Mini-Cheesecakes with Raspberry Sauce

This memorable dessert and its presentation are outstanding! As long as the proportions of crust and cream cheese remain the same, you can make any type of cheesecake in a mini-cheesecake pan. 

If you don’t own a Mini-Cheesecake pan, buy one for this and other mini-cheesecake recipes. When I made these Mini-Cheesecakes with Raspberry Sauce, my guests had trouble believing I’d actually made them myself! When I assured them I had, they raved that I should be selling them! Two of my guests called them the best cheesecake they’d ever had. Check out this wonderful pan online or in kitchen stores!  

Mini-Cheesecakes with Raspberry Sauce:

To Prepare the Crust:

⅔ c. vanilla wafer crumbs (20 vanilla wafers, crushed in blender as fine crumbs)

2 tbsp. (30 mL) fine, dry bread crumbs

1 tbsp. (15 mL) granulated sugar

1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. (25 mL) softened butter

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Combine crumbs with sugar, using fingers to rub in softened butter until uniformly distributed. Lightly grease mini-cheesecake pans, spooning 2-to-3 tbsp. (30-to-45 mL) crumb mixture into each mini-tray. Press firmly and evenly into removable base of each, producing crust about ⅜-in. thick. Using a dampened paper towel, carefully wipe stray crumbs from sides of each mini-tray. Bake 5 min. Cool crumb base, but do not remove from trays.

To Prepare the Filling:

2 - 8 oz. (250 g each) pkg. “brick-style” cream cheese (do not use soft, spreadable cream cheese)

¾ c. (180 mL) granulated sugar

2 eggs

1-½ tsp. (7.5 mL) vanilla extract

Using electric mixer or blender washed of any crumbs, combine all ingredients until smooth and sugar granules are fully dissolved. Pour cream cheese mixture over baked crust in trays, filling to ⅜-in. from top. Bake 15-to-18 min. Centers should not jiggle but should still remain slightly soft. Cool cheesecakes at room temperature1 hr. before refrigerating. Do not remove from trays.

To Prepare the Raspberry Sauce:

¾ c. (180 mL) raspberry jam or jelly

18 firm, fresh raspberries 

Small, fresh mint leaf clusters

1-½ tsp. (7.5 mL) rum extract

Warm raspberry jam or jelly over low heat on stove top. If using jam, strain and discard lumps of fruit. Cool 5 min. Using two spoons, gently roll and glaze raspberries in jelly. While chilled mini-cheesecakes remain in trays, center three cooled, glazed raspberries atop each mini-cheesecake. Decorate with small clusters of mint leaves. Chill briefly to set. Warm remaining jelly over low heat, thinning with 2 tbsp. hot water and rum extract. Decant to small pitcher so diners can pour sauce over their cheesecake at the table.

Removing mini-cheesecakes from pan trays is best done as a two-person job, but it’s do-able by one. Place a short, narrow-necked jar on work surface. With one hand, balance mini-cheesecake pan above jar, pressing pan insert over jar to raise removable base of each tray.  

Carefully lift off each mini-cheesecake. When mini-cheesecakes are free of pan, peel removable metal base from bottom of baked crust. Set mini-cheesecakes on serving plate with Raspberry Sauce on the side. Makes 6 mini-cheesecakes.

Crush vanilla wafers in blender.

Wipe sides of each tray to remove any stray crumbs

Combine ingredients for cheesecake filling

Pour cheesecake filling into trays, distributing equally

Glaze firm, fresh raspberries

Center on each baked, cooled mini-cheesecake

Serve with Raspberry Sauce on the side