If you think cheesecake is intimidating to make, no worries. This one is as easy as they come! Using a combination of mascarpone cheese and cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, eggs and just a touch of flour, the cheesecake filling comes out creamy and light. It's not too dense and that's due to the combination of cheeses. The recipe below involves blueberries, but feel free to use whatever other berries you'd like as a topping... or even enjoy them plain! Now this is a crustless cheesecake cup recipe so another option is to make a simple graham cracker crust to place on the bottom of each cup before adding the filling. A tablespoon in each lined cup is perfect. If you can find gluten free graham crackers (thank you Colin!), try it in place of the regular graham crackers for a totally gluten free version.
Blueberry Cheesecake Cups
recipe adapted from Cat Cora
recipe adapted from Cat Cora
1 1/ 2 cups mascarpone cheese, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup plus about 2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for the pan
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons gluten free all-purpose flour
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
Whipped cream (store-bought or homemade) for garnish; optional
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position
a rack in the middle. Line a muffin pan with liners and set aside.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the
mascarpone, cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest, lemon juice,
and vanilla until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of
the bowl once. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour, scraping the bowl to make sure it is incorporated.
Pour the batter into the lined muffin pan, about 1/2 - 3/4 full.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the top of the cake is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow cheesecake cups to cook in the pan for 5-7 minutes before transferring them to cool on a wire rack.
While the cheesecake cups cool, in a medium bowl, combine the blueberries with the 2 tablespoons sugar and the remaining 1 teaspoon lemon zest. If using fresh berries, crush a few with the back of a spoon to encourage juices to form. Taste the fruit and add additional sugar as needed for the proper sweetness.
When ready to serve, spoon the blueberries over the cheesecake cups and dollop of whipped cream.
I love them, they look great!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day!
I seriously just drooled all over my keyboard. Those look so good, and that recipe is so simple! Thanks for sharing, I might have to try them this weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to spend the next 2 hours convincing myself that the blueberry in my freezer shouldn't be used to make these. Thanks ;)
ReplyDeleteI don't know how great these would be for my portion control - haha, I'd probably keep eating them thinking, "They're so small, one more won't hurt!" They sound like a perfect party dessert!
ReplyDeleteLol - thank you friends! I'm actually planning on making these this weekend with cranberries in place of bluberries. Something more festive! :)
ReplyDeleteOmg those look fantastic. I remember eating some of those before. I think it was a chinese restaurant, called vanseng. You can check it here Vanseng
ReplyDeleteAs a no flour/sugar girl.... I have to say this is a wonderful recipe! Just sub almond flour and Splenda... so good!
ReplyDeleteWhy does it give cream cheese in oz. and mascarpone in cups?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - My guess is that bricks of cream cheese usually are in 4oz and 8oz portions whereas mascarpone can vary depending on container. Food Network used these measurements and therefore, I used the same in the recipe above. Please click on the Cat Cora link for the Food Network recipe which reflects these measurements.
ReplyDeleteI made these last night and I was disappointed. They tasted more like "cake" than "cheesecake." I liked the idea of small size, but not cheesy enough for me.
ReplyDeleteKaren - thank for your comment! They are a bit lighter than a traditional cheesecake. I'm currently working on one that's a bit more dense so stay tuned!
ReplyDeleteWow!! what a treat! I'd be very excited to try that one especially that I can carry it because of its size. Thanks , I am a blueberry cheesecake lover :)
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ReplyDeleteThis recipe was absolutely delicious! I tripled the portion to feed my huge family and they loved it.