Baked Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Creamy, baked cheesecake bites with a graham cracker crust and spiced pumpkin filling. Perfectly portioned (made in regular muffin tins), and ideal for Thanksgiving or fall desserts. You might get a larger yield depending on the pan you use.
Servings 18 mini cakes
Ingredients
Crumb crust:
- 2 cups ground graham crackers
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
Pumpkin filling:
- 2 cups regular cream cheese about 16 ounces, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin purée
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup heavy cream at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Whipped cream topping:
- ¾ cup heavy or heavy whipping cream cold
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- caramel sauce optional, to decorate
- ground cinnamon or graham crackers optional, to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Prepare the crust:
- If you have whole graham crackers, process them until finely ground. Measure 2 cups ground graham crackers and transfer to a bowl. Add ½ cup unsalted butter, melted, and stir to incorporate very well until you have a sandy texture. There should be no dry spots left.
- Place about a tablespoon of the mixture into each muffin liner. Press firmly with your fingertips or the back of a small spoon to form the crust.
- Bake for about 8 minutes, until beginning to dry. Let cool on a wire rack while you prepare the filling.
Prepare the filling:
- In a large bowl, beat softened 2 cups regular cream cheese with 1 ½ cups pumpkin purée, ¼ cup white sugar and ½ cup light brown sugar until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Add 3 eggs and whisk until fully integrated. I don’t use an electric mixer from this point, but if you do, do so at the lowest speed. The less air you incorporate after adding the eggs, the creamier the filling will be after baked.
- Add ½ cup heavy cream and mix until well incorporated. Don’t overbeat or you might curdle the cream.
- Add 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon salt, and mix again until evenly colored.
- Pour the filling onto the prepared crusts in each muffin tin, filling it almost to the top. Using a cookie scoop helps you distribute it evenly.
- Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20-25 minutes or until the center is almost set. It should jiggle slightly.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely to room temperature on a wire rack before wrapping the whole pan in plastic wrap and refrigerating the mini cheesecakes for at least 4 hours and up to 3 days. I like them better the next day.
Make the whipped topping:
- In a medium bowl, beat ¾ cup heavy or heavy whipping cream, cold, with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar until almost firm peaks form. Don’t overbeat, or it might curdle.
- Before serving, pipe a rosette, or with whipped cream or spoon a dollop on top of each cheesecake, and add a drizzle of caramel sauce or a sprinkle of ground cinnamon or graham crackers if you want to.
Notes
Cookies for the crust: you can use vanilla wafers, digestive biscuits or gingersnaps instead of graham crackers. They each add a different flavor.
Use cupcake or muffin liners (also called paper cups), or it will be almost impossible to remove the mini cakes from the pan. And the liners act as small paper plates for people to grab.
The cooling and refrigeration steps are essential! I can't stress this enough. Cheesecakes don't like sudden changes of temperature. For a creamy filling and a great flavor, let the small cakes cool completely on a cooling rack before chilling. And I always recommend a day for cheesecakes before eating. If you can't, plan for at least 6 hours.
