Mini cheesecakes with cranberry cream
These mini cheesecakes are topped with a lovely cranberry and vanilla cream, making them perfect for winter and the festive season. The tart cranberries pair beautifully with the smooth, creamy mascarpone, while a hint of orange adds a festive touch. Simple to make and pretty to serve, they’re a delicious little treat for Christmas or any winter gathering!
Makes 8-10 mini cheesecakes.
Ingredients for the mini cheesecakes:
- 5 Oreo biscuits, with the cream filling removed
- 250 g full-fat or semi-skimmed curd cheese, passed through a fine sieve three times
- 250 g ricotta
- 1 large egg
- 110 g caster sugar
- 20 g vanilla custard powder, unsweetened (½ packet)
All ingredients should be at room temperature.
Prepare a muffin tin and line it with paper cases (mine were about 1 cm taller than the muffin tin cavities). Place half an Oreo biscuit in the bottom of each case.
Place the curd cheese, ricotta, egg, sugar and vanilla custard powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until smooth, taking care not to overmix or incorporate too much air. Divide the cheesecake mixture evenly between the paper cases.
Bake at 160°C for approximately 28–30 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Ingredients for the vanilla cream:
- 250 ml double cream
- 250 g mascarpone
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 3 tsp icing sugar
All ingredients should be chilled.
Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until thick and creamy.
Ingredients for the cranberry purée:
- 300 g fresh or frozen cranberries
- 3 tbsp sugar
- finely grated zest of 1 orange
Place all the ingredients in a saucepan. Stir and bring to the boil, then simmer for a few minutes, or until all the cranberries have burst and softened. Remove from the heat and press through a sieve. Leave the purée to cool completely.
Add the cooled cranberry purée to the vanilla cream and gently swirl it through with a spoon to create a marbled effect. Don’t mix for too long, as the cranberry purée should remain distinct rather than fully blending into the cream.
Spoon the pink-and-white cream over the cooled cheesecakes and refrigerate until chilled.
The mini cheesecakes can be decorated with fresh cranberries dipped in egg white and then rolled in sugar. Add these just before serving.
Enjoy!
