Day 28 - Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes

So aside from brownies and cupcakes with things hidden in them, my one true love is cheesecake!! 

I particularly love no bake cheesecake (you know the kind - cream cheese, jelly mix it all up and put it in the fridge to set). Baked cheesecake can be a little hit and miss though, sometimes it's just too heavy for my liking. To be honest I've always been a bit afraid of attempting to make it. Pathetic, I know! So I decided what better way to overcome that fear than making teeny tiny little cheesecakes like the ones I found over at Annie's Eats!

Something so cute and small couldn't cause any trouble, right? :)

Ingredients:

Cheesecake Base
- 1 ½ cups Digestive Biscuit crumbs
- 60g melted butter
- 3 tbsp sugar

Raspberry Swirl
- 160g fresh raspberries
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar

Cheesecake Filling
- 900g cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 4 large eggs

Directions:


Preheat the oven to 165° C (325° F). Line your cupcake tins with cases. This recipe makes about 32 little cheesecakes.

In a small bowl combine the digestive biscuit crumbs (I put the biscuits in a small bag, tie it and crush them with my hands or a rolling pin), melted butter and sugar.

Place about 1 tablespoon of mixture into the bottom of each cupcake case. Use a clean glass to press the crumbs down so they are firmly packed.

Bake in the oven for 5 minutes to set the bases. Cool on a wire rack.






To make the raspberry puree blend the raspberries and sugar together in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Pour the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds.

In a separate bowl beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla essence. Beat until smooth.

Add in the eggs one at a time, beat well after each addition.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling on top of the base into each cupcake case.

Pour about half a teaspoon of puree in three dots into each cheesecake. Use a cocktail stick to swirl the puree and create a marble effect.

Bake until the filling is set - about 22 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

Serve with more raspberries and leftover raspberry puree. 

Delicious!! :)

Things I've Learnt:
- 32 sounds like a lot but we all ate at least two each, they won't last long!
- Don't accidentally forget to take one tin of cheesecakes out of the oven. They will burn... :( At least I had two other tins!
- Don't decide to make these little guys an hour before dinner. They're supposed to be refrigerated for 4 hours before eating them!!! (They actually taste amazing anyway, just convince your dinner guests to take a little longer finishing their main course! 20 minutes was better than none.)
- Honestly though, these taste amazing. Turns out baked cheesecake isn't so scary after all. :)

Linked up to Addicted to Recipes, It's so very Cheri, Be Colorful, Making the World Cuter, Project Inspire, Sew Can Do, Creating My Way to Success, Today's Creative, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Hope Studios, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Michelle's Tasty Creations, Foodie Friends Friday