Mini Strawberry Swirl Cheesecakes
Simple and creamy mini desserts that are sure to please any guest! These Mini Strawberry Swirl Cheesecakes are rich, decadent, and swirled with a homemade strawberry sauce. With just the right amount of sweetness, these mini cheesecakes will have you begging for more!
Happiness = Cheesecake
Those who knew me growing up knew that I had a major sweet tooth as a kid. It was so bad that I had seven cavities at once. From cookies to candy to cake, I loved it all! I have definitely gotten better over the years; but, a good sweet treat is always nice now and then.
Out of every dessert that I have ever tried, it is nothing like a good slice of cheesecake. From the creaminess of the cake to the sweet and buttery crust, cheesecake is always one of my go-to desserts. This is why I had to put you all onto my Simple Mini Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Recipe! You’ll love cheesecake even more after trying this recipe.
What is Cheesecake?
Now, I cannot assume that everyone knows what cheesecake is. Cheesecake is a simple dessert made out of soft cheese (i.e. cream cheese, ricotta, cottage cheese, etc.), sugar, eggs, and flavorings. The dessert usually has a bottom layer crust made out of graham crackers, vanilla wafers, cookies, etc.
It is such a simple dessert that can be made to your liking. There are so many different varieties that will please pretty much any guest! This is an American dessert that has been around for years. But, in order to get the right texture and consistency, there are certain steps that you have to take.
Mini Strawberry Swirl Cheesecakes Ingredients
The ingredients are pretty simple in this recipe; but, let’s still walk through them to understand them.
Again, some of the ingredients are probably in your pantry and refrigerator. If not, they are very accessible in pretty much any grocery store.
Vanilla Wafer Crumbs: There are so many ways to make the crust for the cheesecake. I like to use vanilla wafers because they are sweeter. You can also use graham crackers or cookies. Just make sure that they are completely crushed.
Granulated Sugar: The sugar helps to sweeten each part of this recipe. Only a small amount is used in each section.
Butter: The butter is melted to help moisten the wafer crumbs. The crumbs easily press down into the liners. You can use your fingers or a measuring scoop to press them down.
Frozen Strawberries: I prefer to use frozen fruits for sauces and compotes because their flavor is more concentrated. But, fresh can be used as well.
Lemon Juice: A little bit of lemon juice is added to both the sauce and the cheesecake to help balance the sweetness.
Cornstarch: I used a small amount of cornstarch to help thicken the sauce a little and make it shiny.
Cream Cheese: You can’t have cream cheese without soft cheese! I used the typical cream cheese. But, you can use cottage cheese or ricotta. I do not suggest using the pre-whipped cream cheese.
Pure Vanilla Extract: The extract is purely used for additional flavor purposes.
Lemon Juice: I used just a tiny bit of lemon juice in the cheesecake. A little bit of acid can go a long way in this type of rich dessert.
Salt: All you need is about a pinch of salt in the cheesecake. Do not get heavy-handed with the salt because you will be able to taste it if you added too much.
Eggs: All of the ingredients for this recipe should be room-temperature, especially the eggs and cream cheese. The eggs are needed for structure and stability in the cheesecakes.
How to make Mini Strawberry Swirl Cheesecakes:
Now that we have gotten the ingredients out of the way, we get into actually making them. These mini cheesecakes came out even better than I expected! I took extra precautions when making them in order to get the best end result.
The full written recipe is below, but here’s an overview.
VANILLA WAFER CRUST:
Step 1: Preheat the Oven & Crush the Cookies. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Use a food processor to crush the vanilla wafers in order to make crumbs. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Step 2: Make the Crust. In a large bowl, mix the vanilla wafer crumbs and sugar. Add the melted butter and mix until all of the crumbs are moistened.
Step 3: Blind Bake the Crusts. Evenly distribute the crumbs to each cupcake liner and firmly press the crumbs down to create one layer. Bake the crusts for 3 - 5 minutes. When done, set aside for later use. Make sure to keep the oven on 325°F for later use.
Strawberry Sauce:
Step 1: Mix the Ingredients. Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan and place on the stove on medium-high heat.
Step 2: Boil the Ingredients. Allow the mixture to come to a boil (about 10 - 15 minutes). Mix occasionally.
Step 3: Blend, Strain, & Cool the Sauce. Add the mixture to a standard blender or immersion blender. Completely puree the mixture. Strain the sauce to remove any seeds or large chunks. Allow the sauce to cool while the cheesecake batter is being made.
Mini Cheesecakes:
Step 1: Beat the Cream Cheese. Place the cream cheese in a bowl. With a stand or hand mixer and paddle attachment, stir on low speed until smooth and creamy. Do not excessively beat the cream cheese. You don’t want too much air in the batter.
Step 2: Cream the Fat & Sugar. Add the sugar and salt. Mix on low speed until fully combined and fluffy. Add the pure vanilla extract and lemon juice. Mix until fully combined.
Step 3: Mix in the Eggs. Begin adding in the eggs one at a time. Do not add in the next egg until the previous one has been fully incorporated.
Step 4: Fill Cupcake Liners. Begin filling the cupcake liners with batter. Only fill the liners half of the way up. Add 1 tsp of strawberry sauce on top of the batter. Evenly distribute the rest of the batter into each of the liners on top of the strawberry sauce.
Step 5: Swirl the Batter & Strawberry Sauce. Take a toothpick or wooden skewer and swirl the strawberry sauce and batter together in each liner. Bake at 325°F for 17 - 18 minutes or until the center of the cheesecakes set.
Step 6: Bake the Cheesecakes. Carefully remove the cheesecakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the muffin pan for 1 hour.
Step 7: Refrigerate. Remove the cheesecakes from the pan and refrigerate them for 3 - 4 hours or overnight.
Step 8: Garnish & Serve. Once cooled, top with some extra strawberry sauce. Plate, serve, and enjoy!
I’d love to hear your feedback about these SIMPLE Mini Strawberry Swirl Cheesecakes! Leave me a message in the comments section below. Remember to share and enjoy! Follow Be Greedy Eats on Pinterest and Instagram as well!
TIPS & TRICKS
Here a just a few baking tips and tricks that will make your Mini Strawberry Swirl Cheesecakes the best that they can be.
Keep all of the ingredients at room temperature. This will create smooth and creamy textured cheesecakes.
Do not overbeat or overmix the batter. The less air that you have in the batter, the better. The less air that is in the batter means that there is less of a chance that the cheesecakes will crack. Beat on a low speed the entire time.
Get a GOOD QUALITY CREAM CHEESE. I always suggest using Philadephia Cream Cheese. The better your ingredients are, the better the cheesecakes will be.
SET A TIMER! You do not want to overbake your cheesecakes. They will crack if you overbake them. Once the edges are settled, the middles will still be loose. But, the middles will settle after they have been removed from the oven and are chilled.
Mini Strawberry Swirl Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Use a food processer to crush the vanilla wafers in order to make crumbs. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, mix the vanilla wafer crumbs and sugar. Add the melted butter and mix until all of the crumbs are moistened.
- Evenly distribute the crumbs to each cupcake liner and firmly press the crumbs down to create one layer.
- Bake the crusts for 3 - 5 minutes. When done, set aside for later use. Make sure to keep the oven on 325°F for later use.
- Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan and place on the stove on medium-high heat. Allow the mixture to come to a boil (about 10 - 15 minutes). Mix occasionally.
- Add the mixture to a standard blender or immersion blender. Completely puree the mixture. Strain the sauce to remove any seeds or large chunks. Allow the sauce to cool while the cheesecake batter is being made.
- Place the cream cheese in a bowl. With a stand or hand mixer and paddle attachment, stir on low speed until smooth and creamy. Do not excessively beat the cream cheese. You don’t want too much air in the batter.
- Add the sugar and salt. Mix on low speed until fully combined and fluffy. Add the pure vanilla extract and lemon juice. Mix until fully combined.
- Begin adding in the eggs one at a time. Do not add in the next egg until the previous one has been fully incorporated.
- Begin filling the cupcake liners with batter. Only fill the liners half of the way up. Add 1 tsp of strawberry sauce on top of the batter. Evenly distribute the rest of the batter into each of the liners on top of the strawberry sauce.
- Take a toothpick or wooden skewer and swirl the strawberry sauce and batter together in each liner. Bake at 325°F for 17 - 18 minutes or until the center of the cheesecakes set.
- Carefully remove the cheesecakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the muffin pan for 1 hour. Remove the cheesecakes from the pan and refrigerate them for 3 - 4 hours or overnight.
- Once cooled, top with some extra strawberry sauce. Plate, serve, and enjoy!
Calories
132Fat (grams)
6Sat. Fat (grams)
3Carbs (grams)
20Fiber (grams)
0.27Net carbs
20Sugar (grams)
17Protein (grams)
2Sodium (milligrams)
90Cholesterol (grams)
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