Description
Mini Christmas Cheesecakes with a festive red, green, and plain marbled batter, a crunchy Oreo cookie crust, topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. Perfectly moist and creamy with a hint of lemon zest and a colorful presentation for holiday celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Cheesecake Crust
- 100 g Oreo Cookies Crushed with the filling
- 30 g butter melted
Cheesecake Batter
- 450 g cream cheese
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 20 g all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 60 g heavy cream
- 2 eggs
- red food coloring (as needed)
- green food coloring (as needed)
Topping & Garnish
- Whipped cream
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 150°Celsius and place cupcake casings into a cupcake tray to prepare for baking.
- Prepare Crust: Crush Oreo cookies including the filling into fine crumbs using a food processor or by placing them in a zip lock bag and pressing with a rolling pin. Transfer crumbs to a bowl, add melted butter and mix until fully moistened.
- Form Crust Base: Place one tablespoon of the cookie crumbs into each cupcake casing and press down firmly with the side of a small rolling pin to create a compact crust.
- Beat Cream Cheese: In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth for about 30 to 60 seconds, scraping the bowl often to ensure even mixing.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Add sugar, all purpose flour, and lemon zest to the cream cheese and beat again for 20 seconds to combine.
- Incorporate Eggs and Vanilla: Scrape the bowl, then add both eggs and vanilla extract. Beat for 10 seconds to combine, scrape the bowl again, and beat for another 10 seconds until the batter is smooth and creamy without overbeating.
- Fold in Heavy Cream: Gently fold in the heavy cream to the batter to maintain a creamy texture.
- Divide and Color Batter: Transfer one-third of the batter into two smaller bowls. Add green food coloring to one and red food coloring to the other, mixing each well to create colored batters.
- Fill Casings: Pour the plain batter into the cupcake casings alternated with spoonfuls of red and green batter. Use a skewer to swirl through the batter in a circular motion, creating a marbled effect without touching the crust.
- Bake Cheesecakes: Bake at 150°Celsius for 20 minutes. Place a baking dish filled with water in the oven to keep humidity high during baking, which helps prevent cracking.
- Post-Bake Rest: After baking, leave the cheesecakes in the oven for an additional 5 minutes to settle.
- Cool Cakes: Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Chill Thoroughly: Refrigerate the cheesecakes for at least 4 hours or overnight to fully set.
- Remove Casings and Garnish: Once chilled, carefully peel off cupcake casings. Top each mini cheesecake with whipped cream and decorate with sprinkles before serving.
- Storage: Keep any leftovers refrigerated to maintain freshness.
Notes
- For a full large cheesecake, use the same ingredients but pour into a 7-inch round cake tin and bake for 55 to 60 minutes at 150°Celsius.
- For a 9-inch round cheesecake, double the recipe and bake for 65 to 70 minutes until the edges are firm but the center is still slightly wobbly for a creamy texture.
- Do not overbeat the batter to avoid incorporating excess air which can cause cracks.
- Using a water bath or placing a dish with water in the oven helps maintain moisture and prevents cracking.
- Let cheesecakes chill thoroughly for best texture and easy removal of cupcake casings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini cheesecake
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
