Mini Crème Brûlée Cheesecakes
Crème Brûlée and Cheesecake? The perfect combination! If you love smooth, velvety vanilla pastry cream paired with a creamy, soft cheesecake, this dessert is for you. I hope you give it a try!
Crème Brûlée and Cheesecake are two of the most loved desserts, so why not combine them into something even more irresistible? These Mini Crème Brûlée Cheesecakes are insanely delicious, easy to make and perfect for any occasion. This recipe makes 12 mini cheesecakes and you’ll need a muffin tray to bake them. The best part? This recipe is simple and beginner friendly. You don’t need any fancy equipment, just a muffin tray and basic ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
I use my homemade pastry cream in this recipe, and I highly recommend making it from scratch. I have a step by step recipe on my blog and trust me, the difference between homemade and store bought is huge. While you can use store bought pastry cream if you're short on time, it just doesn’t compare to the rich, velvety texture and deep vanilla flavor of the homemade version.
This recipe also happens to be the one that got me my first 1 million views on TikTok! It’s been a huge hit, and for a good reason. People love how easy yet fancy these cheesecakes are and once you make them, you’ll understand why they’re so popular. So, if you’re looking for a dessert that’s both simple and impressive, you need to try these. You won’t regret it!
Frequently asked questions
1. Why is it important to create a water bath?
Creating a water bath for your cheesecake is crucial for achieving the perfect texture, as it ensures that it bakes evenly, by providing a moist heat. It also helps prevent the surface from drying out and cracking.
2. How to create a water bath?
Place an oven-safe dish filled with hot water on the rack below the cheesecake. I also recommend preheating the oven with the water filled dish already in it.
3. How to achieve a creamy consistency?
In order for your cheesecake to have a creamy texture, you have to make sure not to over bake it. So make sure to keep checking on it from time to time. You know your cheesecake is ready when the sides are set but the middle still jiggles (almost like jelly) a little.
4. Do I have to use homemade pastry cream?
You can use store bought pastry cream, but homemade is much richer and creamier. I have a step by step pastry cream recipe on my blog that I highly recommend!
5. Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes! You can make the cheesecakes a day or two in advance and store them in the fridge. Just add the sugar and caramelize the top right before serving for the best texture.
6. How do I get the perfect caramelized sugar topping?
Sprinkle an even layer of sugar on top and use a kitchen torch to caramelize it until golden and crispy.
7. What’s the best way to serve these?
For the best experience, let the cheesecakes chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
Ingredients you will need for this recipe
Cream Cheese: My favorite cream cheese to use is Philadelphia cream cheese.
Granulated sugar: Sweetens the filling.
Eggs: For this recipe you are going to be using whole eggs. Eggs help hold the cheesecake together, giving it structure and preventing it from falling apart after baking.
Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste: I recommend using vanilla beans paste or even vanilla beans, but if you only have vanilla extract at home that works fine too.
Heavy cream: I used heavy cream with 32% fat content. Heavy cream makes the cheesecake rich and creamy.
Lemon extract: Totally optional.
For the crust:
Digestive biscuits: Forms the base of the cheesecake.
Butter: Make sure you’re using unsalted butter.
For the pastry cream:
You can use store bought vanilla pastry cream. I also have a homemade recipe here.
Step by step directions with photos
1. Preheat your oven to 160°C and I highly recommend to make a water bath. Which means that you fill a cake tin with hot water and place it in the oven, and this will create a lot of steam. I placed this on the lowest rack.
2. I preheated my oven for 15 minutes with the water bath already inside.
3. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the crushed digestive biscuits (or graham crackers) with the melted butter. Mix until well combined.
5. Press about 1 tablespoon of the biscuit mixture into the bottom of each muffin liner.
6. In another mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, lemon extract and sugar together until smooth and creamy.
7. Add the egg and mix until smooth. Finally add the heavy cream and the lemon extract. Whisk until well combined and smooth. Optionally, you can pass it through a strainer, in order to avoid any lumps in the batter.
8. Pour the cheesecake batter evenly over the biscuit crusts in the muffin tin, filling each liner almost to the top.
9. Tap the muffin tin gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles from the cheesecake batter.
10. Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until the cheesecakes are set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center.
11. Once baked, let the mini cheesecake cool for 25 minutes in the oven (with the oven door slightly open), then place them in the fridge and let them completely cool.
12. After cooling, pipe the pastry cream on top of the mini cheesecakes. Add a teaspoon of sugar, and with the help of a torch, create the brulee! Enjoy :)
Mini Crème Brûlée Cheesecakes
Crème Brûlée and Cheesecake? The perfect combination! If you love smooth, velvety vanilla pastry cream paired with a creamy, soft cheesecake, this dessert is for you. I hope you give it a try!
Ingredients
- 350g cream cheese, softened
- 130g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 35g sour cream
- 115g heavy cream (32% fat content)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp lemon extract, optional
- 150g crushed digestive biscuits
- 100g unsalted butter, melted
- Homemade or store-bought pastry cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160°C and I highly recommend to make a water bath. Which means that you fill a cake tin with hot water and place it in the oven, and this will create a lot of steam. I placed this on the lowest rack.
- I preheated my oven for 15 minutes with the water bath already inside.
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the crushed digestive biscuits (or graham crackers) with the melted butter. Mix until well combined.
- Press about 1 tablespoon of the biscuit mixture into the bottom of each muffin liner.
- In another mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, lemon extract and sugar together until smooth and creamy.
- Add the egg and mix until smooth. Finally add the heavy cream and the lemon extract. Whisk until well combined and smooth. Optionally, you can pass it through a strainer, in order to avoid any lumps in the batter.
- Pour the cheesecake batter evenly over the biscuit crusts in the muffin tin, filling each liner almost to the top.
- Tap the muffin tin gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles from the cheesecake batter.
- Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until the cheesecakes are set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center.
- Once baked, let the mini cheesecake cool for 25 minutes in the oven (with the oven door slightly open), then place them in the fridge and let them completely cool.
- After cooling, pipe the pastry cream on top of the mini cheesecakes. Add a teaspoon of sugar, and with the help of a torch, create the brulee! Enjoy :)
Nutrition Facts
Calories
317Fat
23 gSat. Fat
13 gCarbs
25 gFiber
0 gNet Carbs
24 gSugar
16 gProtein
4 gSodium
176 mgCholesterol
81 mg
