while the same formula works for bigger sizes.
I am using a convection oven with low fan speed and using steam feature which inject 2liter water in the first minute. The oven is industerial oven.

To realease steam the oven shold be 300F to release the steam. after steam is being rleased I droped the temp to lower but within 8 min they start cracking and they are still not done and its inside is soft. What do you suggest pease help.


On January 27, 2009 at 12:59 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Any ideas about using the mini (24) cupcake tins, with liners or without, mini oreos fit nicely, split them or leave the whole, crush them to put in the bottom, take out the oreo filling first or leave it in.
Just a guy playing in my wife's kitchen


On January 30, 2009 at 04:20 PM, an anonymous reader said...
I just made these and they turned out great! Delicious and much easier than a full cheesecake. I'm bringing them to a work potluck. I ate one myself and it's so good.

I modified it by making my own graham crumb crust (it didn't take hours... more like 10 minutes...) which I blind baked for 4-5 minutes in the 350 degree oven. It's kind of crispy.

I also added some lemon juice to the batter.


On February 11, 2009 at 01:07 AM, an anonymous reader said...
Grandma always said a recipe was a good place to start.... so who am I to argue with her. :)

Used the recipe above (sorta) as my starting point. Then I added some Grand Marnier and frozen Orange juice concentrate (thawed). I did 1 1/2 the recipe and made the cupcake version with paper cups (that's all I had) and the balance into the smaller (8 1/2 in?) cheesecake pan. For the crust, I used 1/3 each of graham crumbs, ginger snap crumbs and chopped pecans. I used my tart tamp to tamp the crumbs into the paper cups - and it worked beautifully!!

After allowing to cool - I made a chocolate Ganache and before it thickened to much (cooled) I put a thin layer on both the cupcakes and cheesecake. I would suggest that you let this cool until VERY set before the next thing I did. (learned the hard way) Then topped it off with a whipped cream type topping. Place in the fridge and chill for 4 to 6 hours. (topping was whip cream, sugar, vanilla, dissolved gelatin and Grand Marnier)

Both were a huge hit at the office... so much so that I am now asked to bring in cheesecake at all meetings - now matter how small. I guess they like 'em!

P.S. the above crust is also very yummy with a pumpkin cheesecake. For the topping on pumpkin - I used one of the whip cream makers that use the cylinders - added some vanilla, cinnamon and ginger. I did not add any sweetener as the contrast between the topping and cheesecake were a perfect match. ( you could use pumpkin pie spice in place of the above spices). Serve as you would pumpkin pie - with a dollup of the seasoned whipped cream.


On February 14, 2009 at 02:12 AM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Prerequisite
Quick and easy recipe that I absolutely adore; thank you! Instead of oranges, I used strawberry slices that vaguely look like hearts if you back up and squint before looking at them. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.


On March 22, 2009 at 06:37 AM, mase (guest) said...
Subject: Re: To prevent cheesecake from cracking during baking
I have successfully tried a tip I overheard on AFC and it has never failed me - creaming the cheese cake ingredients with a cake mixer incorporates too much air thus the cake rises during baking then cracks. Upon cooling the cakes falls but craters appear on top of the cake which can be cleverly hidden with some kind of topping. To avoid incorporating air in the cream cheese mixture try mixing the cream cheese and the rest of the ingredients in a food processor (the close and covered food processor prevents too much air from being beaten into the cream cheese mixture).

I would like to share this simple baked cheesecake recipe that my family love. The cake sinks ever slightly in the centre thus enabling me to pour a bluberry pie filling topping just before cutting. Sometimes I add lemon juice from 2 lemons to produce a lemon baked cheese cake.


Cream cheese mixture:

24 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup castor sugar
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs lightly beaten
1 tbsp grated lemon zest

Crumb base:

10 pieces digestive biscuits - finely crushed
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tbsp sugar

Mix crushed biscuits with melted butter and sugar. Press firmly to base of a 8" spring form pan that has been lined with aluminium foil. Chill in fridge.

Cream the cheese in the food processor till soft. Add sugar followed by beaten egg, sour cream and finally lemon zest. Use a spatula if necessary to scrape the sides of the food processor to ensure the cheese mixture is well combined. Avoid beating the final mixture too long.

Pour over prepared crumb base. Bake bain-marie 170C for 50-55mins. Cool in spring-form pan.
Remove onto a serving plate. Pour 1 cup blueberry pie filling.

Enjoy.


On May 25, 2009 at 08:46 PM, Becky (guest) said...
Subject: Thank you for this recipe
I just made 66 of them for a lunch at a center for mentally ill patients. It's great to have a simple recipe that scales and gives good results. One thing I discovered -- the ginger snaps I used were too solid and stayed crunchy instead of melding with the cream cheese. So I dabbed about 1/2 tsp of water on each one before adding the cream cheese batter -- a big improvement.


On June 12, 2009 at 12:57 PM, Gogogirl739 (guest) said...
Subject: Refridgeration Duration
I don't we where it says it specifically, How long are we suppose to keep the cheesecake in the refridgerator??


On July 17, 2009 at 07:24 PM, britt holman (guest) said...
Subject: mini cheese cakes
Please help. I have lost the baking instructions for using ready made chocolate chip cookie dough squares as the crust for cheesecake cupcakes. I took them to my college classes and they were always a hit with the professors. I would have several topping choices (canned pie fillings) for them to choose from. I can not say that they improved my grades but the professors always insisted on taking the "left overs" back with them to "share" with their department. ;)


On October 29, 2009 at 04:40 PM, Jbear (guest) said...
Subject: Mini Cheesecakes
I have made a similar recipe using crushed vanilla wafers and mini muffin liners. I add 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1 tbs lemon zest to the batter. Then after cooled, I put a dollop of Lemon Curd and then a fresh raspberry. They have been a huge hit! The lemon cuts the sweetness of the sugar and the raspberry makes the taste pop!


On November 20, 2009 at 01:54 AM, calyn (guest) said...
Subject: Mini Ceesecake
I like this idea - the mini size cheesecake. I had slightly modified the recipe and it tastes good too. Thanks for the great tip!

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4965788436398420148&postID=6949...930

or http://recipesnextdoor.blogspot.com

btw, i was an engineer but now is a SAHM :-)


On December 16, 2009 at 10:33 PM, jimcfs said...
I made it the other day using Biscoffs for the cookie base. It came out excellent!!


On March 06, 2010 at 03:32 PM, skoshman (guest) said...
Subject: freezing?
Does anyone know if these can be frozen? If so, how long will they keep in the freezer?


On May 27, 2010 at 10:55 PM, TT (guest) said...
This may be a silly question.. but how you meant to eat these? Do you peel away the liners and eat it like a cupcake or do you use a fork/spoon and eat it like a slice of cheesecake?


On May 30, 2010 at 03:44 AM, Michael Chu said...
TT wrote:
This may be a silly question.. but how you meant to eat these? Do you peel away the liners and eat it like a cupcake or do you use a fork/spoon and eat it like a slice of cheesecake?

I peel the liners and eat like a cupcake.


On July 12, 2010 at 12:31 AM, an anonymous reader said...
Yummy! I used graham sticks for the base and homemade chocolate cream cheese icing on the top. I use at least 4 oz. of chocolate for 1 batch of icing to cut down on the sweetness.


On July 12, 2010 at 01:33 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Great taste but mine are collapsing in the centre?
Hi there -

These cupcakes taste great but i'm just wondering about a few things - my cupcakes fall in the middle after they have been in the oven. Does this have something to do with the amount of time I heat them or the way I mix them? Just wondering if there is anyone who knows how to remedy this? Also - should the cupcakes be firm/ should the liners come off easily - as mine keep sticking to the liners.

Any help would be highly appreciated!

Thanks


On July 12, 2010 at 04:37 PM, Dilbert said...
the falling in the middle has a couple of potential causes - the most common is temperature too high - the outsides cook before the center has time to set.

check your oven temp with an independent thermometer to ensure it is close to the set point - ovens are notorious for errors on that.


On July 14, 2010 at 12:38 PM, an anonymous reader said...
The cupcakes should yield slightly when touched when they are done. They will further set as they cool. Mine come out of paper liners without sticking.


On October 03, 2010 at 10:14 PM, Chinacan (guest) said...
Subject: Filling
I have a recipe for an entire cheesecake and it has cherry pie filing in the middle of the cheescake (placed there obviously before cooking). I was thinking about making muffin sized cheescakes with the same filling. Any ideas on whterh this would work or not?


On October 04, 2010 at 08:42 AM, Dilbert said...
yes, that'll work.

you'll need to pay attention to the bake temp - the smaller muffin size will bake fast and burn easier - so start with a somewhat lower temp - I'd guess 50F ' less....


On April 13, 2011 at 09:44 PM, Eunice (guest) said...
Subject: Cheescake Cupcakes
I have made this recipe for over 25 years... and have recently made it with Splenda -- and it was fine!


On May 26, 2011 at 12:42 AM, snackingkitchen (guest) said...
Subject: creamcheese cupcakes
Thanks for the inspiration! Here is my version of the recipe : Sour Cherry Crustless Cheesecake Cupcakes with Sour Cherry Glaze http://www.snackinginthekitchen.com/2011/05/sour-cherry-crustless-cheesecake.html


On September 12, 2011 at 09:34 PM, Ciara (guest) said...
Subject: Yumm Yumm
These cupcakes are awesome, honestly didnt mind the cupcake falling....I could barely wait for them to chill, I decided to put some cherry topping; Thank you so much for sharing this recipe..... :D


On October 03, 2011 at 09:00 PM, Wanda (guest) said...
Subject: Not sure where I went wrong
I made what seemed like a simple recipe for mini pumpkin cheesecakes using a gingersnap cookie as the crust. It tastes fine, however, all the cookies rose to the top..?? Where did I go wrong?


On October 05, 2011 at 06:19 AM, dean1756 said...
Great recipe. I love cheesecake and these are good for picnics.


On October 08, 2011 at 01:54 AM, BillKx said...
Cheesecake Cupcakes! What a novel idea - I have never had this before.
I am definitely going to try this recipe - love cheesecake. As an engineer, not too worried about the calories - will figure that out later... :P
Thanks for posting this delicious recipe.


On October 26, 2011 at 08:30 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Hi! I would like to try this recipe. I am using an almost black non-stick muffin pan, should I adjust the temperature to 25 degree lower as what they recommend when baking with pans like mine? Or are your pans also non-stick and 350 is the right temp for non stick pans?

Sorry.. I am a newbie in baking and I ask the most stupid questions... bear with me. :unsure:


On October 27, 2011 at 08:20 AM, Dilbert said...
if you chk this pix
http://images.cookingforengineers.com/pics2/640/DSC_1951_crop.jpg
they are not the dark non-stick.

on the first go around I'd follow the manufacturer's recommendation and adjust as needed from that experience.

good luck!


On October 27, 2011 at 03:06 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Thanks for the reply. I'll try the recipe. :)


On November 17, 2011 at 05:00 PM, Lulu (guest) said...
Subject: no bake cheesecake
Try the "no bake cheesecake" recipes for the pumpkin cheesecake cupcakes in a mini pan with a ginger snap in the bottom. No need to worry about bake times and falling. It firms up in the fridge.


On December 05, 2011 at 02:47 AM, scole456 said...
Subject: Cheesecake cupcakes
According to Here in America's Test Kitchen, 2002, tasters could [u:ae099d6966]not[/u:ae099d6966] tell the difference between Pure Vanilla Extract and Imitation Vanilla. As a matter fact Imitation Vanilla was preferred in taste tests & there wasn't any difference in cooking. So, if you have imitation Vanilla, don't rush out and buy pure Vanilla to make this recipe.


On September 27, 2013 at 06:51 PM, Cyn (guest) said...
Subject: Gluten free
I made these for some gluten intolerant teachers while my daughter made cupcakes for others. I used a store bought gluten free shortbread cookie as the crust. Since there was no flour in the batter this recipe was perfect. They were so excited to have such a delicious treat. Thanks!

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