I absolutely love cheesecakes and have never had a cheesecake that I didn’t like. Instead of a wedding cake, we had a cheesecake along with individual cheesecakes for the guests.
These individual cheesecakes are simple, despite the number of steps. You can substitute in other types of fruit and jam, for endless possibilities. You could also swap out the traditional graham cracker crust for another flavor of cookie — like oreo of vanilla wafer — to add another spin on these individual cheesecakes. Easy to make in a large batch for a party (just double the recipe if you want 30 for a larger crowd).
Sidenote: I have an extremely large cupcake pan that fits up to 24 cupcakes (or cheesecakes for this recipe). It’s such a time saver so that I don’t have to repeat the cooking steps twice for this recipe, especially since there is oven resting time for these cheesecakes.
Individual Strawberry Cheesecakes
Individual strawberry cheesecakes made in a cupcake pan — fruit can be swapped for other variations!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 4 tbsp melted butter (unsalted)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Cheesecake
- 1 lb cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- pinch salt
- ~7 strawberries
- strawberry jam
Instructions
Crust
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Preheat oven to 325°
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Line cupcake tin with cupcake liners
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Combine all crust ingredients together, should be the consistency of wet sand
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Add 1 TBSP of crust mix to the bottom of each lined cupcake. Press down with a small glass or shot glass to make the crust flat.
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Bake crust for 5 minutes. Remove and let cool while working on cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake
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Lower oven to 300°
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In stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth
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Mix in sugar until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as necessary
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Mix in vanilla, salt, and eggs 1 at a time until smooth
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Chop strawberries into small chunks and put over crust
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Add 2 TBSP of cheesecake mixture on top of the crust + strawberries
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Add ~1 tsp of jam to the top of each cheesecake and swirl with a toothpick
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Bake for 20-22 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through
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Turn off oven and leave tray in oven for 5 minutes
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Open oven door and leave tray in oven for 20 minutes
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Remove tray and let sit on the counter until cooled for removal (cheesecakes should not "squish" when you pick them up to move them)
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Move cheesecakes to wire rack to finish cooling
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Refrigerate for a few hours before enjoying!
Recipe Notes
Any fruit and fruit jam can be swapped out for strawberries.
