Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes

Dreamy creamy mini blueberry cheesecakes baked in a muffin pan. These little cheesecakes are the perfect size for a weekend get-together or party.

Cheesecake - need I say more? Truly one of the best desserts out there. Whether you go for baked or unbaked, you just know it's going to go down well.

A large traditional sized cheesecake can be intimidating to make. It requires a water bath and careful cooling to ensure the top of the cheesecake does not crack. To get around this...simply make mini cheesecakes.

Ingredients for Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes

Berry Compote

Blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries - the choice is yours. If using frozen blueberries do not defrost them ahead of time. Just toss them in the pot.

Sugar sweetens the compote.

Lemon Juice adds a nice brightness to this compote. If you do not have fresh lemon juice, a teaspoon of concentrated lemon juice will work.

Biscuit Base

Malt'O'Milk biscuits - these biscuits are relatively sweet with a nice malty flavour. However, if you prefer a different biscuit, go ahead and use it.

Butter binds the biscuit crust together.

Cheesecake Filling

Cream Cheese - firm cream cheese is needed for a really good cheesecake. Here in New Zealand, I suggest using Philadelphia cream cheese blocks.

Sour Cream - light or regular cream cheese or creme fraiche adds to the tang of the cheesecake and adds to the freezing capability of the unbaked cheesecakes.

Eggs bind the filling together.

Caster sugar adds sweetness to this cheesecake without adding additional flavour. Granulated white sugar will also work.

Vanilla Extract and Lemon Juice give a nice flavour to the cheesecake.

Flour thickens the batter as a whole.

Making Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes

This recipe makes 18 regular cupcake-sized cheesecakes or 49 mini cupcakes sized cheesecakes.

To make regular cupcake-sized cheesecakes - place 11/2 tablespoons of biscuit base into each cupcake liner, and 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake filling.

To make mini cupcake sizes cheesecakes - place 1 ½ teaspoons of biscuit base into each cupcake liner and 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of filling.

The temperatures stated are for conventional ovens. For convection, fan-forced, fan-assisted, or air-fryers, the temperature must be reduced by 20°C/25°F.

For baking, make sure the oven is fully preheated, and that the rack is in the middle of the oven. Open the oven as little as possible. For best baking results use an oven thermometer.

Remember that all ovens work slightly differently and bake times may need to be adjusted for your specific oven.

Blueberry Compote

Making the blueberry is very easy. Combine all the ingredients in a small to a medium-sized pot, and bring to a boil. Once the compote is boiling, slightly reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes. The compote is finished when you can drag a line along the back of the wooden spoon without it flooding towards itself.

Once the compote is finished, allow it to cool before placing it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to a week, or this can be frozen for up to a month. Which mean this compote can be made up to a month in advance.

Extra blueberry compote can be used on top of yoghurt and granola, pancakes, or even toast.

Plain cheesecakes can be made by simply skipping this step altogether.

Biscuit Base

Making the biscuit base could not be easier. Simply crush the biscuits by rolling them in a plastic bag or toss them in the food processor until the biscuits are crumbs. Then add the melted butter and mix through until a wet sand consistency has been obtained.

This biscuit base must be baked for about 5 minutes before adding the filling.

Cheesecake Filling

Making a smooth cheesecake filling begins with room temperature ingredients. Remove the ingredients from the fridge about an hour before you begin. If you live in a colder climate, similar to that of New Zealand, room temperature may still be a bit too cold.

When the days are on the cooler side, I zap the cream cheese in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time until the cream cheese is pliable. The sour cream can be zapped in 10-second increments and the eggs can be placed in lukewarm water to bring them to temperature.

Using a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and lemon juice on a medium speed until smooth. Then add in the sour cream, vanilla and beat to combine. On a medium speed at the eggs and beat until just combined. You don't want to add too much air into the batter with the eggs. This will result in a thick creamy batter.

Divide the batter into the cupcake liners with the baked biscuit base. You can swirl the blueberry compote into the cheesecake filling, or bake these cheesecakes as is for a plain cheesecake.

The mini cheesecakes must be cooled for at least 2 hours in the fridge, or overnight before serving. Additional blueberry compote can be poured over the top of the cheesecakes when served.

Making mini cheesecakes ahead of time

These cheesecakes can be made ahead of time by simply preparing them up until the baking stage. The mini cheesecakes can then be frozen for up to 3 months in advance without the blueberry compote. Before baking, thaw out in the fridge overnight.

Scaling the mini cheesecake recipe

This recipe is really easy to scale down to make 9 mini cheesecakes or to double or triple the recipe for larger functions.

If you want to make a single cheesecake using this recipe - line a loaf pan (with overhanging slings), place the biscuit base in the bottom and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Pour the cheesecake filling into the pan and smooth over. Add about ½ cup of blueberry compote and swirl into the top of the cheesecake. Place the loaf tin into a roasting tin, and fill the roasting dish halfway with hot water. Bake for 50-60 minutes. The cheesecake is done when the outer edge is set until about 3cm towards the centre, while the middle still jiggles.

Turn off the oven, prop it open with a wooden spoon and allow it to cool for an hour before removing and cooling in the tin on a wire rack. Once cool, place in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

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