Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes with a Hint of Lemon

Long time, no cupcake! It’s been nearly a year since I shared the recipe for “I ♥ Strawberries” cupcakes. My excuse: I was hard at work earning my Masters in Creative Writing. After graduating in May, I could not wait to get back to baking.

The finished product!

Though these Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes are cupcake-sized, they aren’t technically cupcakes, nor are they really “tarts” as Paula Deen so deemed them. Yes, I admit: I have adapted a Paula Deen recipe. I’m typically not a fan of Paula’s culinary offerings—she puts mayonnaise on corn on the cob (but I put mayo in my chocolate cupcakes, so I guess I’m not one to talk!). Nonetheless, I am hooked on these airy, flaky, fruity cakes that have become wildly popular at my parties and are incredibly easy to make.

The recipe calls for blueberry pie filling, but you can always use cherry or another fruit filling. When summer berries are in season, I dice or macerate fresh berries, stir in a pinch of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice, then dollop the impromptu jam mixture in the natural hollows of the cheesecakes. Whipped cream highly recommended!

~ Tarrin

Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes with a Hint of Lemon
(makes 12 cupcakes, though I have stretched the batter to make as many as 16 in the past)

So few ingredients for such a delectable result.

Ingredients
2 eight-ounce packages cream cheese, softened at room temperature (Philadelphia is the best!)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
12 vanilla wafers (I always use Nilla wafers)
1 can blueberry pie filling

Zest of 1 lemon (well-washed to remove waxy supermarket coating!) and the juice of half the lemon

Preheat your oven to 350º and line muffin tin(s) with liners. Place a vanilla wafer, flat side down, in the bottom of each muffin cup.

Vanilla wafer “crusts”!

Beat cream cheese on medium-high speed with a handheld or standing electric mixer until fluffy, about one minute. Add the sugar and vanilla, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the lemon juice and zest with a spatula.

Spoon cream cheese mixture over wafers so that each cup is about two-thirds full.

Bake 26-30 minutes on the center rack until the tops of the cakes are beginning to turn golden brown and the batter appears set. If a toothpick comes out cleanly from a cupcake’s center, they’re ready.

Allow tarts to cool completely. Place a dollop of blueberry filling in the hollow of the cheesecake (they’ll sink in the middle as they cool).

Tip: To prevent the tops of the cheesecakes from cracking, pour an inch of warm water into a roasting pan and place on the lower oven rack under the cheesecakes as they bake. The pan of water will keep the moisture in the oven high and the heat more gentle. Be sure to place the pan in the oven when you begin preheating, and note that the water bath may slow cooking time by a few minutes. It will make for prettier cheesecakes, though!