Mini Blueberry Cheesecake

Blueberry season is here and with loads of them getting cheaper and cheaper at the supermarkets, I can't help myself stocking them up in my freezer for later use. Incidentally, I also have a block of cream cheese in my fridge which has been screaming for me (every time I open the fridge) to use it before it reaches its expiry date. Hmm.... what should I make then?

Blueberries and cream cheese ....yes! Just the perfect combination. What else to make but Blueberry Cheesecake!

These scrummy little cheesecakes are so dainty, cute and pretty ... but you know what? The great thing about it is that the size of it makes me a "little" less guilty about its richness!

 

 

Mini Blueberry Cheesecake
(12-13 cupcakes)

Ingredients

Crust
1 cup crushed digestive biscuits
55g butter, melted
1 1/2 Tbsp castor sugar

Cheesecake
225g cream cheese
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup heavy cream (or thickened cream)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup  blueberry pie filling (or make your own blueberry sauce*)


Method

1) Preheat oven to 175C and line a muffin pan with paper cups.

2) To make the crust, combine the crushed digestive biscuits, sugar and melted butter together until well blended.

3) Press the crumbs onto the bottoms of the paper cups. Set aside.

4) To make the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese until creamy and smooth using a mixer on low speed.

5) Gradually add sugar and salt while beating, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl.

6) Add in the egg and mix till incorporated.

7) Add in the vanilla extract and heavy cream and mix well.

8) Let the cheesecake batter rest for 10 mins to remove any air bubbles formed during the mixing process.

9) Scoop the cheesecake batter into the prepared crusts and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until firm but the centres of the cheesecakes should still be a bit jiggly.

10) Remove from the oven and let cool, then refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

11) Serve with chilled blueberries and sauce on top. 



Blueberry Sauce * 

75g castor sugar
1 1/2 tsp cornflour
pinch of salt
80 ml water
250g fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste

1) Place the sugar, cornflour, salt and water in a medium sized saucepan and stir until smooth.

2) Gently stir in the blueberries and place the saucepan over medium heat.

3) Cook (simmer) the sauce until the liquid thickens and becomes clear, stirring gently occasionally (about 10 mins). Some of the blueberries will break down but others will remain whole. The longer you cook the sauce the thicker it will become. (if sauce is still too thin, add a little cornflour diluted in a bit of water to it to help thicken the liquid)

4) Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice if needed. Let cool and then cover and refrigerate. It can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

* Leftover of this sauce taste great as blueberry jam on toast or waffle too!