Have Your Cake and Eat It Too (Yes, the Whole Thing)
You know how the old saying goes: bigger is better. And it???s fair to say that this is often true. For instance, in the case of airplane seats. Yet there seems to be a growing adoration these days for diminutive things. There has long been a love for mini bars, mini candy bars, mini skirts, and so on; these days, it???s become trendy to miniaturize everything technological, from cell phones to iPods. And in this scheme of things, more and more restaurants and bakeries are presenting miniature desserts.
Sure, there???s undoubtedly something social and inviting about cutting a slab out of a big apple pie or digging into a whole tray of brownies to share with friends. But on the flip side, there???s something rather whimsical ??? and very palatable ??? about miniature and personalized desserts. It???s not necessarily about portion control, either, but rather the illusion of having a whole pristine dessert to yourself. Let???s face it: plunging a fork into your own personal cake feels gleefully indulgent.
So it is in the spirit and celebration of diminutive desserts that I offer you the following recipe:
MINIATURE CAPPUCCINO CHEESECAKES
Ingredients
Crust
1 1/3 cups graham crackers
1/3 cup sugar
?? tsp salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
1 ?? 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream
?? tsp vanilla
1 ?? tsp espresso powder
Equipment
12-cup regular muffin tin
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine all ingredients for crust in a bowl until well mixed. Using your fingers, press the crumb mixture into the bottoms and slightly up the sides of each cup in the muffin tin, making sure the bottoms are fully covered. Bake the crusts for 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and set on a rack to cool.
Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, make the filling by beating the cream cheese with the sugar until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue beating until incorporated. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla.
Pour half of cream cheese mixture into a separate bowl and stir in the espresso powder until fully dissolved.
Scoop one spoonful of plain cream cheese mixture, followed by one spoonful of espresso mixture, into each of the prepared crusts, filling the cups ?? full.
Bake for 22-25 minutes or until cheesecakes are set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the middle (they will firm up as they cool). Set tin on a rack to cool for five minutes, then run a knife gently around the edge of the tops of each cheesecake. Leave on rack until completely cooled, then run knife around cakes to the bottom of each crust until they are completely loose. Carefully prop them out with the knife and set in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.
Bonus: they freeze beautifully, so you can have them on hand for a last minute dinner party dessert.
