Mini strawberry cheesecakes

Wonderful mini strawberry cheesecakes – quick to make and perfect for just a few bites. Ideal for summer gatherings or simply as a dessert. They’re so delicious it’s hard to stop at one :).

Makes 10.

Ingredients for the mini cheesecakes:

• 10 chocolate sandwich cookies (with chocolate filling)
• 250 g full-fat or semi-fat curd cheese (or cream cheese), finely ground
• 250 g ricotta
• 1 large egg
• ½ packet (20 g) vanilla custard (unsweetened)
• 110 g caster sugar

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Line a muffin tin with paper cases. Crush the biscuits and divide between the cases.

In a mixing bowl, combine the curd cheese, ricotta, egg, sugar and vanilla custard powder. Mix until smooth, but do not overmix to avoid incorporating too much air. Divide the cheesecake mixture evenly between the cases, filling each no more than two-thirds full.

Bake at 160°C for about 28–30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Ingredients for the strawberry topping:

• 450 g strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 7 g powdered gelatine + 30 ml cold water

Sprinkle the gelatine over the cold water and leave to bloom.

Place the remaining ingredients in a saucepan, stir and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes to reduce slightly. Blend until smooth, then remove from the heat. Add the bloomed gelatine to the hot sauce and stir until dissolved. Leave to cool at room temperature until slightly thickened.

To finish:

• 10 strawberries (one per cheesecake)

Place the cooled cheesecakes back into the muffin tin if needed (especially if the cases are soft). Spoon 2 – 3 tablespoons of the thickening strawberry sauce over each cheesecake. Chill in the fridge until set – the topping can remain slightly soft rather than fully firm. Decorate each cheesecake with a fresh strawberry.

Store in the fridge.

Enjoy!